Southern California @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 12, 2011 ) Washington 17, Southern California 40

For the fourth time already this season, Washington will be going up against a top 10 opponent. So far, the Huskies have one upset and a pair of blowout losses in those contests. That one upset did come at home, where Washington will take on No. 9 Southern California on Saturday night. The Huskies were crushed last week at No. 2 Oregon but can go into this weekend with some confidence. The only loss on the Trojans’ resume came against Stanford, which Washington managed to dispatch last month. But to pull off a second home upset, the Huskies will need to find a way to slow a USC offense that has Matt Barkley playing like a Heisman contender again. After three straight games with less than 300 yards, Barkley completed nearly 77 percent of his passes for 303 yards in a come-from-behind win at Utah last week.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: USC -11.5

ABOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (4-1, 2-1 Pac-12 South): The Trojans had lofty preseason expectations but have had a problem putting teams away. They started out slowly before Barkley found a groove in the 38-28 victory over the Utes on Oct. 4 and are ranked in the bottom half of FBS teams in average rushing yards. But the bigger issue that cropped up against Utah was in the defensive secondary, where USC has gotten burned on big plays. Both Torin Harris and Kevon Seymour were beaten for touchdowns against the Utes and the Trojans have allowed an average of 225.4 yards through the air. USC is coming up on the halfway point of its season and will play five of its six remaining games after Saturday in Southern California.

ABOUT WASHINGTON (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12 North): The Huskies are familiar with the Trojans system thanks to head coach Steve Sarkisian, who was part of the USC staff along with Kiffin during the glory years last decade. Sarkisian guided Washington to a 32-31 victory at USC in 2010 but could not make it two in row in a 40-17 loss last season. The Huskies struggled to match Oregon’s pace in the 52-21 drubbing last week but have the athletes on the outside in the secondary to slow down Barkley and the Trojans’ receiving corps. Senior cornerback Desmond Trufant has been strong on one side while freshman phenom Shaq Thompson has worked his way into the lineup at nickel and safety. Offensively, quarterback Keith Price has not been strong against top competition, completing 53 percent of his passes while throwing for one touchdown and four interceptions against Stanford, Oregon and LSU.

EXTRA POINTS

1. USC RB Curtis McNeal and WR Robert Woods appeared to suffer head injuries against Utah, but are expected to play Saturday.

2. Huskies RB Bishop Sankey has rushed for 351 yards and five touchdowns in the last three games.

3. The Trojans have not been shut out in 187 consecutive games. One more would break the school record. They were last blanked at Washington in 1997.

PREDICTION: USC 41, Washington 24