LOS ANGELES -- There was jubilation in the visiting Washington locker room Thursday evening following the Huskies' 17-12 upset of No. 17 Southern California.
Even though Steve Sarkisian once had a close relationship with many of celebrating players, he could not share in their joy.
Sarkisian, who is in his second year as USC's coach, came out on the losing end in his first meeting against a team made up in great part of players he recruited and signed to be Huskies. Those players that were the foundation that took a downtrodden program into a winning program.
On Thursday, that Washington group did not kowtow to a USC team that three weeks ago was ranked No. 6 in the country but now is in danger of falling out of the top 25 altogether.
"From the outset tonight, we seemed a little off and we started to press, and then you start to do things that are out of character," Sarkisian said.
Atypically, Sarkisian arrived at the postgame news conference without any of his players. Not quarterback Cody Kessler. Not star wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and not linebacker Su'a Cravens. Why? Because Sarkisian said he did not want the players subjected to pointed questions as to what went wrong for USC (3-2, 1-2 in Pac-12).
"This one's on me," the Trojans coach said. "My job is to get guys ready to play all four quarters at the highest level, and we didn't do that."
Sarkisian expounded that the USC coaching staff did not coach well enough nor did the players play well enough to win, but Sarkisian more than once redirected the blame squarely back on himself.
Washington (3-2, 1-1) and USC both had 12 days off after their previous game. The Trojans were coming off an inspiring 42-14 road win over Arizona State. The Huskies were nursing the sting of a 30-24 home loss to Cal.
Washington seemingly pilfered a bit of Stanford's blueprint from a Sept. 19 victory over USC, when the Cardinal hogged ball possession and put a clamp on the Trojans' big-play offense.
"I know we are making progress," Huskies coach Chris Petersen said. "I know we are pointed in the right direction."
Washington held a slim 32:29 to 27:31 advantage in time of possession, but the longest run the Huskies allowed was a 23-yard scamper by USC true freshman Ronald Jones II.
Smith-Schuster caught six passes but only for 82 yards, and his longest reception was for 26 yards. USC's brilliant two-way player Adoree' Jackson got a number of snaps on offense, but Washington had radar detection wherever Jackson ventured. He caught three passes for 3 yards and was not allowed loose on punt and kickoff returns.
Kessler completed 16 of 29 passes for 156 yards, but he threw two interceptions and was sacked five times.
"We were able to contain Cody a little bit," Petersen said. "We have a lot of respect for him, and I have a lot of respect for how good he really is and the weapons he has around him."
Washington enjoyed good field position most of the night, aided twice by pooch punts from Jake Browning that landed deep inside USC territory.
Although the vast majority of USC fans might have been shocked and frustrated at the Trojans' inability to mount sustained drives in the first half, it should not have come as a surprise. Washington entered the game as the top-ranked defensive team in the Pac-12 in three critical categories -- scoring defense, rushing defense and yards allowed per game.
USC rushed for 190 yards, including 120 by running back Tre Madden on 17 carries. However, the Huskies employed a bend-but-don't-break defensive approach.
"It was something we take pride in as a defense," Huskies linebacker Travis Feeney said. "We came out with confidence. We had a great game plan."
With true freshman quarterback Browning at the helm, Washington played it conservatively, and USC held a 6-3 halftime lead on a pair of field goals by Alex Wood. The Huskies' first-half points came on a 21-yard field goal by Cameron Van Winkle.
Smith-Schuster made a rare miscue on USC's first possession of the second half when he fumbled after catching a short pass from Kessler. The Huskies recovered the ball at the Trojans' 27-yard line.
Washington cashed in immediately with a flea-flicker. Wide receiver Marvin Hall took a backward pass from Browning and threw the ball to a wide-open Joshua Perkins in the end zone to give the Huskies a 10-6 lead.
Washington extended its lead to 17-6 on a 1-yard run by freshman Myles Gaskin (22 carries, 134 yards) with 14:21 left in the fourth quarter.
USC responded with a six-play, 69-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Jones. That narrowed the deficit to 17-12. The Trojans opted to go for a two-point conversion, but Madden dropped a wide-open pass in the flat.
Sarkisian made a critical decision with 3:44 left in the game after Kessler was sacked and USC faced a fourth-and-9 from the Washington 28. He sent in Wood to attempt a 46-yard field goal, but it hit the crossbar and fell to the turf. The Huskies took over and ran out the clock.
In explaining his decision, Sarkisian said, "If we kick it, we make it and we're down two. Defense was playing well, we get a stop. ... It was a natural decision, especially after the sack."
NOTES: Washington won despite committing three roughing-the-passer penalties. ... USC won eight of the previous 10 meetings with Washington. One of the losses came in 2009 when current USC head coach Steve Sarkisian was Washington's coach. The Huskies upset No. 3 USC 16-13. ... USC true freshman CB Iman "Biggie" Marshall had his first career interception in the first quarter to stop a potential Washington scoring drive. ... Washington's Jake Browning is just the second true freshman in school history to start at quarterback. Current USC assistant coach Marques Tuiasosopo was the first. Browning already established a freshman record with 368 passing yards on Sept. 19 in a 31-17 victory over Utah State. ... It took Washington coach Chris Petersen only 117 games to reach 100 career victories. He achieved that feat faster than any active FBS coach.
