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USC football: Trojans host Washington Huskies, Steve Sarkisian faces old team

By The Sports Xchange
USC Trojans head football coach Steve Sarkisian will be going against his old team, the Washington Huskies, for the first time on Thursday night. Jon SooHoo/UPI
USC Trojans head football coach Steve Sarkisian will be going against his old team, the Washington Huskies, for the first time on Thursday night. Jon SooHoo/UPI | License Photo

LOS ANGELES -- There's one really obvious storyline for USC's game against Washington on Thursday night. Trojans' second-year head football coach Steve Sarkisian will be going against his old team for the first time.

"Do I want to play well? Yeah," he said after a recent practice. "But not because it's them."

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In a five-year stint at Washington, Sarkisian inched the program back forward, although his overall record was just 34-29. There weren't many howls of dismay from Husky fans when he ditched Seattle to return to USC, where he was an assistant for Pete Carroll. Washington, in turn, finally was the school that was able to lure Chris Petersen from Boise State.

"I've got great memories from the University of Washington," Sarkisian said. "I don't have any complaints about my time there. I enjoyed it. We really felt like we took a program that was at the bottom of our conference and built them the right way."

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He is familiar with much of Washington's personnel, while those players have a good working knowledge of Sark's schemes?

Any advantages?

"We're going to run our stuff every week just like any other week," Sarkisian said.

"We have wrinkles that we like to do and we try to game-plan our opponent. They're going to do the same. There's a lot of similarities between the two teams when it comes to schematics. But at the end of the day, it's about execution."

Well, execution and talent.

The 17th-ranked Trojans (3-1, 1-1 Pac-12) have a lot more of the latter than the Huskies, who have a young, but promising team in Petersen's second season. USC is trying to continue its momentum after a 42-14 win at Arizona State on Sept. 26, which followed a conference-opening 41-31 home loss to Stanford.

Quarterback Cody Kessler is completing 73 percent of his passes, with 15 touchdowns and one interception, and is directing one of the nation's most explosive offenses. Sophomore JuJu Smith-Schuster is playing like the best receiver in the conference, sophomore cornerback/receiver/returner Adoree' Jackson had a bigger role on offense in the last game, and yet another sophomore, Steven Mitchell, adds another dose of speed.

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"The guys are really chomping at the bit to get going," Sarkisian said. "I think the guys are really well-focused and exactly where they need to be."

NOTES, QUOTES

PLAYERS TO WATCH

--CB Iman Marshall, a true freshman, continues to impress. He has filled in the past two games for injured CB Kevon Seymour, who is expected back for Thursday night's game, but Marshall will have a role, which includes spelling Adoree' Jackson and allowing the sophomore to spend more time on offense. Marshall has 17 tackles, third on the team. Coach Steve Sarkisian praised Marshall's work ethic. "It's the sign of a guy who wants to be great," he said. "He's not satisfied with where he's at yet. He's a heck of a player for a true freshman, but he wants to be special."

--S Chris Hawkins has helped shore up the secondary by moving from cornerback to safety this season. Hawkins, a sophomore, has 15 tackles, an interception and two fumble recoveries. "He's got a knack for the football, he's creating turnovers for us," coach Steve Sarkisian said. "He's got a really high football IQ, which has given him a nice transition. He's showing physicality, which is important, and he's able to cover from the safety position, which is important."

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--RB Tre Madden, a senior, is the starter in a deep stable of running backs. Madden has 37 carries for 213 yards; freshman Ronald Jones II has 30 carries for 242 yards and Justin Davis has 20 rushes for 144 yards. The run game managed just 76 yards against Arizona State in the team's most recent outing -- that was OK because the passing game was spectacular -- but Madden and the Trojans are eager to get rolling again.

SERIES HISTORY: USC leads the series against Washington, 50-28-4, although one of those wins was later vacated. USC has won nine of the past 11 meetings. The Trojans won 24-14 when the teams last met in 2012.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "You have to sharpen your sword every day. You have to come prepared to play every Saturday because anybody can beat anybody. The rankings shouldn't determine how we prepare and how we play. It should be what we want to do, who we are and what we produce on the field." -- USC coach Steve Sarkisian, who is using "sharpen your sword" as a new team slogan.

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