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USC vs Washington 2016: Who Were The Studs and Duds?
Nov 12, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; USC Trojans defensive end Porter Gustin (45) celebrates after sacking Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) during the fourth quarter at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
It was a night for career-best performances for USC vs Washington, as the Trojans completed the upset of the No. 4 Huskies with stellar defense and an outstanding QB.
Oddsmakers made Washington a touchdown favorite. Pundits unanimously picked the Huskies to dispatch the Trojans. But USC got the last laugh as they went into Husky Stadium and spoiled Washington’s season.
It took a balanced and controlled performance from the Trojans. They took control early and maintained their advantage thanks to a composed young quarterback and an attacking defensive front.
Here’s a look at who stood out in the 26-13 victory for all the right reasons and all the wrong reasons:
Who were the studs?
Porter Gustin:
One of a few Trojan defenders who had the best games of their USC career, Gustin was a problem the Washington offensive line could not figure out how to handle. He had two sacks on the night, a pass break up and a couple more disruptive plays by simply getting in Jake Brownings face.
Rasheem Green:
Joining Gustin in the career-night category, Green had a monster game against the Huskies. He broke through for a sack, batted a key pass down on third down in the fourth quarter and proved a handful for UW from start to finish.
Stevie Tu’ikolovatu:
At a certain point, it might be more efficient to name USC’s entire defensive front as the studs of the victory over Washington. Tu’ikolovatu made his mark by drawing a holding penalty — and warranting many more flags with his powerful pass rush.
Sam Darnold:
The Trojan quarterback finished with 287 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions on 23-of-33 passing. That stat line doesn’t do Darnold’s performance justice. After throwing an admittedly bad interception, Darnold proved his elite status against a top-level defense. He was composed in a hostile enviroment. He was strong. He was accurate. He extended plays. He was exceptional.
Darreus Rogers:
Slowly but surely, Rogers has come into his own and now stands as one of USC’s most reliable receivers. The senior led all USC receivers with six catches, 84 yards and a touchdown. Not only was he reliable for the Trojans in Seattle, he came up with pivotal plays when it mattered. His catch on third-and-ten late in the fourth quarter as USC sought to run out the clock on the Huskies settled the game.
Adoree’ Jackson:
More on Jackson later, but it is hard to overlook a player who ends the game with two interceptions. His first came on the back of Darnold’s own misguided pick. His second sealed the victory. He also had a pass break up. Even so…
Nov 12, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) walks back to the bench following a safety against the USC Trojans during the fourth quarter at Husky Stadium. USC defeated Washington, 26-13. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Who were the duds?
Adoree’ Jackson:
…Jackson’s man, John Ross, led all receivers with 154 yards on eight catches, including a 70-yard touchdown on which the Trojan cornerback had his ankles broken. It was a crapshoot for Jackson who couldn’t find the balance between giving Ross cushion and keeping him from getting easy catches underneath. Not only that, Jackson’s open field tackling was not up to snuff.
Having said all that, Jackson had the last laugh.
Damien Mama:
False starts were to be expected given the hostile enviroment, but accounting for two of them on his own, as well as an illegal hands to the face penalty which called back a Sam Darnold touchdown, puts Mama on the duds list.
Jake Browning:
The Heisman Trophy candidate hadn’t faced a defense of USC’s caliber all season. It showed. Browning threw two interceptions and completed just 47 percent of his passes. Noticeably shaken by USC’s aggressive pass rush, Browning wasn’t the best quarterback on the field, let along in the conference on Saturday night.
Myles Gaskin:
More from Reign of Troy
A big part of the reason UW couldn’t get their passing game going was that the Trojans did such a good job of negating the Husky rushing attack. Running back Myles Gaskin was limited to 51 yards on 15 carries, his worst performance of the year.
Dante Pettis:
USC didn’t have many answers for John Ross, but the Trojans managed to hold Pettis to two catches for just 22 yards even though the injured Iman Marshall was assigned to him for much of the night.
JuJu Smith-Schuster:
Smith-Schuster was critical for the Trojans early, converting a pair of first downs over the middle, so it’s a little bit nitpicky to include him among the duds. However, he was not a factor for much of the game and dropped one first down conversion at the marker. Whether or not his back injury continues to limit him, it was a quiet performance for the junior. Thankfully, USC didn’t need him in the end.
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