The USC Trojans march into Husky Stadium to battle it out with the Washington Huskies on Saturday, November 11th. The contest between the two PAC-12 rivals begins at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on the FOX Network. As of Thursday, the Huskies are -9.5 point favorites and the contest’s total is 62.5.
Last season’s meeting between the two universities went the Huskies way 17-12 in Los Angeles. Neither ball club could generate any offense against each other and the lack-luster game seen returning coach Steve Sarkisian get his first victory over his old team. However, the Trojans still own the lead in the all-time series, 50-29-4.
#20 USC (6-3):
A lot of Southern Californians were questioning the hiring of head coach Clay Helton for the full-time job. USC started the season 1-3 and were blown off as a disappointment. Especially after the opening season beat-down delivered to them by Alabama. Well things have changed, the Trojans enter this game after winning five straight victories and look to upset the number four team in the country.
Quarterback Sam Darnold is a huge reason why the USC offense has heated up. Since his injection into the line-up, he has completed 150 passes for almost 1,900 yards with 20 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
The Trojans run game now has the balance it needed to be more effective. Three tail backs attack opposing squads out of the back field for the Trojans. Altogether, they have amassed almost 250 carries for over 1,500 yards and 11 trips to pay-dirt.
One things for sure, the wide receivers in Southern California have came to life since Sam Darnold has taken over the starting job. Four different wide outs have gathered in 142 receptions for over 1,550 yards and 14 scores. JuJu Smith-Schuster leads this group with 48 catches for 641 yards and eight trips to the back of the end zone.
The Trojan defense has also improved since the five game winning streak. Their below average numbers are all above average now. The newly revived unit ranks 38th in the country, allowing only 373 yards a game. They also rank 38th in points allowed, giving way to 23.6 a contest.
#4 Washington (9-0):
The Trojans are taking on an undefeated Washington team, which sits in first place in the PAC-12 North Division. The Huskies have racked-up victories, and their more impressive wins are a 44-6 rout of Stanford and a 31-24 victory over Utah in Salt Lake.
Jake Browning has been outstanding in 2016, and that continued in the triumph over the Cal Bears. The sophomore quarterback completed 19 of 28 passes for 378 yards and six touchdowns. That’s flat out ridiculous. His resume’ this year also includes almost 2,300 yards passing with 34 touchdowns and an impressive three picks.
Myles Gaskin and Lavon Coleman are the one-two punch for the Huskies when Jake Browning isn’t tossing the ball all over the field. Combined, they have tallied over 1,500 yards on just 217 carries with 11 scores. Browning has scampered for another four trips to the promised land.
Last week, wide out John Ross nabbed six balls for 208 yards. The other three scoring strikes went to wide receiver Dante Pettis. Pettis reeled in eight catches for 104 yards, to go along with his three scores. As a duo, the two athletes have over 1,300 yards receiving and an amazing 25 touchdowns.
Defensively, the Huskies are all a defensive coordinator could ask for. Washington’s secondary sits 13th in the country, allowing only 181 yards against them through the air. Both safeties can also really lay the wood on opposing receivers. More importantly, the Huskies are 11th in the nation, surrendering only 17 points a game.
Trends and Notes:
The Trojans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Huskies are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games in November.
The Under is 5-0 in the Trojans last 5 games overall.
The Over is 11-1 in the Huskies last 12 games overall.
The Underdog is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
Game Prediction:
The USC Trojans are playing some inspired football as of late, and that will continue on Saturday. Sam Darnold just keeps proving to the nation that he should have been the USC starting quarterback from day one. Now, USC is balanced and creating a lot of match-up problems which are resulting in points.
The Huskies have been dominating PAC-12 opponents in 2016, but that’s not going to happen here. Washington is lucky to have this one at home though, where they will match USC’s intensity for all four quarters. Jake Browning has been spectacular and that will also continue this weekend.
With both offenses humming at the right time this has the makings of a shoot-out. USC has a slight special teams advantage that could help their offense out with good field position. The Get More Sports brainchild expects a back and forth affair that will lead to a lot of points on the board. Forget the favorite or the road dog in this match-up, and place your hard earned money on the over 62.5.
