USC Trojans at Washington Huskies Preview

By J.E.  |   Friday, October 21, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!

The top ranked USC Trojans (6-0) visit Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies (1-5) in a Pac-10 matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30pm ET at Husky Stadium.

USC will play its fifth road game of the year this Saturday, but the atmosphere in Seattle should be nothing like that of South Bend a week ago. While many experts thought Notre Dame had a legitimate shot of upsetting the Trojans, no one feels that the Huskies are capable of doing very much damage.

The USC Trojans are fresh off a dramatic come-from-behind 34-31 victory against Notre Dame last week. The victory not only preserved the Trojans' No.1 ranking, but also ran their two-year winning streak to 28 games. Running back Reggie Bush was the difference-maker in the game for USC. The junior out of Spring Valley, CA stepped up and carried the offense when fellow RB LenDale White and quarterback Matt Leinart were shut down by the Notre Dame "D". Bush rushed for 160 yards along with 3 touchdowns, and also added 35 receiving yards to his total. Both he and White should pad their stats against a Washington defense that yields an average of 157.3 rushing yards per game.

Leinart didn't have one of the best games of his career last week, but he came through with two huge plays that led to the win. First, he connected with wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett for a 61-yard completion on 4th-and-long with less than two minutes left to play in the game. Then, Leinart spun into the end zone for the winning score with just 0:03 showing on the clock. He finished the Notre Dame game with 301 passing yards and 2 interceptions. Leinart should get back on track against the soft Washington secondary.

The Huskies are coming off a 45-21 loss to Oregon. The defense gave up 570 total yards, including 424 passing yards and 4 TDs to Ducks' QB Kellen Clemens. The Huskies are going to have to provide much better coverage than that against Leinart and Jarrett.

Washington QB Isaiah Stanback completed just 13 passes for 111 yards, but he also had 2 TDs. Stanback has 1,340 passing yards, 6 TDs, and 4 INTs on the season. He is going to have to limit his mistakes and not commit any turnovers in order for the Huskies to have any kind of chance at winning this ballgame.

Stanback's favorite target is WR Sonny Shackleford, who has 25 receptions for 324 yards and a TD so far this year. Sophomore Craig Chambers will also be lining up outside for the Huskies. He has 15 catches for 328 yards and 2 TDs.

Sophomore Louis Rankin handles the running back duties for Washington. Rankin has gained 473 yards and scored a touchdown through 6 games for the Huskies.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report