Washington, man. Our Huskies came *this close* to pulling off a massive upset against No. 18 USC on Saturday, losing a heartbreaker 25-21 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. If you didn’t watch that final drive, you missed Demond Williams almost single-handedly snatching victory from the jaws of defeat for an under-performing Washington team. Seriously, the kid was cooking.
Demond Williams Had USC On The Ropes
Can we talk about Demond Williams for a second? The dude was clutch when it mattered most, converting two huge fourth-downs on that final drive to push USC to the absolute brink. I’m talking a ridiculous 43-yard pass to Chris Lawson on fourth-and-2! That’s championship-level guts right there, and it had the Trojans sweating bullets. It took a desperation fourth-and-10 pass to Dezmen Roebuck getting broken up by USC’s Prophet Brown just to keep USC’s embattled coach Lincoln Riley from facing another firestorm. Our Huskies, sitting at 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten, had a 21-10 lead in the second half! That’s the frustrating part, right? To be *that* close, to have the lead, and then to let it slip away. Still, seeing Williams fight like that? It shows you what this team is made of, even in a tough loss. They might be under-performing right now, but they played with heart.
A Win That Changes Nothing For Lincoln Riley
Let’s be real, this narrow 25-21 escape for USC against Washington doesn’t silence any of the critics swirling around Lincoln Riley. Not one bit. This was supposed to be a playoff-hopeful season for USC, but the early headlines have been about low attendance at their home games. USC slogged through the first half, and yeah, Jakheem Stewart’s fumble return for a touchdown put them up 22-21, and their defense did make a key stop at the end. They allowed 319 total yards, which the source says is an improvement under new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava went 21 of 34 for 245 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, making “enough plays” in the second half. But enough to quiet the noise? Nah.
This comes on the heels of a brutal week for the Trojans after getting smacked 41-27 by No. 15 Oregon, a game that really cemented Oregon as the top dog on the West Coast. There were reports about Riley’s $60 million buyout, questions about the team culture, and Desmen Stephens getting ejected for a brutal hit on Oregon QB Dante Moore. Riley is in Year 5, his third in the Big Ten, and he’s 21-11 overall, 13-8 in conference. Meanwhile, former USC coaches like Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin are out there with playoff-caliber teams! You have to wonder what’s going on down there when a team needs a fumble return and a last-second defensive stop to beat an under-performing Washington squad.
This was a gut-punch for our Huskies, absolutely. But what it also showed was the fight in this team, especially from Demond Williams. They are 3-2 now, 0-2 in the Big Ten, and they’ve got to learn how to finish these games. For USC, this wasn’t the statement win they needed. For our Huskies, they proved they can hang with the big dogs, now they just need to find that extra gear to close it out. Hopefully, they can take this fire and apply it to their next game. We’ll be watching!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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