USC Trojans Reveal Lengthy Injury Report As Pivotal Washington Game Looms

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The No. 18 USC Trojans’ resilience will be tested on Saturday against the Washington Huskies at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after suffering a disappointing 41-27 loss to the No. 15 Oregon Ducks in Week 4.
After their fifth straight loss in their heated rivalry series with the Ducks, the Trojans' College Football Playoff chances took a major hit, making this upcoming matchup against the Huskies a must-win for coach Lincoln Riley’s USC squad.

While the Trojans did see the return of star sophomore defensive end Jahkeem Stewart in the loss to the Ducks, USC was without a handful of notable players that they hope could return for the matchup against the Huskies, including freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury.
With the Trojans' season and CFP aspirations essentially on the line when they face the Huskies on Saturday, here’s a look at USC’s current injuries, per Wednesday’s Big Ten availability report for the pivotal matchup against Washington.
USC Trojans Injury Report vs. Washington Huskies
Out
- WR Corey Simms
- S Kendarius Reddick
- OL Kilian O’Connor
Questionable
- DT Jahkeem Stewart
- WR Trent Mosley
- S Alex Graham
- TE Mark Bowman
- LB Taylor “Taybo” Johnson
- OL Hayden Treter
- DT Alex VanSumeren
How USC Trojans Can Reignite Confidence Within Fanbase

After yet another double-digit loss to the Ducks on Saturday at the Coliseum, some fans have already lost hope in the Trojans' goals of reaching the CFP and are even losing faith in coach Lincoln Riley's future.
The best way to reignite that confidence is to start with a win over the Huskies on Saturday at the Coliseum. The Trojans have struggled against their former Pac-12 rival, the Huskies, having lost three straight games to the Huskies, with their last win coming in 2016. Winning to reignite confidence within the USC fanbase is a sentiment that Riley shares, as he mentioned during Tuesday's press conference.
"By winning, just by winning," Riley said. "Look, we didn't get run out of the stadium. There's a lot of good things on that tape, there's a lot of young guys making a lot of plays, there's a lot of good on that tape."
"You don't have a chance to win like that if you don't do some things pretty well. We gotta capitalize on those and we got to attack the areas we gotta be better at. We got another great opportunity to do it here Saturday against Washington. We're ready for them," Riley continued.
Saturday’s matchup against the Huskies is the second of a six-game gauntlet for the Trojans. Following Saturday’s game against the Huskies, the Trojans will play the Penn State Nittany Lions (Oct. 10), Wisconsin Badgers (Oct. 24), No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (Oct. 31), and No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers (Nov. 14).

The results of these games will determine the Trojans' season and whether they deliver for a fanbase that is desperate to return to the championship stage. The closest the Trojans have come to making the CFP was during former quarterback Caleb Williams Heisman Trophy season and Riley’s first year in 2022, when USC finished at 11-3 overall. Two of those losses that season came to the Utah Utes, which ultimately kept them out of the CFP. USC closed the season with a disappointing 46-45 loss to the Tulane Green Wave in the Cotton Bowl.
Scouting Washington Huskies

The Huskies enter Los Angeles also fresh off a disappointing loss. After struggling to start the season 3-0 with two uninspiring wins over the Washington State Cougars and Utah State Aggies, the Huskies finally fell flat, losing at home 27-24 to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Despite his struggles in the loss to the Golden Gophers, Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is a player the Trojans' secondary must plan for as he will challenge a USC group that continues to struggle even under new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson.
Williams has thrown for 1,129 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions with a 69.3 completion percentage in four games with the Huskies. Williams was sacked seven times in the loss to the Golden Gophers and the Trojans talented defensive line of Jahkeem Stewart, Luke Wafle, and Jide Abasiri look to create pressure on the Huskies quarterback throughout Saturday’s pivotal Big Ten clash.
Ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Huskies, the Trojans are currently 9.5-point favorites, per DraftKings Sportsbook betting odds. The Trojans and Huskies are scheduled to kick off at the Coliseum at 4:30 p.m. PT, with the game broadcast on NBC.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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Caden Handwork is a beat reporter for USC Trojans On SI. Caden graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in Journalism. He has previous experience writing NBA, NFL, MLB, and College Football content for FanSided as a Contributor. He is also written as a contributor for the Detroit Lions FanSided site, the SideLion Report. At Michigan State, Caden covered several MSU athletic events for Impact 89 FM, Spartan Sports Report, and Spartans Illustrated. He has covered Michigan State Basketball in the Champions Classic in Chicago and has covered Spartan Hockey in the last two NCAA Tournaments.