Three USC Trojans' Stock Rising and Falling Ahead of Pivotal Penn State White Out

The No. 19 USC Trojans needed to respond after suffering a loss to a then-No. 20 ranked Oregon team in Week 4. The Trojans did that with a win against Washington on Saturday. However, it was not as dominant of a showing as they were likely hoping for.

The Trojans beat the Huskies at home in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 25-21 to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play.

USC Trojans Washington Penn State White Out risers fallers Jayden Maiava Jahkeem Stewart Zacharyus Williams Big Ten football — Oct 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans running back King Miller (8) runs the ball against the Washington Huskies during the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite getting the much-needed win, it was an ugly game for coach Lincoln Riley and his squad. USC committed nine penalties for 94 yards, had a touchdown wiped off the board and struggled to find consistency offensively. The Trojans also found themselves down 21-10 in the third quarter.

It was not the clean response USC wanted after losing to Oregon, but a win is a win. Now, the Trojans will head into one of their biggest road tests of the season against Penn State in the infamous White Out.

There were some players who helped themselves with their performances against Washington, while others left more questions heading into the road matchup.

Three players rising and falling following USC’s much-needed win over Washington

Risers:

Jahkeem Stewart, Defensive Lineman

Sophomore defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart came up clutch in the Trojans' win over Washington, making one of the biggest plays of USC’s season so far.

With the Trojans trailing Washington 21-16 in the third quarter, Stewart scooped up a fumble and took it 48 yards for a touchdown, which gave USC a 22-21 lead. The defensive touchdown completely changed the momentum of the game and helped the Trojans eventually hold on for the 25-21 win.

Stewart also helped USC’s defense hold Washington to just 1-of-12 on third down, while the Trojans shut the Huskies out for the final 25 minutes of the game.

The Washington game was just Stewart’s second appearance of the season after missing the first four games with a foot injury. He made his season debut against Oregon, recording two tackles for loss, but his impact against Washington was much bigger.

Kameryn Crawford, Defensive End

Junior defensive end Kameryn Crawford’s stock is also rising after coming up with one of USC’s biggest defensive plays of the night.

With Washington driving late in the fourth quarter and the Trojans holding onto a 25-21 lead, Crawford came up with a six-yard sack on Demond Williams Jr. to push the Huskies back and force a fourth-and-long.

Washington had driven all the way down to the USC 12-yard line and was threatening to take the lead, but Crawford’s sack helped put the Huskies in a much tougher situation. Washington’s fourth-down attempt fell incomplete with 39 seconds left, which ultimately allowed USC to escape with the win.

Crawford finished the game with one sack and one tackle for loss while being part of a USC defense that recorded five sacks on the night.

Zacharyus Williams, Wide Receiver

Sophomore wide receiver Zacharyus Williams had his best game of the season. He finished with four catches for 78 yards, which both were season highs. Williams also recorded 19.5 yards per reception. His 40-yard catch in the first half was USC’s longest pass play of the game and helped set up a touchdown.

Williams continued to make an impact in the second half, where he caught a 23-yard pass that helped keep a USC scoring drive alive before the Trojans eventually found the end zone again.

After entering the game with just 10 catches through USC’s first five games, Williams nearly matched half of that total against Washington alone.

Fallers:

Jayden Maiava, Quarterback

Senior quarterback Jayden Maiava helped USC come back in the second half, but his first half was a big reason the Trojans found themselves in such a difficult position in the first place.

Maiava threw an interception in the second quarter with USC driving into Washington territory, forcing a pass that was picked off and ended a potential scoring opportunity.

Later in the quarter, Maiava took a nine-yard sack after an illegal formation penalty had already wiped out a USC touchdown. The sack pushed the Trojans out of field-goal range and forced them to punt, which left more points on the board.

Maiava finished 21-of-34 for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The 245 passing yards were his lowest of the season, and his three rushing attempts resulted in negative-three yards.

Alani Noa, Offensive Guard

Senior offensive lineman Alani Noa’s stock took a hit after a costly penalty helped to derail one of USC’s best chances to score before halftime.

Late in the second quarter, Noa was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play. USC was sitting near field-goal range, but the penalty pushed the Trojans all the way back to their own 43-yard line.

USC was forced to punt shortly after, which kept Washington ahead 14-10 going into halftime.

The penalty was especially costly in a game where USC already struggled with discipline, committing nine penalties for 94 yards. With Penn State next, USC cannot afford to continue giving away yards and scoring opportunities because of mental mistakes.

Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Wide Receiver

True freshman wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt had one of his more difficult games of the season.

Dixon-Wyatt finished without a catch on four targets. He was also flagged for a 14-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty early in the third quarter.

Dixon-Wyatt was also part of the receiver alignment on the second-quarter play that resulted in a USC touchdown being wiped off the board because of an illegal formation penalty.

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