Skip to main content
Inside The Huskies

Everything Is Set Up For Another UW-USC Showdown

The teams will kick off in late afternoon in Los Angeles at the Coliseum.
Dan Raley|
Michael Penix Jr. launches a pass in the 2023 UW-USC game in Los Angeles.
Michael Penix Jr. launches a pass in the 2023 UW-USC game in Los Angeles. | Dave Sizer photo

Three years after winning a classic from USC in Los Angeles, the University of Washington football team is poised to return for another highly anticipated battle, now that it knows all of the particulars involved.

On Friday, these longtime rivals and Pac-12 turned Big Ten combatants learned they will meet again on the weekend after next on Oct. 3 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with a 4:30 p.m. kickoff in a game that will be shown nationally on NBC.

If that sounds vaguely familiar, the Huskies and Trojans in their 2023 showdown squared off on Nov. 4, also with 4:30 p.m. kickoff at the Coliseum, only that time ABC relayed the UW"s high-octave 52-42 victory coast to coast.

USC, however, can't even begin to consider that match-up, with the 12th-ranked Trojans (3-0) first hosting the No. 20 Oregon Ducks (2-1) this coming weekend in L.A.

The Huskies (3-0), who open Big Ten play with a home game against Minnesota (2-1) on Saturday night, haven't lost to the Trojans in 10 years, winning three consecutive games over that time, twice in Seattle.

They have just four players remaining who appeared in the 2023 USC game in edge rusher Jacob Lane, center Landen Hatchett, offensive tackle Soane Faasolo and kicker Grady Gross.

USC likewise returns four guys who played in that game in safeties Prophet Brown and Christian Pierce, defensive end Braylon Shelby and tight end Cameron Tabaracci.

Changing sides are linebacker Deven Bryant and quarterback Sam Huard, who began their careers at the UW and are Trojans now. Bryant was a 10-game starter in Montlake in 2025 and now starts for USC.

For the Huskies, they have place-kicker Tyler Robles and linebackers coach Brian Odom ending up with the Huskies after standing on the other sideline in 2023.

Three years ago, these teams engaged in a memorable shootout, with the Trojans taking a 28-21 lead in the second quarter before the UW turned things around.

Gross' 43-yard field goal with 12:25 left to play broke a 42-all tie.

Dillon Johnson breaks a 53-yard TD run against USC and piles up 263 yards rushing.
Dillon Johnson breaks a 53-yard TD run against USC and piles up 263 yards rushing. | Dave Sizer photo

Quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. for the Huskies and USC's Caleb Williams were at their very best that day.

Offsetting each other, Penix finished with 22-for-30 passing for 256 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Williams hit on 27 of 35 passes for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns

The difference was running back Dillon Johnson, who rushed 26 times for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns, including 1-yard TD run with 2:20 remaining in the game.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

Home/Football