Huskies Unleash Tight Ends on Troy, But Lose

Jedd Fisch told everyone this University of Washington football team was going to be good.

Then it became a young team.

Next it was an injured team.

And now this is a sorely disappointed bunch of Huskies who let an 11-point lead slip away in the second half and lost to the 18th-ranked USC Trojans 25-21 on an overheated Saturday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The UW (3-2 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) got all the way down to the USC 13 in the final seconds before quarterback Demond Wiliams Jr. was sacked and then had an end-zone pass fall incomplete and a gritty effort came up short.

For a team that badly lacked offense coming in, the Huskies tried to beat the Trojans (5-1, 2-1) with a whole bunch of Jedd Fisch trickery involving the team's top three tight ends.

Baron Naone scored on a 5-yard pass from a wide receiver and later was involved in a flea flicker play for an 18-yard gainer.

Former Trojans tight end Kade Eldridge took a direct snap and scored on a 1-yard plunge.

And Decker DeGraaf broke a pair of tackles and scored on a 42-yard pass play to open the second half and put his team ahead 21-10.

Yet they needed one more play, maybe to one of those tight ends, to leave Los Angeles feeling good about everything but it didn't happen.

Huskies cornerback Dylan Robinson (6) reacts after a pass break-up against USC. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In 97-degree heat at kickoff, the UW was trailing 3-0 when wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck took a pitch and ran to his right before stopping and lobbing the ball to the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Naone, who was uncovered, for a 5-yard touchdown play.

With 1:50 left in the first half and the UW at the Trojans 1, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Eldridge -- who played for USC in 2023 and 2024 -- slyly moved to where the quarterback stands behind center, accepted the snap and followed center Kolt Dieterich in for a go-ahead touchdown to make it 14-10.

After the break, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound DeGraaf caught a ball up the right sideline, had a pair of Trojans try to shove him down and fail badly at it, and he raced in for the UW's final score of the night on his team's second play of the second half.

At a time when numerous players have underachieved this season, the tight ends remain a dependable Husky position group.

Naone finished with 3 catches for 40 yards and his score, while DeGraaf caught 2 balls for 49 yards and his TD. Eldridge had just the one carry that ended up as six points.

Oh, it seemed like there was so much more that was coming from this team in SoCal.

Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (1) takes off running against USC. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At least all of this Fisch creativity seem to help loosen up the offense some, especially a previously dormant running game some, with freshman Brian Bonner Jr., a Southern California native, rushing 19 times for a career-best 89 yards. The UW finished with 320 yards of total offense.

However on this night, the Huskies let USC off the hook, with Williams making another serious mistake in the pocket.

Following DeGraaf's touchdown, USC receiver Tanook Hines caught an 11-yard scoring pass by wrestling the ball away from Husky corner Dylan Robinson in the end zone to make it 21-16, with a 2-point conversation failing.

On the next series, Williams was double-pumping the football when he took a big hit from the side, lost possession and then saw a most unusual play unfold.

The free ball was scooped up by USC's 6-foot-5, 295-pound Jahkeem Stewart who rumbled 48 yards for what turned out to be a game-winning touchdown and a 22-21 lead, with Husky tackle John Mills giving a futile pursuit.

USC running back Waymond Jordan (2) runs for a touchdown ahead of a bunch of Huskies. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stewart had left the game in the first half with a sprained ankle. He looked like he was feeling much better when he reached the end zone with 4:40 remaining in the quarter. The Trojans then missed another 2-point extra point.

USC kicker Caden Chittenden closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter when he added his second field of the evening, a 39-yarder with 9:36 left to play, for a 25-21 advantage.

With 5:16 left to play, the Huskies tried to mount a comeback by going 95 yards for a touchdown. Twice, they completed fourth-down passes. One was a 43-yarder to Chris Lawson, putting the UW on the Trojans 30, but there was no miracle finish.

Yet the outcome might have quelled some of the growing disenchantment surrounding a football team that hadn't been impressive at all in beating three overmatched opponents and losing to Minnesota last week.

The Huskies return home and next Friday will face 14th-ranked Iowa (4-1, 1-1), which lost for the first time on Saturday, 31-14 to Ohio State.

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