Washington Huskies

Here's our quick reaction to USC's 24-14 win over Washington.

It was over when: USC defensive back Josh Shaw grabbed a tipped interception near midfield from Huskies QB Keith Price on fourth-and-8 with 4:20 left in the fourth quarter and the Trojans up 10. The Huskies dominated the second half, but their first-half deficit was just too much.

Gameball goes to: The USC defense. The Trojans were supposed to be all about the offense -- QB Matt Barkley and his scintillating corps of receivers. That hasn't proven true, but the defense has been better than expected. It forced four Washington turnovers, and that proved the difference in the game. It held the Huskies to 299 yards.

Stat of the game: Barkley was 10-of-20 for 167 yards with a touchdown. If you had told me during the preseason that would be his stat line for any game, I would have laughed at the delusion.

Unsung hero of the game: While the Trojans passing game was struggling, Penn State transfer Silas Redd rushed for 155 yards on 26 carries. Of course, much of that came on a 57-yard run on USC's first possession, which only led to a field goal.

What USC learned: It learned that the Trojans' passing game is oddly mediocre and it doesn't seem to be getting better. I have no idea why it's not better.

What Washington learned: It learned that it weathered a brutal first-half schedule with a 3-3 mark. That's not too bad, as it went 1-3 in games in which it was a significant underdog. Bowl hopes are firmly alive.

What it means: It means USC inches forward. It won't move up much in the national rankings with this performance, but it won't move down. With dates against Oregon and Notre Dame ahead, the Trojans still have a chance to get into the national title picture if it becomes a beauty contest with one-loss teams.

SEATTLE -- There were plenty of positives for Washington to hold onto heading into Saturday’s matchup with No. 11 USC. The Huskies had won 10 of 11 at home and two of the three matchups against the Trojans under coach Steve Sarkisian.

Even after falling behind early, there was still reason to remain optimistic Saturday, since the Huskies trailed 10-0 in 2009 before coming back to beat USC, 16-13.

If Washington wants a repeat performance, the Huskies have work to do. They head into the half trailing 24-7 at CenturyLink Field.

Stat of the half: USC holds a sizable advantage in total offense heading into the half, outgaining the Huskies by 146 yards. Washington finished the first two quarters with 87 yards and, outside of their one scoring drive, really struggled to move the ball.

Player of the half: Cornerback Marcus Peters. With Washington trailing 10-0, the redshirt freshman sparked the Huskies, picking off a Matt Barkley pass that resulted in the Huskies’ only scoring drive of the half.

Peters had six total tackles in the first quarter, including one for loss when he dropped running back Silas Redd in the Trojans’ backfield. He had seven total tackles in the first half.

What’s working for Washington: While Keith Price started 0 for 3 with an interception, the junior quarterback seemed to find the fun in football again late in the first quarter.

He had a 14-yard carry on the second play of the Huskies’ fourth drive. Then he rushed for 5 yards on the next play. He followed that a few plays later with a falling flip to Bishop Sankey for 15 yards and capped Washington’s scoring drive with a 17-yard touchdown strike to Kasen Williams in the corner of the end zone.

Price was smiling and the Huskies were marching, trying to work out of an early hole.

What’s not working for Washington: A special teams miscue costs Washington again. With the Huskies already facing a big first-half hole, they allowed a touchdown on special teams when USC’s Anthony Brown blocked a punt he scooped up and ran into the end zone.

With several of the nation's top football recruits taking both official and unofficial visits last week, our experts at RecruitingNation made some major tweaks to our top 10 recruiting battles with five new entrants in the fold. The top two remain the same, however, as Robert Nkemdiche and Laremy Tunsil maintain their spots as the two most impactful players on the recruiting scene.

For the latest edition of #BlueChipBattles, click here.

Each week, we will take a look at the performances of quarterback Keith Price and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins as they play toward potential postseason awards:

QB Keith Price, Jr. (Maxwell, O’Brien): Price's second trip to Autzen Stadium didn't go as well as the first two years ago. The junior, who made his first start on the road against Oregon as a redshirt freshman and played well, turned the ball over three times against the Ducks Saturday, throwing a pair of interceptions -- one was returned or a touchdown -- and losing a fumble. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 145 yards.

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, So. (Mackey): The sophomore tight end caught two passes for 33 yards. His second reception went for 28 yards, but he was injured on the second quarter catch and didn't return.