No. 5 Washington remains undefeated with 52-42 win over No. 20 USC

Dillon Johnson had the game of his life to help No. 5 Washington remain undefeated and firmly in the College Football Playoff hunt.

Quarterback Michael Penix has been the star of Washington’s season, but it was Johnson who had a field day against USC’s hapless defense in a 52-42 win over the No. 20 Trojans on Saturday night at the Coliseum.

Johnson rushed for 256 yards and four touchdowns as the Huskies, now 9-0, put up a whopping 572 yards of offense in the win. Johnson, a transfer from Mississippi State, entered the game with 430 yards and six touchdowns as UW primarily relied on its passing attack with Penix, the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.

Penix had another strong performance, posting 256 yards and two touchdowns as he dueled with USC’s Caleb Williams, the reigning Heisman winner. In this matchup, though, Washington’s coaching staff was content to lean on Johnson and its offensive line against the overmatched USC front.

Both defenses struggled mightily, but the Washington side got the stop it needed in the final minutes to escape Los Angeles with a win. Leading 45-42, Washington got a sack on Williams to knock the Trojans out of field goal range. USC was at the Washington 30, but the 12-yard loss forced a punt.

Williams and the Trojans would need a stop from the defense to keep their hopes alive, but Williams was failed by his defense as he has been throughout his time at USC.

Eddie Czaplicki's punt pinned Washington at its own 9-yard line. On the very next play, Johnson reeled off a 53-yard run to flip the field position. From there, Washington continued to lean on its running game until Johnson got into the end zone for the fourth time with 2:20 to play to seal the victory.

A stop of any sort would have given Williams another chance. Instead, the touchdown made it a two-score game and put an end to USC's hopes of winning the Pac-12 title before moving on to the Big Ten next season. USC, now 7-3 overall and 5-2 in conference, had a chance to move into sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 with a victory but the defense could not do enough to make that happen even as Williams went for 312 yards and three touchdowns through the air and added another score on the ground.

For Washington, all of the team's goals are still attainable. The Huskies improved to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play with three regular season games remaining. Next week, Washington will host No. 18 Utah, the two-time defending Pac-12 champions. From there, the Huskies will go on the road to face No. 16 Oregon State before closing out the regular season with the Apple Cup vs. rival Washington State.

What's next for USC?

USC was on the verge of both a Pac-12 title and College Football Playoff berth last year as Williams put together a Heisman season despite his team's porous defense.

This year, the Trojans had national championship aspirations with Williams surely off to the NFL following the season. Those goals have not come to fruition. Following a 6-0 start, the Trojans have lost three of their last four games. They were blasted 48-20 on the road by Notre Dame and lost 34-32 at home to Utah. Last week, USC narrowly avoided an upset with a 50-49 win at Cal to keep its Pac-12 title hopes very much in reach.

With two regular season games remaining — at No. 6 Oregon and vs. No. 19 UCLA — the Trojans are going to need to win and get some help elsewhere to get to the conference championship game. And with the way Alex Grinch's defense is playing, that just does not seem realistic.

Grinch's defenses have been an issue for Lincoln Riley-coached teams dating back to their time together at Oklahoma. Those units have routinely struggled, costing Riley's teams chances to win at the highest level. Nobody doubts Riley's ability to put points on the board, but his teams' defenses have routinely been among the worst at the Power Five level. This season is no different.