USC Football: 3 takeaways from Week 5 loss at Washington State

PULLMAN, WA - SEPTEMBER 29: Renard Bell #81 of the Washington State Cougars carries the ball against Aiene Harris #27 and Iman Marshall #8 of the USC Trojans in the first half at Martin Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Pullman, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
PULLMAN, WA - SEPTEMBER 29: Renard Bell #81 of the Washington State Cougars carries the ball against Aiene Harris #27 and Iman Marshall #8 of the USC Trojans in the first half at Martin Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Pullman, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
(Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

1. Washington State’s defense is for real and Cougars are contenders

While USC lost two of its offensive linemen and Sam Darnold put in another uneven performance, credit must go to a Washington State defense that capitalized on the opportunity. The Cougars forced two Trojans turnovers, both by Darnold. The first was an interception by Sean Harper Jr. that kept Washington State ahead 10-7 early in the second quarter.

The second helped seal the contest, as Jahad Woods sacked Darnold. Woods forced the quarterback to fumble the ball, and the recovery by Nate DeRider ended the Trojans’ last chance at stealing victory on the road. There was no fourth-quarter breakout for the USC offense thanks to strong play by Washington State’s defense.

That success all started up front with defensive lineman Hercules Mata’afa. The All-America candidate was a force all night long, continually finding himself behind the line of scrimmage. Mata’afa hit Darnold several times and hurried the quarterback with regularity. He was part of a comprehensive effort that disrupted Darnold and the USC offense all night long.

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As one of the last two undefeated teams standing in the Pac-12, Washington State must be taken seriously as both a conference and a national contender. While people usually point to Falk and the prolific Cougars offense as the catalyst for their success, they would not be 5-0 right now without a huge game from what has quietly become one of the country’s best defenses.