USC football and Washington State squared off in a defensive struggle on Friday night. Here are three takeaways from the #Pac12AfterDark action in Pullman.
#Pac12AfterDark action started a day early this week, as No. 5 USC went to Pullman to take on No. 16 Washington State on Friday night. The two undefeated teams traded punches in the Palouse as the defenses came up big repeatedly. Instead of a shootout, we were treated to a grind.
The winner was destined to set themselves up as not only a conference favorite but also a serious contender for one of the four College Football Playoff spots. USC and Washington State traded the lead back and forth, until the home side began to take control in the second half.
Ultimately, the Cougars managed to pull off the upset in regulation 30-27 at home. Though USC was the five-point favorite, they were downed on the road to sustain their first loss of the season. Now, prior to Saturday action, only two undefeated teams remain in the Pac-12 — and they’re both located in the state of Washington.
What does this game mean for both teams? Here are three takeaways from the Trojans defeat in Pullman on a crazy Friday night.
3. Sam Darnold is no Heisman candidate after another flat performance
On the opening drive of the game, Sam Darnold looked nearly unbeatable for USC. The Trojans quarterback completed four of his five passes on the drive for 34 yards and two first downs. He also ran twice for 13 yards, including the four-yard touchdown run that put the Trojans up 7-3 early in the game.
Then injuries on the offensive line began to take their toll. Washington State’s defensive front began to pressure the quarterback and force him to scramble around for dear life. By the end of the third quarter, Darnold was just 10-of-22 for 100 passing yards.
USC, though, has been a fourth quarter team all year. And Darnold looked like he might respond as he completed five of his seven attempts for 64 yards. The game was tied several times in the last 15 minutes, but the Cougars defense continued to fluster the quarterback.
Ultimately, Darnold had one final chance with the ball inside two minutes and down by a field goal. Instead of producing another Heisman moment, though, Darnold coughed up the ball on a strip-sack fumble that gave Washington State the ball and the win. With it, the USC quarterback’s Heisman hopes went up in flames.
2. Luke Falk, on the other hand, might be Heisman-worthy
As one of the stars in the upset of USC, Luke Falk had another huge game passing the ball in Mike Leach’s offense. Unlike Sam Darnold, Falk found plenty of time to hit his receivers throughout the game. It was a classic Cougars performance under Leach, as Falk attempted 51 passes in the win over the Trojans.
Falk completed 34 of those 51 attempts for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Even though he threw an interception, it came off a tipped pass that pinballed around and was finally snagged out of the air by Uchenna Nwosu. The tip was partially worth blaming on Falk, but it was hardly a clear-cut bad throw on his part.
In the end, the Trojans couldn’t stop the Washington State aerial attack as they continued to complete passes on every down. Falk moved the chains with throws both short and long, and it kept USC off balance on defense.
It was the fourth time in five games that Falk went for over 300 yards on the day. The statement win during the exclusive window on national television pushed Wazzu to 5-0 and put the Cougars in position to contend for the College Football Playoff this year. Falk will begin to get much longer looks from Heisman voters as he continues to put up huge performances and Washington State continues to win.
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.