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USC Football: 3 keys to victory vs. Washington in Week 5

By Dante Pryor

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Quarterback Matt Fink #19 of the USC Trojans looks to pass against the Utah Utes in the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Quarterback Matt Fink #19 of the USC Trojans looks to pass against the Utah Utes in the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /
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STANFORD, CA – OCTOBER 5: Harry the Husky, the mascot of the Washington Huskies, waves to spectators before a game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Washington Huskies on October 5, 2013 at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. (Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images)
STANFORD, CA – OCTOBER 5: Harry the Husky, the mascot of the Washington Huskies, waves to spectators before a game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Washington Huskies on October 5, 2013 at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. (Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images) /

3. Take away the home crowd

Husky Stadium is one of the loudest in college football. It will be a sea of purple and gold when the Trojans come to town. Matt Fink and the Trojan offense need a start like the one they had against Utah. He needs to get the ball in the hands of his play-makers and let them do what they do best.

The best-case scenario for the Trojans is to score a touchdown early, and get some stops or a turnover in the first quarter. Worst-case scenario is the Husky defense gets to Fink, and the Trojans either go three-and-out or turn the ball over. When the Huskies get the ball, they must score touchdowns.

USC needs the crowd out of the game early so they don’t have to worry about communication on offense. If that crowd feels into the game, they are going to make life difficult for line calls, and adjustments on offense as well as defensive calls.

If the Huskies fall behind early, the crowd might get silent early and find it difficult for them to get back in the game. Hopefully they won’t have any issues with weather like they did against California. If there is any benefit to the air-raid, there aren’t many audible calls. It’s an offense built on running similar plays all the time and the quarterback finding the open receiver consistently.

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