LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dillon Johnson had never rushed for more than 100 yards in a game in his four college football seasons. Washington’s deficit surpassed triple digits well before halftime Saturday night, and it continued to run, leading up to a game-changing performance for his undefeated Huskies.
Johnson knew he was just a cog in an offensive machine that had several higher gears than its powerful counterpart in Southern California.
Johnson rushed for 256 yards and four touchdowns, Michael Penix Jr. passed for 256 yards and two scores and No. 5 Washington remained perfect with a 52-42 win over No. 24 USC.
Devin Culp and Ja’Lynn Polk intercepted TD passes from Penix, who also rushed for a score, as the Huskies (9-0, 6-0 Pac-12) won a thriller featuring two elite offenses and two flawed defenses . Washington won by scoring the final 10 points of the game and shutting out USC in the fourth quarter.
“They are one of the best offensive players in the country,” Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said of USC. “I also know that we are up there. … We just knew we had to keep going shot by shot and keep swinging and keep fighting. That’s what our boys did, and at some point someone was going to make a big splash. We did that a few times tonight.”
Since its big win over Oregon last month, Washington has now struggled to put away three straight opponents, but the Huskies still haven’t relented.
Johnson posted the fifth-leading rushing performance in Washington history and his first 200-yard or four-TD game since 2017. The Huskies racked up 572 total yards around him and completed nine pass plays of at least 15 yards apiece and nine Runs at least 10 meters.
“It was a special game, man,” said Johnson, the Mississippi State transfer. “We just wanted to be the most physical team. We haven’t lived up to our expectations in the last two weeks.”
Caleb Williams threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns for the Trojans (7-3, 5-2), who have lost three of four, ending their championship hopes.
“I want to go home, cuddle with my dog and watch some shows,” the Heisman Trophy winner said when asked how he felt after another big performance wasn’t enough.
“We lost the game,” Williams added. “I work hard for months and years to put on big games like this, trying to win and doing my best, every single one of us. We came out with a loss today, so I want to go home emotionally and I want to play with my dog.”
Raleek Brown, Darwin Barlow and Williams rushed for touchdowns while Tahj Washington, Brenden Rice and Mario Williams caught passes for goals in front of a sold-out Coliseum during USC’s 100th Homecoming Weekend.
The offenses combined for 1,087 yards, but Washington kept making bigger plays in crucial moments and the Huskies never trailed in the second half.
Mario Williams caught a 20-yard TD pass from Caleb Williams to make it 42-42 late in the third quarter, but Washington’s Grady Gross hit a 43-yard field goal with 12:25 to play. Caleb Williams then took a long sack that put the Trojans out of field goal range on their next drive, and Washington marched 91 yards for Johnson’s fourth touchdown with 2:20 left.
“We didn’t play very well tonight,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “The biggest thing was the running game. Way too many big plays. Some of our worst balls came on some of the biggest plays of the game. … “I think our guys are frustrated that we were so close and didn’t play well enough to be able to separate us.”
USC gave up at least 40 points for the fifth time in its last six games, increasing the pressure on Riley’s longtime defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.
“I’m not interested in the big questions right now,” Riley said when asked about his loyalty to the Grinch. “My job is to try to beat Oregon next week and practice what we have here.”
This meeting of two longtime Pac-12 rivals headed to the Big Ten together next season regularly featured big, bold offensive plays.
Penix threw a spectacular 22-yard touchdown pass to Culp while running out of bounds in the second quarter. USC responded with a 95-yard drive capped by two electrifying runs from Barlow, but Johnson managed an untouched 52-yard TD run moments later.
USC kept going Washington’s 41-yard TD reception a great flea-flicker — but after Polk’s TD catch tied it, Zion Tupuola-Fetui forced Williams’ fumble on USC’s next snap.
Tupuola-Fetui, whose father died last week, was visibly emotional on the sidelines after his big performance.
“I was hoping we could hold them to 14 (points) or something,” Tupuola-Fetui said. “We kept them to an L, so that’s fine with me.”
THE TAKING AWAY
Washington: The Huskies have their “0,” but it’s been a grind. They’re still not entirely convincing as a College Football Playoff contender, and they’ll almost certainly have a harder time getting the ball in their final three games against defenses that are much better than the woeful USC.
USC: The Trojans’ second season under Riley is officially a failure, and almost all of the blame falls on the defense, a team that has scored at least 32 points in nine of its 10 games. If Grinch sticks around next season, there could be a fan mutiny.
NEXT
Washington: Hosts Utah on November 11th.
USC: At Oregon on November 11th.
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AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football