SEATTLE - The Trojans seemingly tried every possible way to lose against Washington, but somehow they just couldn't quite do it.
They committed a ridiculous 16 penalties, turned over the ball three times, missed a field goal and had a crucial punt blocked with just over a minute to play in the game.
But the Trojans recovered Washington's onside kick with just 33 seconds to play and held on to a 27-24 victory.
"We made it close tonight," quarterback John David Booty said. "We could've lost this game, and it could have gone the other way, but we came out with the win."
But if the Trojans play like that again this season, they won't be so lucky. Not only would they lose to a team like Oregon or Cal, they would get blown out.
Luckily for the Trojans, USC coach Pete Carroll knows this and wants to make sure the team will bounce back.
"We can't play like that the rest of the season or else we'll lose like a normal team," Carroll said. "Our guys understand that. They understand you have to get out there and play like crazy every week."
But the Trojans didn't play like crazy against the Huskies. It fact, they looked downright sloppy.
Maybe it was the cold, rainy weather or the surprisingly loud Husky Stadium, but the Trojans just couldn't get in sync.
But somehow USC found a way to win and didn't join the list of highly-ranked teams that lost over the weekend.
Seven teams ranked in the top 15 lost, including No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 West Virginia, No. 7 Texas and No. 10 Rutgers.
The Trojans had an opportunity to distance themselves from the pack with a convincing win, but instead they almost joined the dreaded list.
"We were so horrid that it was hard to watch," Carroll said. "It's a win, and we're fortunate to be out of here."
The Trojans committed 10 penalties that gave the Huskies 10 yards or more and, in the process, handed the Huskies five first downs. In the first quarter, USC had more yards in penalties (60) than total yards (52).
"I think every penalty in the history of football might have gotten assessed tonight," Carroll said. "It was everything you wanted to see in the world of officiating."
But it wasn't just the penalties that plagued the Trojans.
They continued to have problems with turnovers. Booty threw two interceptions, including one that was returned 54 yards for a touchdown, and he fumbled a snap when center Matt Spanos' elbow brace got tangled up with his knee brace.
Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Trojans. They committed silly penalties, several key players were injured, Booty couldn't connect with his receivers and the special teams unit had problems.
It was things like that that kept the Huskies in the game despite the fact the Trojans outgained them, 460 yards to 190 yards.
"We were just giving them opportunities to keep this a close game - similar to [the loss last year at] Oregon State," Booty said.
But the main difference between the Oregon State game last year and the Washington game was the Trojans came out with a win in Seattle.
Carroll still feels the Trojans can use this game the way they used the Oregon State game last year to rally the team together.
"I think we can get right on back and start playing great ball again," Carroll said. "This might've been the Oregon State last year."
The Trojans, however, still lost one more time last year after the Oregon State debacle, and this year they might not be able to afford a loss even though so many top teams tumbled Saturday.
USC still has several tough Pac-10 road trips ahead of it. The Trojans have to play at Oregon, Cal and Arizona State, which are all ranked in the Top 25.
It's a far from easy schedule this season for USC, and Saturday showed the perfect game plan for an opponent to dethrone a top-ranked team.
Let the Trojans beat themselves.
Now it's up to USC to stop that from happening.
- To comment on this article, visit www.dailytrojan.com or e-mail Rhett at rhettbollinger@gmail.com.
