Huskies must prepare for many USC facets

SEATTLE – It’s a cliché, but this week it rings especially true: The best way for Washington to defend USC may be to have a good offense.

It’s true for several reasons, most important because, frankly, the only way to be competitive with the Trojans is to score a lot of points. The fewest points USC has scored is 34, last week at Notre Dame, and it averages nearly 50. But also, putting together a strong offensive performance will keep the Trojans offense off the field. So while Washington won’t be disappointed with any points it can score, it would be nice to string together some long, clock-eating drives. That’s something that the Huskies didn’t do in last season’s 38-0 loss to USC, as the Trojans held the ball for 19 more minutes than the Huskies, who were 0 for 14 on third downs and ran 35 fewer plays.

“The No. 1 thing you have to do against USC is win the battle of the clock,” Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. “You’ve got to keep their offense off the field. That’s the best defense there is. Nobody’s stopped these guys; I don’t know if anybody will. The thing you have to do is limit how many touches they get.”

But that’s not going to be easy. The USC offense has been so effective that it’s led most people to overlook its defense. The Trojans rank second in the Pacific-10 in total defense, allowing 350 yards a game, most of it in the air. USC ranks 18th in the nation in rush defense, giving up 101.2 yards a game and is allowing 21.2 points.

Because USC lost some talent off last season’s dominant defense, though, many are led to believe that it just isn’t that strong this season. Not so, Lappano said.

“You can say they lost two All-American tackles inside, or they lost this or that,” Lappano said. “The guys USC replaces with are just future All-Americans who haven’t had to play yet. They’re still fast, still physical, still play with great intensity.”

USC’s leading tackler is 240-pound middle linebacker Oscar Lua, who replaced Seattle Seahawks draft pick Lofa Tatupu and has 42 tackles. But it’s been defensive ends Lawrence Jackson and Frostee Rucker who have been the most disruptive players. Both have four sacks and Rucker has 7 1/2 tackles for loss. The secondary is led by strong safety Darnell Bing. With coach Pete Carroll, the Trojans have one of the better defensive minds in the country.

Carroll said he hasn’t been entirely pleased with his defense. For one, he said the Trojans are struggling on third down (Notre Dame was 10 for 19), with teams converting 41 percent. Carroll also said the versatility of Isaiah Stanback is a concern. Last year, Stanback made his first collegiate start against USC but was 3 for 16 for 27 yards before being relieved, but Carroll said Stanback looks better in Washington’s new system.

“They’ve got an offense that has transitioned to a wide-open game with Isaiah,” Carroll said. “It’s one that can give us problems. I’ve always said that a quarterback that can run around and create is always the most difficult to pin down and he is every bit that.”

Still, it wasn’t mobility that allowed Notre Dame to have success last week. It was Brady Quinn’s accuracy and the ability to run the ball. The Irish had success running short slant routes that kept the ball moving and the clock running. Huskies receiver Craig Chambers said he hopes his height will give him an advantage against USC’s shorter cornerbacks, but admits that there is more pressure on the offense this week than at any other time.

“Last year, our defense played a great game but we couldn’t score,” Chambers said. “The only way we’re going to beat them is if our offense can score.”