LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jahkeem Stewart returned a fumble 48 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, and No. 18 Southern California overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half for a 25-21 victory over Washington on Saturday night.
Jayden Maiava passed for 245 yards and hit Tanook Hines for a second-half score while the Trojans (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) surged back with the game's final 15 points for their first victory over the Huskies (3-2, 0-2) since 2016.
Demond Williams Jr. passed for 198 yards and led Washington on a late drive from its 5 to the USC 12, converting two fourth downs and a third-and-11 along the way. But after Kameryn Crawford sacked Williams on third down, Williams' pass into double coverage in the end zone fell incomplete with 39 seconds left.
The win eases the pressure on coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans, who improved sharply on defense after last week's dispiriting home loss to Oregon. USC even overcame nine penalties for 94 yards, including an illegal formation penalty that negated a long touchdown pass.
Chants of “Fire Lincoln! Fire Lincoln!” could be heard from the student section in the second half while the Trojans fell behind 21-10, but the defense didn’t allow any more points.
“I felt like for a long period of the game, we were really outplaying them," Riley said. "But when you make some of those mistakes and you just let them keep hanging around ... with penalty after penalty, we've clearly got to do a way better job on that. A lot to clean up, (but) a lot to be excited about. We had to dig deep for this one. There's no question, especially with as sloppy as we played, especially offensively.”
That USC defense turned the game around late in the third quarter when Stewart — the 295-pound defensive tackle nicknamed Thanos — picked up Williams’ fumble in a collapsing pocket and rumbled downfield for his first score.
“I made the quarterback step up, and thanks to Luke (Wafle) for getting the sack, and I picked the ball up and ran 22 miles per hour,” Stewart said with a grin.
The Louisiana native left his postgame news conference proclaiming his hunger and his plan to eat “so much gumbo.”
Receiver Dezmen Roebuck threw a touchdown pass to Baron Naone for Washington’s first points, but the Huskies couldn't score in the final 28:30. Washington has lost two straight by a combined seven points.
“Right now it’s certainly challenging to get the sticks moving," Washington coach Jedd Fisch said. "It’s like you just feel that you have a third down that you’re looking to convert and something happens, whatever that something is. When you get stopped, there’s no tempo involved. There’s no ability to get that energy that we like to play with when we can convert, and then get on the ball and make some plays.”
Washington went ahead shortly before halftime on Kade Eldridge's TD dive. After USC had two drives sabotaged by unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on either side of halftime, Decker DeGraaf took a short pass for a 42-yard score when multiple Trojans ineptly failed to push him out of bounds.
But Hines ripped a 10-yard TD pass away from a Washington defensive back later in the third before the Trojans went ahead on Stewart's TD off Williams' fumble.
“Third down, trying to get (away) on the scramble, and just double-clutched it,” Williams said. “And when I pulled back to throw again, got hit in my arm, and I just can’t do that. I've got to always put our team in a better position to win.”
USC linebacker Desman Stephens sat out under suspension after his ejection last week for a late hit on Ducks quarterback Dante Moore.
The takeaway
Washington: Two heartbreaking losses put the brakes on the Huskies' hopes of entering the AP Top 25, but Fisch is getting decent efforts out of a roster with injury problems. Their remaining October schedule is fairly friendly to a resurgence if the defense can get back on track.
USC: The defense responded smartly to a poor September, holding the Huskies to 123 yards in the first half before making enough big plays to win it late. Those penalties likely prevented the Trojans from running away, but this win will restore some confidence at USC.
Up next
Washington: Host Iowa on Friday night.
USC: At Penn State on Saturday, Oct. 10.
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