The USC Trojans rode a strong defense and a couple big plays on offense to a 7-0 lead after the first quarter over the Washington Huskies at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Trojans defense was dominant in the opening quarter, as the Huskies failed to get a first down on any of their first three drives.
USC held Washington to 59 yards on 13 plays in the first quarter, though 48 of those yards came on the fourth drive of the game for Washignton. The Trojans picked up a pair of sacks, one each by Nick Perry and Lamar Dawson. Perry leads the team with six sacks on the season.
Matt Barkley scored from one yard out on a quarterback sneak with 5:40 remaining in the first quarter to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead. It capped a six-play, 70-yard drive which was highlighted by a pair of big plays. Barkley hit junior wide receiver Brice Butler with a lofted pass down the left sideline for a 36-yard gain, and three plays later Marc Tyler ran for 24 yards down to the one-yard line to set up the score.
Tyler has missed nearly two full games with problems stemming from a dislocated shoulder against Notre Dame, and had just one carry for three yards in the last two games. He left the game against the Stanford Cardinal after just one play and his 24-yard scamper was his first carry since then.
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