On a cold, windy and wet evening in Seattle, the top-ranked Trojans played perhaps their worst game of the season, losing three key players to injury, enduring a lackluster performance by their quarterback, failing to hold onto the ball, and committing an astounding number of penalties against a tough Pac-10 opponent. The result? Another USC victory, with the Trojans improving to 4-0 on the season (2-0 in conference) after surviving a late scare to edge the Washington Huskies, 27-24. Before we roundup all of the game coverage on the web, we discuss the storylines that emerged during the game… and update you on those unfortunate injuries.

Storylines

• No, it wasn’t your eyes deceiving you–the Trojans looked awful. Don’t just take our word for it; head coach Pete Carroll used words like “terrible” and “horrid” in describing his team’s performance after the game.
• If all AP voters follow ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit’s lead, the Trojans will lose ground to LSU in tomorrow’s polls. Here’s one reason they shouldn’t: USC’s defense. While the offense had an off night (more on that in a minute), the Trojan defenders more than did their part, holding the Huskies to 190 total yards and shutting down freshman phenom quarterback Jake Locker (who finished just 13 of 28 for 90 yards passing, and 18 carries for just 50 yards rushing). The final score is certainly not indicative of the game the defense played; one touchdown was actually surrendered by the offense on an interception return, and all of Washington’s other scores came on extremely short drives after turnovers (or, in one case, a blocked punt).
• Another area of good news: the Trojans actually had two 100-yard rushers. Stafon Johnson picked up 122 yards on just 14 carries, while Chauncey Washington ran 21 times for 106 yards.
• WR Patrick Turner and TE Fred Davis also had fairly strong showings for the second-straight week, with 6 and 4 catches, respectively.
• But enough with the good news. The most shocking number on the night had to be USC’s 16 penalties, for 161 penalty yards gifted to the Huskies. Sure, a few of the infractions may have been questionable, but it was an uncharacteristic performance for the Trojans.
• QB John David Booty did not look sharp at all, completing barely over half his passes and throwing a pair of interceptions. While some of his poor performance could be attributed to drops by his receivers (including several by FB Stanley Havili) and injuries to his offensive line (and, sure, the weather as well), the Trojans seemed to win in spite of him, rather than because of him.
• Special teams also had an off night, with David Buehler missing a short field goal and Greg Woidneck having a crucial late-game punt blocked and recovered by the Huskies. However, CB Terrell Thomas almost made up for those miscues by forcing a fumble while playing on the punt coverage team.
• Speaking of special teams, freshman Ronald Johnson was USC’s main kickoff return man for the evening, averaging over 21 yards per return on three chances.

Injury updates

• It didn’t seem possible, but the Trojans lost another cornerback. Shareece Wright, who was starting in place of the injured Cary Harris (who himself had been starting in place of the injured Josh Pinkard and Kevin Thomas) went down in the first half with a pulled hamstring, never to return. It is uncertain whether he will miss any more games, although he hopes to play next week. Mozique McCurtis replaced him in the secondary.
• Two much more devastating injuries occurred on the very same play to players who lined up side by side. Freshman center Kristofer O’Dowd and guard Chilo Rachal were carted off in the first half with injuries to their right knees. Rachal was diagnosed with a sprain; O’Dowd, with a more serious injury: a dislocation. It is too early to tell how long either player will be out, although it will certainly be several weeks before O’Dowd can play. Alatini Malu replaced Rachal (and himself tweaked his hamstring), while Matt Spanos–back from a torn triceps–saw his first action of the season as O’Dowd’s replacement at center.
• RB CJ Gable was unexpectedly held out of the entire game, reportedly to rest his oft-injured groin.
• Stafon Johnson injured his foot during the game, and though he was unable to play at the end of the game, he is not expected to miss next week’s Stanford game.

More stats and articles: TrojanUpdate’s Game Recap: USC at Washington

No. 1 USC overcomes own mistakes to beat Washington (AP via ESPN)
Trojans win on flag day (LA Times)
Plaschke: Trojans almost beat themselves but find a way to escape with victory (LA Times)
Trojans able to win despite themselves (LA Times)
Several players sustain injuries (LA Times)
Trojans win in horrid fashion (Press-Telegram)
Injuries are contagious on O-line (Press-Telegram)
USC survives mistakes to top Washington (Daily News)
USC’s offensive line showing cracks (Daily News)
USC squeaks past Washington (OC Register)
USC Notes: Trojans feel the pain (OC Register)
Sloppy In Seattle (Rivals, $)
No. 1 USC escapes Huskies, 27-24 (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
Huskies feast on No. 1 USC’s mistakes, but fall short 27-24 (Seattle Times)