LOS ANGELES – This was the one game Steve Sarkisian couldn’t afford to lose, and he lost it anyway.
USC was a 16½-point favorite over visiting Washington, the school for which Sarkisian used to work. Most Huskies fans considered it an upgrade when UW hired Chris Petersen to replace him. That certainly appeared to be the case Thursday night.
Washington stunned No. 17 USC, 17-12, in front of an announced crowd of 63,623 fans at the Coliseum – many of whom resorted to booing the Trojans’ shockingly ineffective offense in the second half.
It was the second time in as many home games that USC lost as a double-digit favorite – and the first time the Trojans have lost consecutive home games since 2001, the first year of the Pete Carroll era.