One factor may be more important than all others if USC football hopes to travel to the Pacific Northwest and defeat Washington in a Big Ten matchup with a Pac-12 flair. UW Huskies Wire concentrated on one aspect of this West Coast matchup:
The Washington Huskies, who are ranked little. 32 in the country with an average of 435.9 yards per game, have had little issue moving the ball in their debut season under coach Jedd Fisch. They are ranked No. 99 out of 134 FBS teams, but they have struggled greatly on third down, moving the chains at a pitiful 36.96 percent.
Play-calling, players executing routes, and offensive line difficulties are just a few of the possible causes. After only managing 4 conversions on 14 attempts across third and fourth down against Indiana, Fisch and quarterback Will Rogers must quickly find a way to improve the offence in preparation for the USC Trojans, who have been among the nation’s top third-down defences, allowing a 30.48 percent conversion rate.
Given USC’s defensive shortage, Washington must be able to stay out of three-and-out situations and keep the Trojan defence on the field for a large number of plays. Although earning seven points rather than three is the most crucial component of third-down conversions, it’s not the only consideration. One team will probably win this game if they can dominate time of possession and control the ball. USC cannot let Washington prevail in the battle for the third down.
