Dillon Johnson had the game of his life to help No. 5 Washington remain undefeated and firmly in the College Football Playoff hunt.
Quarterback Michael Penix has been the star of Washington’s season, but it was running back Dillon Johnson who had a field day against USC’s hapless defense in a 52-42 win over the No. 20 Trojans on Saturday night at The Coliseum.
Johnson rushed for 256 yards and four touchdowns as the Huskies put up a whopping 572 yards of offense in the win. Johnson, a transfer from Mississippi State, entered the game with 430 yards and six touchdowns as UW primarily relied on its passing attack with Penix, the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy
Penix had another strong performance, posting 256 yards and two touchdowns as he dueled with USC’s Caleb Williams, the reigning Heisman winner. In this matchup, though, Washington’s coaching staff was content to lean on Johnson and its offensive line against the overmatched USC front.
Both defenses struggled mightily, but the Washington side got the stop it needed in the final minutes to escape Los Angeles with a win. Leading 45-42, Washington got a sack on Williams to knock the Trojans out of field goal range. USC was at the Washington 30, but the 12-yard loss forced a punt.
Williams and the Trojans would need a stop from the defense to keep their hopes alive, but Williams was failed by his defense once again.
An Eddie Czaplicki punt pinned Washington at its own 9-yard line. On the very next play, Johnson reeled off a 53-yard run to flip the field position. From there, Washington continued to lean on its running game until Johnson got into the end zone for the fourth time to seal the victory.
With the win, the Huskies improved to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play with three regular season games remaining. USC, meanwhile, fell to 7-3 on the year. The Trojans had a chance to move into sole possession of first place with a victory, but the defense just could not do enough to make that happen even as Williams went for 312 yards and three touchdowns through the air and added another score on the ground.
