SEATTLE _ The last quarterback standing stood in the pocket, staring down a slant to the end zone, hoping to play hero again.
USC trailed by two scores in the third quarter of what had so far been an ugly offensive effort, but here, Matt Fink had a chance to jumpstart a struggling USC offense. Standing in for Kedon Slovis for the second straight week, Fink spotted Michael Pittman Jr, who'd been unstoppable a week ago, and he fired away, unaware of the Washington corner watching closely nearby.
As Slovis was stuck in concussion protocol, the one-time third-stringer's fearless gunslinging kept them alive last Friday against Utah. But on a chilly Saturday in Seattle, those untimely risks would be No. 21 USC's undoing, as it fell to No. 17 Washington, 28-14.
While its defense stood as strong as could've been expected against one of the Pac-12's best passers, nothing seemed to work offensively for USC. Washington's secondary limited Fink's ability to throw downfield, while the run game wasn't given much time to find a rhythm.
Just as USC found a hole on the ground, with Stephen Carr breaking off a 60-yard gain into scoring territory, Fink's pass near the goalline was intercepted, deflating any hope that'd been renewed moments earlier.
Then, after just two plays, the Huskies broke the game open, as running back Salvon Ahmed sprinted free on his own long run, scampering 89 yards to give Washington a three-score lead.
There was little Fink could from that point, even as USC's defense continued to stifle Washington's own quarterback. Even without two of its top defensive backs in Olaijah Griffin and Talanoa Hufanga, the Trojans defense held Eason to a meager 180 passing yards.
But Fink, whose tenure as USC's starting quarterback is likely to end with Slovis' return after the bye, couldn't manage much better. With the exception of a 44-yard, third-quarter touchdown pass to Pittman, Fink was mostly ineffective. He finished with 163 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
Still, with time ticking down late, Fink stood at the 5-yard-line with a sliver of hope still remaining for a USC comeback. A 10-play drive had brought them to the doorstep, and on third down, Fink tried desperately to scramble, only to find a brick wall of Washington defenders in his way. With one final shot, he threw a fade to the corner of the endzone for Drake London, but the pass was broken up.
On the next drive, with USC out of timeouts and in desperation mode, Fink threw his third interception of the afternoon, ending his two-game stretch as quarterback in far less storybook fashion than it started.
But with Fink unable to conjure up the magic he did last week, the Trojans offense dug a hole early of which it simply couldn't climb out. Of its 12 drives, five lasted three plays or fewer and only three lasted longer than six plays.
In its four previous games, the Trojans offense had opened especially fast, scoring on its opening possession each time.
But with Fink under center, there was no such speedy start on Saturday. USC's first three drives, two of which ended in 3-and-outs, covered just 26 total yards. The passing attack that exploded for 351 yards in the absence of Slovis a week ago stumbled out of the gate, as a tough Washington secondary took away every option down the field.
Fink tried to jumpstart a sputtering offense late in the first quarter, letting a deep ball loose. But unlike most of his successful bombs from last week, this throw skied above intended wideout Drake London and was picked off.
Washington made quick work of the short field, recovering its own fumble in the endzone four plays later to open an early two-touchdown lead.
In spite of the Huskies' lasting lead, USC's defense held strong throughout most of Saturday's loss, pressuring quarterback Jacob Eason throughout. At halftime, Eason had just 97 passing yards, and he finished with only 180.
But USC's defense didn't get any favors in the field position department, as both of Washington's first-half touchdown opened in USC territory.
The first began with a brutally short punt from struggling USC punter Ben Griffiths, who left Washington with a mere 35 yards of ground to cover. Five plays later, Washington barreled into the endzone for its first score.
Soon after, Fink, the third USC quarterback to start a game this season, would throw his first interception. It was mostly downhill from there.
