Upset city: Huskies stun world in 16-13 thriller over USC

They came in waves, first the student section, then fans from all corners of Husky Stadium emptying onto the turf after witnessing one of the biggest wins in school history, a triumph that sent shock waves through the rest of the college football world on Saturday. It was Washington 16, No. 3 USC 13. It was a 22-point underdog proving itself better than a team that it lost to 56-0 last season. It was Steve Sarkisian vs. Pete Carroll. And when Erik Folk nailed a 22-yard field goal with three seconds left to clinch what will likely be regarded as the biggest UW upset in Husky Stadium history, the mob scene at midfield told you all you needed to know about just how big this win was. There will be talk of Sarkisian sticking it to Carroll, his mentor, in his first game against him since taking the UW job nine months ago. But to spend much time dissecting that would be to ignore the much more important fact that the Huskies just loudly proclaimed themselves relevant again, vaulting into the top 25 just two games removed from a 15-game losing streak. They checked in at No. 24 in the AP poll on Sunday, the first time they've been ranked since 2003. Make no mistake about it. Just three games into the Sarkisian era, the Huskies are back. "It's a great moment for our program," Sarkisian said. "Hopefully it sends a message about where we're headed and what we're trying to do. It was just a great win over an excellent football team." The win was the first over a top-3 team at Husky Stadium since UW beat then-No. 3 USC in 1981, and the Trojans are the highest ranked team the Huskies have beaten since claiming a 29-26 win over No. 3 Washington State in 2003. Their last win over a ranked opponent was in 2007 over Boise State. The Trojans looked the part of the No. 3 team in the country on their first drive, needing just six plays to go 80 yards and take a 7-0 lead. The running lanes were enormous. The yards came easy. But Washington's defense clamped down after that, and USC wouldn't see the end zone again. Trojans quarterback Aaron Corp, making his first career start for the injured Matt Barkley, completed 13 of 22 passes for just 110 yards, the lowest passing total in the Pete Carroll era. Jake Locker's performance for the Huskies was the kind that could define a career. Locker, who completed 21 of 35 passes for 237 yards, punched in a four-yard run with 11 seconds left in the first quarter to get the Huskies on the board, and led one of the more important drives in school history late in the fourth quarter. After taking over on his own 33 yard line with 4:01 remaining and the score tied at 13, Locker was sacked for a loss of 12. A seven yard completion to Chris Polk made it 3rd-and-15 with 3:03 to go, and USC called a timeout to preserve some time for when it got the ball back. But the Trojans never did. Locker threaded the needle on a bullet pass to Jermaine Kearse over the middle for a 21 yard gain and a first down to the UW 49 yard line. Locker converted another third down three plays later on a four-yard carry. Then on 2nd-and-6 from the USC 35 yard line, the UW quarterback scrambled right as the pocket collapsed around him, fired down the right sideline and found Kearse open at the 16. A roughing the passer penalty moved the ball to the eight with 33 seconds to go, and one play later, Folk split the uprights and brought bedlam back to Husky Stadium. So many times in the past few seasons, the Huskies found ways to lose games like this one. But that was never an option this time around. "There was a different belief," Locker said. "There was a different feeling in the huddle." Everything about this team is different. The defense, which set school records for futility the past couple of seasons, seemed to thrive with its backs against the wall. USC turned the ball over three times, twice on fumbles, once on an interception by Donald Butler. Every time they needed a stop, they got it. Butler dropped Stanley Havili in the backfield on 3rd-and-1 just before halftime, which cost the Trojans three points because they couldn't get their field goal unit on the field before time expired. Butler also made a crucial tackle on 3rd-and-1 early in the fourth quarter. He finished with 12 tackles. USC was 0-for-10 on third down conversions. "I'll never forget this day," Butler said. "I'll tell my kids about it. I'll tell my grandkids about this. It's just crazy." Crazy, because so many of the 61,889 in attendance ended up dancing around on the field afterward. But also because of where this team was last season, and where it is now-nationally ranked, and somewhere approaching cloud nine. "I've never felt like this ever in my life, in my career so far," cornerback Desmond Trufant said. "It's a great feeling." All indications are that it can only get better.

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