Huskies face No. 1 Trojans in Pac-10 home opener

After a not-so-satisfying beginning to its increasingly treacherous schedule, the Washington football team (2-2, 0-1 Pac-10) welcomes the best team it will face all season into Husky Stadium tomorrow.

USC (3-0, 1-0 Pac-10), after blowing out WSU last week, brings their deepest and perhaps most talented squad of the last decade to Montlake to battle a Husky team that has played their worst football of the season in its last two contests.

It's David vs. Goliath [HTML_REMOVED] that is, if Goliath listed eight tailbacks on his depth chart.

"From what I have seen of them, they are better than last year in every aspect," said UW coach Tyrone Willingham, who also said that the Trojans were "obviously the best team in the country. They are more aggressive up front than they were last season. Their secondary has improved, and their defense is better than last year."

And if last week's 44-31 loss to UCLA was any indication of how the Pac-10 season will go for the Dawgs, the Trojans' explosive offense could spell trouble from the get-go. Washington allowed 537 total yards to a run-heavy Bruin offense, and the Trojans boast even more depth and talent in their backfield.

Throw in Heisman Trophy candidate John David Booty, and USC has perhaps the most dynamic offense in the nation.

As in years past, the Trojan defense has shown itself to be a powerful threat.

"USC has a great defense," quarterback Jake Locker said. "They have a lot of talented players. They're fast, they're physical. We're going to put a game plan in and focus on executing that."

Locker's play could be a key factor in whether or not the Huskies can keep up with the Trojans. The red-shirt freshman impressed commentators in victories over Syracuse and Boise State, but his passing has been somewhat of a concern recently.

"The fourth quarter (vs. UCLA) really propelled the passing game," said Locker, who was 17-36 against the Bruins for 216 yards and four touchdowns. "We didn't do very well at all the rest of the game."

Still, Locker presents a unique challenge to any defense, and USC is no exception.

"I can't help but be attracted by what Jake has done," USC coach Pete Carroll said.

Locker leads the Huskies with 361 rushing yards and has thrown for 704 yards with 6 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

Booty, his counterpart Saturday, heads an offense that is averaging just under 45 points per game [HTML_REMOVED] and much of it has been his doing. Booty is a staggering 68 for 97 through the air [HTML_REMOVED] that's a 70% completion percentage [HTML_REMOVED] for 629 yards and 9 touchdowns.

USC's backfield has done just as much damage, though. Running backs Stafon Johnson, C.J. Gable and Chauncey Washington lead a Trojan ground attack that has amassed 734 rushing yards in its first three games.

"We need to go out and put our nose right back to the grindstone," said Willingham, "[to] see if we can correct the areas we had mistakes in, and go out and get a victory."

[Reach reporter Christian Caple at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.]