USC Football: Lincoln Riley Believes Trojans Must Prioritize This Washington Offensive Player

He's the Heisman favorite for a reason.

Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has gone on a tear this season, leading the Huskies to a perfect record with a viable path to their first College Football Playoff appearance since losing to Alabama in 2016.

For a USC defense that has struggled to protect against the pass all season, the top-25 matchup between the Trojans and Huskies could quickly get ugly.

USC has allowed 248.8 passing yards per game this season, better than only one other Power 5 school, Kentucky. Penix has proven all season that he can torch even strong secondaries. Against Oregon, whose defense has been dominant all season, Penix threw for four touchdowns and 302 yards. In a shootout that came down to a missed field goal from Oregon, it was explosive plays in the passing game that kept the Huskies on the path to the CFP.

Head coach Lincoln Riley knows a thing or two about explosive quarterbacks, having coached three Heisman-winning quarterbacks — including USC's Caleb Williams.

Riley said he was impressed with not only Penix's skillset but the gameplan Washington's offensive staff installs to utilize Penix's strengths.

"They're a really good group," Riley said. "The quarterback has really good command of what they're doing. You can tell their staff are really in sync. He's very decisive with the ball. He's not much of a runner, so [he] does a good job of getting the ball out of his hands and playing to his and their strengths, which is getting the ball to these talented playmakers that they have."

(Via USCFootball.com)

Washington has a pair of extremely talented receivers that will be a problem for the Trojan secondary. Rome Odunze can make tacklers miss and is an excellent route runner. His connection with Penix has only grown in their second season together. Jalynn Polk is a long receiver who can line up in the slot or on the numbers. Both receivers will easily eclipse 1,000 receiving yards on the season, barring injuries.

“They've got some guys out there that are obviously capable of making good plays, and then they do a good job just enough with motions and shifts and all that of changing the pictures formationally to try to challenge or stress defenses," Riley said. "They're good. They got good players in a good scheme and have done a really nice job.”

(Via USCFootball.com)

The Huskies will travel to the Coliseum on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PDT for USC's biggest game of the season thus far.

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