LOS ANGELES — Steve Sarkisian can’t help but smile a little when he talks about the office he shared with Lane Kiffin at Heritage Hall on the University of Southern California campus when they were both young assistant coaches.
It was a place where they became friends; where they discussed their coaching futures and hopes and dreams. They both interviewed for the job as head coach of the Oakland Raiders, and only one of them – Sarkisian – was smart enough to say no to Al Davis. They’ve shared family dinners and barbecues. They’ve shared monumental wins and disappointing losses.
But now they are adversaries – albeit friendly ones. And they meet again today when the Sarkisian-led Huskies walk into the L.A. Coliseum to face Kiffin’s 18th-ranked Trojans.
Sarkisian is 1-0 against his friend after last year’s 32-31 win in the Coliseum.
“We haven’t joked about me staying undefeated, but we texted each other in the past 24 hours already, and we’ll probably continue to throughout the week,” Sarkisian said Monday. “But it’s a healthy friendship and a healthy rivalry.”
When Kiffin was asked about the friendship, he had a little fun with Sarkisian.
“It’s going downhill fast when he keeps saying that we have the most talent in the (Pacific-12 Conference),” Kiffin deadpanned before chuckling.
The time apart since the old USC days – with Sarkisian heading to Washington and Kiffin to the Raiders for one infamous year and then to Tennessee for another season – has made maintaining the friendship difficult.
“We don’t see each other nearly as often,” Sarkisian said. “A lot of the communication is over the phone. Outside of that, it’s just not seeing each other as frequently as we were used to.”
It’s clear there remains a fondness between the two. But wins in the Pac-12 don’t come easy, so don’t think for a second that losing to your friend makes it any easier.
Both men took over programs that were on the mend. Sarkisian was trying to rebuild the destruction wrought in the Tyrone Willingham era. Kiffin is in the midst of trying to survive a two-year postseason ban and severe scholarship restrictions from the Reggie Bush scandal.
“I think we’re both competitive guys that like to win – not for us individually, but for our team and for our kids and coaches,” Sarkisian said.
Winning won’t be easy for UW. Unlike the past two seasons, USC comes in playing its best football of the season. A week ago, quarterback Matt Barkley threw for a school-record six touchdowns against Colorado. And he has two outstanding receivers in Robert Woods and Marqise Lee. They present all kinds of problems for a Huskies secondary that’s been average at best.
“You look at SC offensively and you look at Barkley, obviously, and you look at (Matt) Kalil at left tackle and you look at Woods, you look at Lee – those are four first-round NFL draft picks,” Sarkisian said.
When USC was penalized by the NCAA, there was a possibility the talent level might drop. It hasn’t. Althoughthe Trojans don’t have the depth of their national championship years, their starters are elite-level players.
“You flip over to defense you look at T.J. McDonald, you look at Nick Perry, there’s another two first-round draft picks,” Sarkisian said, “not to mention some other guys that are playing real well – Nickell Robey, Devon Kennard, Wes Horton.
“They are a talented, talented team. Probably still the most talented team in our conference. They are deeply talented.”
Admittedly, Washington doesn’t have that kind of talent. Sarkisian still believes his team can leave L.A. with a win. Why? Because they’ve done it before.
“We’re going to try and go down there this week and do something that hasn’t been done before since 1937 – that’s beat USC two times in a row for Washington on the road at the Coliseum,” he said. “And we’ll see if we can get it done.”
Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483 ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports
HUSKIES GAMEDAY
WASHINGTON (6-3, 4-2 PAC-12) AT USC (7-2, 4-2)
12:30 p.m., The Coliseum, Los Angeles
TV: FX. Radio: 950-AM, 850-AM, 102.9 FM
The series: The Trojans lead, 49-28-4, but the Huskies have won the last two – including last year’s 32-31 victory in Los Angeles on Erik Folk’s last-second field goal. Two years ago, Folk kicked a late field goal as UW stunned then-third-ranked USC, 16-13.
What to watch: Like most of this season, it comes down to whether the Huskies’ defense will give the offense a chance to win. Regardless of what has been said about UW’s defense, the above-average showing against Oregon had as much to do with the Ducks’ mistakes as plays made by the Huskies. But according to UW defensive coordinator Nick Holt, preparing for USC should be easier. The Trojans play a more traditional style of offense under coach Lane Kiffin, not relying on misdirection and fast tempo to beat teams. USC usually wins because of superior talent. Junior quarterback Matt Barkley has been outstanding, leading the conference with 28 touchdown passes. He has two of the best receivers in the Pac-12 in sophomore Robert Woods and freshman Marqise Lee. Can Washington’s secondary, which was carved up by Eastern Washington, Hawaii and to a lesser extent California, slow the Trojans’ attack? Getting a pass rush on Barkley would help, but the Huskies have just 14 total sacks this season – tied for No. 81 in the country. Too many blitzes, and Barkley will exploit the one-on-one coverage. Offensively, Washington was “poor” against Oregon, according to coach Steve Sarkisian. Keith Price threw two bad interceptions, and the offensive line couldn’t protect him or give Chris Polk any room to run. Sarkisian and Price vowed that the offense would play better. But how much? USC’s defense is young at several positions but extremely talented. The Trojans’ defensive front seven has proven to be disruptive on pass plays and fairly stout against the run.
What’s at stake: For the Trojans, it’s all about playing for pride. They are still on NCAA probation and ineligible for postseason play. Washington is playing for an elevated bowl berth. The chance to go to San Diego and the Holiday Bowl instead of El Paso, Texas, and the Sun Bowl should be plenty of motivation.
TNT pick: USC 38, Washington 24
PRIME NUMBERS
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
No.Name (Pos.)Ht./Wt.Year
2Robert Woods (WR)6-1/180Sophomore
The best playmaking receiver in the Pac-12, Woods averages 10 catches per game.
7Matt Barkley (QB)6-2/220Junior
If he leaves for the NFL draft, he will be the second quarterback taken behind Andrew Luck.
8Nick Perry (DE)6-3/250Junior
He can wreak havoc on an offense by making plays in the backfield and pressuring the QB.
55Lamar Dawson (MLB)6-2/235Freshman
He’s so talented and athletic that he took the starting job away from senior Chris Galippo
75Matt Kalil (LT)6-7/295Junior
Big, physical and nasty, he’s a first-round draft pick if he decides to leave school early.
WASHINGTON
1Chris Polk (RB)5-11/222Junior
The former USC commit can show the Trojans firsthand what they missed out on.
1Sean Parker (SS)5-10/202Sophomore
He spurned USC for the Huskies; he will need to be a presence in the secondary.
6Desmond Trufant (CB)6-0/184Junior
UW’s best cover corner will have his hands full with USC’s speedy, playmaking receivers.
17Keith Price (QB)6-1/195Sophomore
He grew up in the shadow of the Coliseum. His first pass in the place was for his first career TD.
75Erik Kohler (RT)6-5/298Sophomore
The big tackle struggled against Oregon in pass protection. Things won’t get any easier for him against USC.
Ryan Divish, staff writer
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