The Huskies won't see Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens after he was suspended due to an illegal hit on Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore.
The Washington Huskies football team will be "Road Dawgs" for the first time this season when it takes on the No. 18 Southern California (USC) Trojans at 4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.
It will be the first time away from Seattle for the Huskies this season. UW posted a 3-1 record in its first four games in front of its home crowd. The one loss was Washington's most recent game and its Big Ten opener, a 27-24 loss against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sept. 26.
Luckily for the Huskies, they'll see the return of several key contributors for their road game against the Trojans.
Fourth-year starting outside cornerback Emmanuel Karnley will be back after missing the last two games due to a soft tissue injury. Third-year nickelback Rahshawn Clark will also be full speed after being limited to return duties against the Golden Gophers.
USC, however, will be without one of its most experienced defensive players after a controversial play in the team's previous game, a 42-27 loss against the Oregon Ducks, on Saturday.
Junior Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens was ejected from the game against the Ducks after a late hit on opposing quarterback Dante Moore.
Moore went into the slide but Stephens still followed through with the tackle, resulting in the flag and the ejection. After the hit, Moore received medical attention and was carted off the field. Stephens continued to celebrate the hit after Moore was down being looked at by trainers.
Stephens has since apologized for the hit and his actions in a statement, but USC coach Lincoln Riley still opted to suspend Stephens for one game, which will be the contest against Washington.
"Desman's actions in (the game against Oregon) are unacceptable and not reflective of USC Football nor of his personal character," Riley said in a statement. "He understands his mistake, accepts the consequences of his actions and will learn from this. The entire Trojan family wishes Dante a full recovery, and we send our best regards to him and his family."
Stephens, who's in his third year with the program, played in 26 games his freshman and sophomore seasons and all five this year.
Across the Trojans' five games this season, Stephens has totaled 19 tackles (12 solo), including 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack. He also defended a pass.
The Huskies will need to win against the Trojans to get back into AP Top 25 consideration after not receiving a vote in the latest poll following their loss to Minnesota.
