SEATTLE – For weeks on end, Kyle Fords mental process was largely the same.

Frustration boiling on Saturday, only a couple of spare targets sent his way. Golf on Sunday, to step out of his own mind. Practice on Monday, to reset. Sometimes the reset didnt come, fully, until Tuesday.

Finally, though, last Friday, Ford earned the looks hed returned back from UCLA to USC for – hauling in a crossing route against Rutgers and stiff-arming a defender on a traipse into the end zone for his first touchdown of the year.

Its obviously really important for guys to take advantage of their opportunity, Moss said, on Tuesday. I think Kyle did that, in the best way possible.

Ford had been able to stay in the moment, Lincoln Riley noted Tuesday, a trend USCs head coach expected to continue. And when USC trotted out in front of towel-waving Husky faithful on a brisk Saturday night, Ford lined up at outside receiver – his first start of the year, and displacing sophomore JaKobi Lane in Lanes first opening-drive appearance on the bench since Week 1 against LSU.

Since a 10-catch, 105-yard, two-touchdown breakout against Wisconsin where the 6-foot-4 Lane looked primed to step into the limelight as the next great receiver in a long Trojan lineage, his momentum had stalled, pulling in a ridiculous one-handed TD against Maryland but recording just 10 catches across the last four weeks. And Riley turned to Ford, whod come to USC in the transfer portal in the spring on a conversation of competition at outside receiver, according to father Dan.

It was to a point to where we know weve got younger receivers, Dan told the Southern California News Group this week. But, Ill be honest with you. Me and Kyle felt were better than them.

Ford had a chance to prove it Saturday – and couldnt quite deliver, as a slightly long first-quarter pass from Moss tipped off his outstretched arms and was picked off by Washington. He didnt record a catch in the first half, while Lane ended up hauling in three balls on subsequent drives to lead the Trojans in first-half receiving yards with 52.

In partial good health

It seemed a bad omen from the universe on Tuesday, when Lincoln Riley was in the middle of delivering an injury update on a banged-up secondary – and a team cart carrying buckets of Gatorade slammed into a nearby wall on Howard Jones Field.

Obviously well take any number we can, Riley said before his attention was suddenly seized by a loud thump in the distance.

Uh-oh, Riley said, staring as a bucket of ice suddenly lay scattered across the turf. Hit that corner tough.

And USC could little afford another string of poor injury luck, with seven starters sidelined by the second half of the previous weeks win over Rutgers. They got some positive news, though, with the return of cornerbacks Jaylin Smith and Greedy Vance Jr. Smith, in particular, was a massive lift to USCs defense Saturday, the programs best-performing outside corner all season racking up a team-leading four tackles in the first half.

Bryson Shaw, meanwhile, started again at safety in place of hard-hitting Kamari Ramsey after a solid performance in the previous weeks win over Rutgers. DeCarlos Nicholson started his third game of the year at outside corner in place of Jacobe Covington, supplanted on various drives by fellow backup corner John Humphrey.