Washington is National Team of the Week

For Immediate Release

With its 16-13 upset win over No. 3 Southern California, the Washington Huskies have been named the Southern Fans' National Team of the Week for games played over the Sept. 19 weekend. The Huskies - who went win-less in 2008 - defeated USC for the first time in eight attempts.

Behind the arm of QB Jake Locker, Washington erased a 10-0 USC lead with a 16-3 run, mainly on 237 passing yards. After USC tied the game at 13 with four minutes remaining, Washington took its final lead, riding the arm - and legs - of Locker and the foot of Erik Folk, who hit a 22-yard field goal with three seconds remaining.

The game was one of firsts: Washington's first PAC-10 victory since beating California in 2007; the first time USC has been held to less than 125 passing yards in ten years; and the first time a Pete Carroll Trojan squad was an unable to convert any third- or fourth-down opportunities . However, it was not the first time USC lost to an unranked opponent - that has now happened at least once in the past four seasons - nor the first time the Trojans lost a conference road game loss - that's happened six of the past eight seasons.

Other nominees for Southern Fans' National Team of the Week for the weekend of Sept. 19:

Florida State (2-1)
W, BYU 54-28
Behind the arm of QB Christian Ponder, who went 21-of-25 with 195 passing yards and two touchdowns, Florida State ended BYU's 18-game home winning streak with a 54-28 dismantling of the No. 6 Cougars.

Miami (2-0)
W, Georgia Tech 33-17
The Hurricanes improved to 2-0, but more importantly those two wins are over ACC rivals. A season after being run over by Tech to the tune of 472 rushing yards, Miami dominated the Yellow Jackets on both sides of the ball, most notably holding the vaunted Paul Johnson option attack to 95 rushing yards.

The Southern Fans' Poll began naming a national team of the week in 2008. Members of the Southern Fan's pool of voters decide the weekly honor. Each week during the 2009 college football season, the Southern Fans will name the National Team of the Week through the bowl season.

2009 Southern Fans' National Teams of the Week
• Weekend of Sept. 5: William & Mary Tribe
• Weekend of Sept. 12: Houston Cougars
• Weekend of Sept. 19: Washington Huskies