Washington No Balm for the Pain Left by Cal : USC: After a 52-30 loss, Trojans will face nation’s toughest defense in the second-ranked Huskies.

It doesn’t get any easier for USC, which was used as a punching bag by California last Saturday and today must face an even heavier hitter at the Coliseum.

Washington, a knockout winner over USC last season, might be the best college football team in the country.

USC Coach Larry Smith said a few weeks ago that the second-ranked Huskies and top-ranked Florida State were the class of college football.

This week, as his team prepared to play a Husky team that is 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference, Smith said: “There’s no question in my mind that Washington is the best.”

What has tipped the scales in favor of the Huskies?

“I’ve seen them on film almost every week,” Smith said.

What Smith saw:

--The Huskies are averaging 487.6 yards, leading the Pac-10 in total offense.

--They lead the nation in rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense and turnover margin.

--They are averaging 41.6 points and giving up 8.9.

Washington has dominated the Pac-10 for two seasons, starting with a 31-0 rout of USC 14 months ago in Seattle.

Had the Huskies not been upset by UCLA later in the season, a week after they had wrapped up a Rose Bowl bid, they probably would have won their first national championship.

The memory of the loss, however, has served them well. Coach Don James and his staff have reminded the players of it at least once a week.

“Every time we play a game, we always remember UCLA,” quarterback Billy Joe Hobert said. “It’s in the back of our mind because we know what we have to do to win and we know if we don’t prepare, a game like UCLA is going to come around.”

If it comes today, it will be a major turnaround for USC, which gave up 601 yards to Cal last week in a 52-30 loss at Berkeley.

USC is 3-5 overall, 2-3 in the Pac-10 and one defeat away from finishing with a losing record for only the second time in 30 years.

But the Trojans have memories, too.

They remember well the pounding they took from the Huskies last season.

But USC will need more than incentive to win this game.

Hobert leads a Husky offense that is more balanced than it was last season, when Mark Brunell was the quarterback.

Hobert, who inherited the position when Brunell was felled by a knee injury during spring practice, has completed 60% of his passes for 1,726 yards and 15 touchdowns, with seven interceptions.

Operating behind a veteran line, Hobert and his backups, Brunell and Eric Bjornson, have been sacked only six times.

The Huskies’ tailbacks, Beno Bryant and Jay Barry, both rank among the conference leaders in rushing. Split end Mario Bailey is averaging more than 106 yards in receptions and has caught 12 touchdown passes, and flanker Orlando McKay also ranks among the conference leaders in receptions.

It is on defense, though, that the Huskies dominate the most.

Junior Steve Emtman, who played sparingly during last week’s 44-16 victory over Arizona State because of a sore foot, might be the best defensive tackle in the country. He has been projected as the No. 1 choice in next spring’s NFL draft, should he make himself available.

Trojan Notes

USC kicker Cole Ford has a hip injury. If unable to play, he will be replaced by J.J. Dudum, Martin Boskovich or Mike Salmon. . . . All three seniors will start for the Trojans--offensive tackle Michael Moody, linebacker Matt Gee and cornerback Calvin Holmes, who replaces freshman Jerald Henry. . . . Washington is 0-4 against USC at the Coliseum since 1980.