Expectations for Jarrett Are Rising

USC split end Dwayne Jarrett had a breakout performance last week against Arizona State and hopes to continue his progression today against Washington.

“I’m feeling confident,” said Jarrett, a freshman who caught three touchdown passes in the Trojans’ 45-7 victory over Arizona State. “I wasn’t like that early in the season, but the coaches stuck with me.”

Jarrett, who has drawn comparisons to former All-American receiver Mike Williams, has caught 22 passes for 328 yards with six touchdowns.

Through his first six games as a freshman in 2002, Williams had 28 receptions for 434 yards with four touchdowns.

Coach Pete Carroll said Jarrett’s performance against Arizona State, “was pretty normal for what he’s going to do. I don’t think it was a game where he played out of his head. He is going to catch eight, nine or 10 balls a game and make a lot of touchdowns.”

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Top-ranked USC has a 15-game winning streak, an 18-game home winning streak and a 10-game Pacific 10 Conference winning streak.

But the heavily favored Trojans also would like to end one very long Washington streak. The Huskies have not been shut out in 271 games, the longest active streak among Division I-A teams. UCLA was the last opponent to hold Washington scoreless, defeating the Huskies, 31-0, on Nov. 7, 1981.

USC has one shutout this season and five in three-plus seasons under Carroll. The Trojans have not shut out Washington since 1965, when they won, 34-0, in Seattle.

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A victory over Washington would improve USC’s record to 7-0, which would be its best start since the 1988 team won its first 10 games.... The seventh class of USC’s Athletic Hall of Fame will be introduced at halftime.... The ADT national championship trophy, which will be presented to the winner of the Orange Bowl, this year’s bowl championship series title game, will be displayed on the field during today’s game. Last year, the trophy was scheduled to be displayed at USC’s Nov. 1 game against Washington State, but transportation problems caused by the Southland wildfires nixed the plans.... Washington has faced a team ranked No. 1 by Associated Press only once since the Huskies were defeated by top-ranked USC, 34-7, in 1972. Washington lost to No. 1 Miami, 65-7, in the final game of the 2001 regular season.