USC wide receiver Brenden Rice was asked about the potential for the fourth quarter rally at Cal to serve as a springboard for this team and whether it felt like it had any broader impact after the two straight losses that preceded it.

"I wouldn't say such," Rice responded. "Some people can go ahead and get complacent after a Cal win, but we really have to go out there and prove ourselves Saturday. There's a lot to go ahead and fix and correct and we will come ready and prepared. I'm 100 percent sure that [Alex] Grinch and [Lincoln] Riley will have us ready to attack that day."

That confidence for the Trojans' 111th-ranked defense to hold its own against unbeaten Washington's 5th-ranked offense doesn't seem to extend to the fan base, of course.

Even in victory last week, the frustrations and consternation for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and his unit only mounted further as USC gave up 527 yards and 49 points to a Cal team on its third quarterback of the season -- despite forcing four turnovers, which makes those stat totals all the more glaring.

From the outside, that is. Internally, it has indeed become a rallying point.

RELATED: In-depth matchup breakdown for USC-Washington

While Rice didn't want to give off the impression that USC is overconfident after grinding out that 50-49 win over a middling Golden Bears team, head coach Lincoln Riley, Grinch and players have been pointing to the fourth quarter of that win -- as the Trojans battled back from a 43-29 deficit while the defense forced a punt, fumble and turnover on downs in succession when it needed it most -- as a sign of ... something.

"I mean, we all fought to the last minute, so it was all positive," cornerback Domani Jackson said. "... We just counted on each other and fought to win."

"There’s no reason to fight like that. There’s absolutely – there’s nothing going on, there’s nothing from a momentum standpoint, season-wise you’re coming off two straight losses, the heat is on, man," Grinch said. "And for them to fight the way they did, I’m telling you right now, it may be a little thing to the world, but to these kids, I’ve got to give them credit. You can make every excuse as to why they wouldn’t, but if you’ve got fight, you’ve got a chance."

Said running back MarShawn Lloyd: "The way we played in the end was really good. We played as a whole team -- offense helping the defense, defense helping the offense. It showed what we can do if we can just keep that going throughout the whole game. It showed that we want it, we want to win, we're going to do whatever it takes. It just shows our will to win."

And from Riley: "The bottom line is the team's fighting like crazy. We've got to play a little better and we expect to."

Having the fight is one thing -- making it through all 12 rounds still standing is another.

All the buildup comes to a head Saturday in the Coliseum as the No. 20/24-ranked Trojans (7-2, 5-1 Pac-12) host No. 5 Washington (8-0, 5-0) with everything at stake.

Either USC is ready now to play like the team it was expected to be this fall when it was ranked in the top 10 and viewed as College Football Playoff contender, or the season becomes something entirely different -- a referendum on where the program is lacking with further magnification on the need to make major changes.

While it's already gotten to that point for many, the reality is that USC does control its path to the Pac-12 championship game still ... and who knows what the conversation would be nationally at that point.

But it all comes down to this ... and then next week against No. 6 Oregon if the Trojans get past the Huskies.

There is no more runway for this team to takeoff.

"There's a whole bunch of narratives out there. You really can't feed into the narrative because at the end of the day we've got two teams going at each other, we're preparing and we're ready to go out and attack the day," Rice said.

With that said, here are the five most compelling storylines for Saturday as the Trojans and Huskies kickoff at 4:30 p.m. PT in the Coliseum (on ABC) ...

This doesn't happen often -- the top-2 leading passers in the FBS this season meet in the Coliseum on Saturday under a bright national spotlight with a national college football audience and NFL scouts alike eagerly awaiting this matchup.

Washington's Michael Penix Jr. leads the country with 2,945 passing yards to go with 24 touchdowns and 6 interceptions and is now the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy (narrowly atop a crowded field). USCs Caleb Williams is the reigning Heisman winner and has passed for 2,646 yards, 25 touchdowns and 4 interceptions along with 9 rushing touchdowns, despite tumbling down the list of Heisman contenders after the back-to-back losses last month.

Penix is left-handed and had to rebuild his career with his transfer to Washington after a second ACL tear while playing for Indiana. Williams is right-handed and has had a fairly linear upward trajectory from top QB recruit in his class to taking over as the starter at Oklahoma as a freshman, to leaving by choice to follow Riley to USC, to winning the Heisman and becoming a consensus projected top pick in the next NFL draft.

But they do have something very substantial in common.

While both changed schools, they did so to reunite with a coach they had a strong connection with already.

Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer was the offensive coordinator at Indiana in 2019 when Penix was starting to emerge as a potential standout at quarterback. Since linking back up in Seattle with his former coach, Penix has exceeded all expectations, nearly tripling his previous career-highs last season while passing for 4,641 yards, 31 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.

And everyone knows the connection that Williams and Riley have, which the QB elaborated on again this week.

"I was coming back from treatment at like 8 or 9 [Monday] night, and [Riley] just called me, we were talking about plays -- how do we think this is ran, who do you feel about this?'" Williams shared. "I give him back feedback and things like that, and there was just times I would draw up plays, or he'll say something and we're watching film and I make a remark and I kind of explain my thought process of it and he'll go, 'I actually really like it.' And sometimes maybe it doesn't work out, so it's just a constant communication between him and I and it's just been growing and it's been great."

Penix has thrived so far in big moments, including his 302 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Huskies' momentous win over Oregon last month. That spotlight will only get brighter Saturday and with each successive week as long as he keeps Washington in the national championship picture and NFL scouts dissect his game.

Williams has been living in that spotlight for a couple years now, and he was asked this week how the pressure and attention -- be it from trying to repeat as Heisman winner or the NFL draft projections, etc. -- has impacted him.

"They haven't. I'm here at USC enjoying playing ball, the thing that I love, and being around these guys for however long I'm going to be around them, whether it's a whole other year or whether it's however long we have left in the season," he said. "So enjoying the moments that I have, understanding that you don't get things like high school back, you don't get things like college back. It's something I learned from high school not having my senior year [due to COVID], enjoy the moments that you have regardless of what year you're in, regardless of what the situation is.

"You know, pressure, I don't think of pressure as a thing. I've said it a bunch, I think if you're prepared for the moments that are up and coming in your life, especially if you manifest things, things that you work for, you're prepared for those moments. You don't feel pressure -- you feel excited, you're ready for the moment and whatever comes you're ready for it."

Whether he feels it or not, Williams has the pressure of saving USC's season on his shoulders Saturday.