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GAME NOTES: Fresh off their upset win over third-ranked USC, the 24th-ranked Washington Huskies aim for an encore as they hit the road to take on the Stanford Cardinal in a Pac-10 Conference clash at Stanford Stadium.

Last weekend's 16-13 victory could not have been any bigger for Washington first-year coach Steve Sarkisian, a former assistant head coach at USC under Pete Carroll. It was the highest ranked opponent the Huskies have beaten at home since 1981, and it was their first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2003. After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, the Huskies battled back and eventually won on a last-second field goal after a 63-yard drive in the waning moments.

"Our kids, to our coaches' credit, they kept them in the game," Sarkisian said. "We kept battling. We kept competing. We took care of the football offensively and created turnovers on defense and that turnover battle is something we've been harping on."

Now with a win over his former mentor in the books -- not to mention the program's first national ranking since 2003 -- Sarkisian wants to make sure his team avoids a letdown in its first road game of the season.

Stanford is off to a 2-1 start for the first time since 2004. The Cardinal kicked off a three-game homestand with a 42-17 win over San Jose State last weekend. Although they've endured their struggles over the years, the Cardinal have actually won five of their last six home games.

The head-to-head series between these two dates back to 1893, with Washington holding a 40-35-4. The Huskies have won 21 of the last 26 meetings.

The scene was set for quarterback Jake Locker and the Washington offense. With the score tied and four minutes remaining on the clock, Washington took over possession on its own 33-yard line. Ten plays and 63 yards later, kicker Erik Folk was booting a game-winning 22-yard field goal through the uprights. There were several big plays along the way for Locker, including two third-down conversions and the eventual dagger: a 19-yard completion to Jermaine Kearse that put the ball on the USC 16 with only seconds remaining. That final play capped off a workman-like effort from Lockler, who completed 21-of-35 passes for 237 yards and, most importantly, did not commit any turnovers. Through five games, Locker is averaging 270 passing yards and has thrown five touchdowns against only one interception. His ability to limit mistakes will be paramount to the team's success this season.

The Washington defense held the Trojans to their lowest point total in the last 29 games. That's quite an accomplishment when you consider the early hole the Huskies dug themselves.

"I thought we were going to lose 50-to-nothing," Sarkisian recalled after the game.

As it turned out, the Huskies buckled down defensively and stayed afloat thanks to three takeaways inside their own 35-yard line. Despite being gashed by the run for much of the game -- USC rushed for 250 yards and averaged 7.6 ypc -- the Washington defense was able to get off the field by holding the Trojans to 0-of-10 on third downs. Part of that had to do with the fact that USC was without starting quarterback Matt Barkley. And part was simply due to an outstanding effort by the Washington defense. Linebacker Donald Butler garnered National Defensive Player of the Week honors for his career-high 12 tackles and an interception. Fellow linebacker Mason Foster had three pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Despite last weekend's 42-point outburst in Stanford's home-opening victory, the offense isn't exactly a finished product. After all, half of the team's points came on three returns. Still, the execution was there for most of the game. Toby Gerhart carried 24 times for 113 yards and two scores, headlining a rushing attack that netted 214 yards and averaged 5.3 yards per carry. First- year starting quarterback Andrew Luck was 9-of-12 for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception before exiting in the fourth quarter with the team ahead comfortably. On the season, Luck is completing 62.3 percent of his passes while averaging 213 passing ypg. His top target has been Ryan Whalen, who has caught 16 passes, including two for touchdowns, and is averaging 86.7 receiving ypg. On the ground, Gerhart is rushing for 105.3 ypg and has scored four times.

Stanford's special teams have played a big part in the team's early-season success. Sophomore Chris Owusu returned last week's opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, marking his second kick return score already this season. Also in the third quarter, Corey Gatewood scored on a 23-yard interception return and Richard Sherman added a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown. Apart from the special teams, the Cardinal defense has been a middle-of-the-road unit in the Pac-10. They rank sixth in both scoring defense (18 ppg) and total defense (345 ypg). However, they are coming off a solid performance in which they held the Spartans to 24 rushing yards and also had six sacks. Thomas Keiser three of those sacks, while Will Powers had two. As a result of all that pressure, Stanford finally notched its first interception of the season on Gatewood's third-quarter pick.

This should be an interesting chess match between two of the conference's up- and-coming young coaches in Sarkisian and third-year Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh. Also taking into account Washington's narrow loss to 11th-ranked LSU in the season opener, there's no denying that the Huskies have turned a corner. Assuming they can avoid a letdown after such an emotional victory, they've got the edge on both sides of the ball against Stanford.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Washington 38, Stanford 20