SEATTLE — Southern California's Stafon Johnson stayed face down on the turf. Jubilant Washington players and fans stepped over him, on their way to a riotous purple party that stretched from goal line to goal line.

USC coach Pete Carroll was forced to watch it all, glumly waiting for Steve Sarkisian to emerge from the throng to congratulate his protege. The post-Ohio State funk Carroll began warning his guys about seven days earlier — in the locker room in Columbus, Ohio — leveled the Trojans again.

Jake Locker improvised his Huskies to a steely, 68-yard drive that ended on Erik Folk's 22-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining, and the Huskies' fired-up defense stymied fill-in quarterback Aaron Corp and No. 3 USC in a 16-13 victory yesterday.

USC (2-1, 0-1 Pac-10) has now lost to an unranked team each of the past four seasons.

Washington (2-1, 1-0) came in riding a 10-game losing streak in Pac-10 games.

"Washington wasn't the better team. They just outplayed us," said a shrugging Joe McKnight, who ran for 100 yards on 11 carries with USC's only touchdown. "Clearly, we have superior athletes. But hard work beats athleticism any day."

Carroll's team was stung by eight penalties, an 0-for-10 conversion rate on third down and three turnovers inside the Washington 35.

One year after Oregon State upset USC in the Pac-10 opener following an impressive Trojans win over Ohio State, an old friend upset Carroll's powerful team. Washington coach Steve Sarkisian was his offensive coordinator before taking over in Seattle in January, trying to rebuild a team that had the Pac-10's first 0-12 season last year.

"It's unbelievable," Sarkisian said. "It's a great moment for our program and hopefully sends a message of where we're headed."

Quarterback Matt Barkley, who directed an epic game-winning drive to beat the Buckeyes 18-15 in Columbus, Ohio, last week, watched USC's latest stunning upset from the sideline. The 19-year-old freshman was out with a sore shoulder.