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LOS ANGELES -- Southern California defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergasts biggest strength is taking away the opposing offenses biggest strength.However, there is no obvious strength to attack this week against No. 4 Washington. The Huskies offense is as balanced as it gets, averaging 268.4 yards passing per game and 231 yards rushing.You just dont know, Trojans cornerback Adoree Jackson said Wednesday. Either or, they are deadly.Pendergasts tactical prowess has been on display during USCs five-game winning streak, holding opponents under their season scoring average by 14.5 points per game and total offense average by 100.2 yards. Arizona State, Colorado and Oregon each failed to top 96 yards rushing in that span, but players offered no hints that stopping the run is the priority on Saturday.I think its 50-50, safety Chris Hawkins said. I know their pass game relies heavily on their run game. We got to be real disciplined this week.That balance extends to the composition of the Huskies passing offense, where Hawkins sees two equal threats in receivers John Ross and Dante Pettis. Ross is tied for second among FBS players with 14 touchdown receptions, but Hawkins said that production is a reflection of having another threat on the other side of the formation.I dont think Dante Pettis gets enough credit for how good he really is, Hawkins said. Its hard to just pick on one receiver and say we can double-team this guy. You cant do that when you got a dude over there who is a first-team (all-conference) caliber player. They balance each other out. This is one of the most balanced offenses I have seen in a long time.Clues as to what Pendergast might do against Washington could come from the 21-17 win over the Buffaloes, another offense that strives for balance between rush and pass. USC aimed to limit the run and allowed a stingy 3.3 yards per carry, forcing Colorado into third-and-long on 13 of its 17 tries.The USC defense does catch a break as Washington is among the handful of Pac-12 teams not playing at a breakneck pace, breaking a streak of five consecutive opponents that used sustained tempo on offense. That could be beneficial to defensive tackle Stevie Tuikolovatu, who aggravated a knee injury against the Ducks.The redshirt senior transfer from Utah had a platelet-rich plasma injection earlier this week and coach Clay Helton is pleased with Tuikolovatus recovery, though he has not practiced yet this week. Tuikolovatu has started all but one game this season, offering a veteran presence to an inexperienced defensive front.Looks like he is showing signs of life and I wouldnt be surprised if he plays in this game, Helton said.Helton credited improvement on the defensive line as a major key to USCs winning streak, accounting for six tackles for loss with 3 1/2 sacks.They feel like they are playing in the other teams backfield and thats what you really hope for. Its a big mans game, and the offensive and defensive lines have led us the past five games.Between that progress and Pendergasts scheming, Helton is optimistic USC can stop Washingtons main strength on offense. But what that is, Helton wont say.Not to give away the game plan, I really like what he is getting ready to do in this game, Helton said. Hes identified exactly what he feels the strength is and well see how it goes.Game notes Cornerback Iman Marshall (hamstring) and running backs Justin Davis (ankle) and AcaCedric Ware (ankle) all returned to practice Wednesday. Offensive lineman Damien Mama is expected to practice Thursday after having a cyst in his knee drained. Dallas Cowboys Shirts . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Stitched Cowboys Jerseys . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. https://www.cowboysjerseysale.com/ . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Fake Cowboys Jerseys .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. COLUMBIA, Mo. -- After a 62-52 loss to North Carolina Central Monday night, Missouri coach Kim Anderson required his players to practice the entire week without wearing team athletic gear.He didnt wear any either.However unorthodox the method, it would appear the message got through.Frankie Hughes had 18 points and four rebounds as Missouri narrowly escaped Western Kentucky in a 59-56 victory Saturday.Kevin Puryear had 12 points and five rebounds, including 8 points in the second half, and Russell Woods scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds, tying a team high.The Tigers (4-3) held a 10-point lead near the 12-minute mark, but the Hilltoppers whittled it away, mounting a 14-5 run while Missouri missed its final eight field goal attempts.Pancake Thomas missed a 3-pointer with :04 seconds remaining and Missouri guard Cullen VanLeer secured off the rebound before being fouled. He sank two free-throws to extend the Tigers one-point lead before the Hilltoppers last-second half-court shot fell short. Thomas finished with nine points and five rebounds on 3-for-12 shooting.Hughes stressed the impact of this win on the teams morale.Its most definitely a confidence booster, Hughes said. Of course, coming off the disappointment from last game, we were coming in with a locked-in mindset, just trying to basically focus in on what (the opponents) do, and just trying to get stops and let our defense create our offense.Anderson discussed the details of motivating his players following Mondays loss.They worked hard all week, Anderson said. They worked hard in white cotton t-shirts and black cotton shorts that we bought from a local department store. They didnt wear Missouri gear all week.Western Kentucky (3-5) jumped out to an early 9-3 lead while Missouri shot 3-for-13 from the field to start the game. Hughes was the only Missouri player to score for a 5:09 window of the first half, scoring 12 points, including three consecutive 3-pointers.The Hilltoppers missed their finaal four shots of the first half, allowing Missouri to close on a 7-0 run.dddddddddddd By halftime, the Tigers led 33-30 despite shooting 29-percent to the Hilltoppers 43.3.Justin Johnson led the Hilltoppers with 14 points and five rebounds, and Que Johnson added 12 points and a team-best eight rebounds.The Tigers outrebounded Western Kentucky 44-30, their largest rebounding margin since their season-opening 99-44 victory when they outrebounded Alabama A&M 43-29.?Probably a couple years ago, Missouri wouldnt have won a close game, so give them some credit, Western Kentucky coach Rick Stansbury said. Theres no question this is Kims best team hes had. Hes doing a really good job with them. When you win some close games like that, it gives your kids a lot of confidence, too.HIGHLIGHT REELWith 12:04 seconds remaining, VanLeer stole the ball in the low post from Que Johnson and threw a full-court lob pass over several Western Kentucky players, finding Hughes in stride for a two-handed breakaway dunk.HALFTIME HEAVEMissouri undergraduate student Aaron Brown won $5,000 during the halftime show after sinking a half-court shot. Brown made more free-throws than another eligible contestant in order to advance to the grand prize opportunity.BIG PICTUREWestern Kentucky: The Hilltoppers are in the midst of a seven-game road stretch. They last played at home on Nov. 22 in a 77-56 win over North Carolina A&T and will return to E.A. Diddle Arena to host Ohio Dec. 21.Missouri: Jackson is the Tigers leading scorer through seven games, averaging 14.1 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game. Puryear is the second leading scorer on the team, averaging 11.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Puryear led Missouri in scoring as a freshman in 2015 with 11.5 points per game.UP NEXTWestern Kentucky visits Indiana State Dec. 11.Missouri hosts Miami (Ohio) Monday. ' ' '