University of Oregon
8-3 , 6-2
USC
7-4 , 5-3
Adams, Ducks Make It Five Straight, Stay Alive in North
11/22/15 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
EUGENE, Ore. – Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 407 yards and six touchdowns and the UO defense made a game-changing turnover in the fourth quarter for the second week in a row, helping the No. 23 Ducks beat USC, 48-28, for their fifth straight victory.
How It Happened: In a game that set up as a track meet, the Trojans couldn't keep up. Adams threw his six touchdowns to six different receivers, overcoming an early interception to set a record for TD passes by a USC opponent. He had scoring passes of 48, 52, 37 and 30 yards by halftime, when Oregon led 31-14.
After yet another touchdown pass to open the second half, USC scored 14 straight points, getting within 38-28 on a punt return for a score by Adoree Jackson. The Trojans got the ball back after a UO punt, but on the fourth play of the fourth quarter, Arrion Springs came off the edge on a corner blitz, sacking Cody Kessler and forcing a fumble recovered by DeForest Buckner. On the next play, Adams threw his sixth and final touchdown pass, to Charles Nelson, and the Ducks added a field goal later in the quarter.
Who Stood Out: Adams tied the UO single-game record with his second touchdown passes. Over the last two weeks he's a combined 30-of-37 for 612 yards and eight touchdowns, with one interception. Bralon Addison caught a first-quarter TD pass of 48 yards, on his way to 105 yards for the game, and Royce Freeman finished with 147 rushing yards. Joe Walker set the tone defensively with 15 tackles, including seven in the first quarter while USC was trying to establish the run.
What It Means: All eyes turned to the Stanford-Cal game later in the evening. Should Cal win, Oregon would be in position to take the Pac-12 North and advance to the conference title game by beating Oregon State next week.
Notable: Tyree Robinson and Chris Seisay returned from injuries to bolster the Ducks' depth in the secondary. … Robinson played primarily safety, with freshman Ugo Amadi returning to the starting lineup in his place at cornerback. … Marcus Mariota, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Kenny Rowe, Anthony Gildon and Marvin Johnson were among the UO alumni on hand for the game.
Up Next: The Ducks host Oregon State to close out the regular season on Friday (1 p.m., FOX Sports 1).
Team Stats
USC 0, ORE 7
ORE - Addison, Bralon 48 yd pass from Adams Jr., V. (Schneider, A. kick) 3 plays, 66 yards, TOP 1:02
USC 7, ORE 7
USC - Rogers, Darreus 27 yd pass from Kessler, Cody (Boermeester, Ma kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:29
USC 7, ORE 14
ORE - Baylis, Evan 52 yd pass from Adams Jr., V. (Schneider, A. kick) 1 plays, 52 yards, TOP 0:24
USC 14, ORE 14
USC - Petite, Tyler 12 yd pass from Kessler, Cody (Boermeester, Ma kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:19
USC 14, ORE 21
ORE - Carrington, D. 37 yd pass from Adams Jr., V. (Schneider, A. kick) 5 plays, 88 yards, TOP 1:40
USC 14, ORE 28
ORE - Benoit, Kani 30 yd pass from Adams Jr., V. (Schneider, A. kick) 6 plays, 63 yards, TOP 2:07
USC 14, ORE 31
ORE - Schneider, A. 37 yd field goal 3 plays, 60 yards, TOP 0:17
USC 14, ORE 38
ORE - Stanford, D. 21 yd pass from Adams Jr., V. (Schneider, A. kick) 9 plays, 78 yards, TOP 3:35
USC 21, ORE 38
USC - Jones, Ronald 12 yd run (Boermeester, Ma kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:45
USC 28, ORE 38
USC - Jackson, Adoree 41 yd punt return (Boermeester, Ma kick)
USC 28, ORE 45
ORE - Nelson, Charles 26 yd pass from Adams Jr., V. (Schneider, A. kick) 1 plays, 26 yards, TOP 0:09
USC 28, ORE 48
ORE - Schneider, A. 22 yd field goal 9 plays, 66 yards, TOP 3:45
