Ducks Lose At USC To Open November

Saturday, November 5

Los Angeles, Calif.

4:00 PM

University of Oregon

USC

Photo by: Evan Norton

11/05/16 | Football

Box Score

Oregon will need to win its last three regular-season games to get to 6-6 and ensure postseason eligibility.

By: Rob Moseley

LOS ANGELES — Oregon was unable to parlay its first Pac-12 win of the season into some momentum to open November, as the Ducks lost 45-20 to USC before 74,625 in the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday evening.

How It Happened: Oregon's rushing defense, an issue to start this season and which has been exacerbated by injuries, was the Achilles' heel as USC tailback Ronald Jones rushed for 171 yards and four touchdowns. The Ducks scored just once in the first half and trailed 24-6 at halftime, with Jones rushing for a pair of touchdowns in each half.

USC won its fifth straight game behind new starting quarterback Sam Darnold, who finished 28-of-40 for 309 yards and two touchdowns. Darnold's first touchdown pass of the game, just before halftime, made it 24-6 after a pair of early rushing touchdown by Jones that benefited from some missed tackles by the Ducks. Oregon's points came on an end around by Charles Nelson of 25 yards, helped by a downfield block from center Jake Hanson.

Thanks to the late passing TD by Darnold in the first half, the Trojans became the sixth UO opponent in nine games this season to score last in the first half and first in the second half. Jones scored his third rushing touchdown, of 66 yards, on the opening possession of the third quarter. The Ducks followed with their best drive of the game, on which Justin Herbert went 8-of-10 for 62 yards and a touchdown, a five-yard pass to Pharaoh Brown.

Late in the game, former starting quarterback Dakota Prukop entered and led a touchdown drive, following Jones' final rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Who Stood Out: Oregon's top player on the day was linebacker Troy Dye, who led the team with 13 tackles. Brenden Schooler intercepted his fourth pass of the year, tied for the Pac-12 lead, and cornerbacks Arrion Springs and Ugo Amadi teamed to break up three passes. Herbert went 18-of-33 for 162 yards, but the Ducks averaged just 2.8 yards per carry.

What It Means: Oregon now must win out in order to finish 6-6 and ensure bowl eligibility. The Ducks close with Stanford at home followed by road games at Utah and Oregon State.

Quotable:
UO coach Mark Helfrich
On failing to take advantage of chances in the first half
"You have to seize those moments. Had a drop for a touchdown. All those things that just flip the mentality, flip the psychology. Guys continued to play hard, just have to harness those moments."

On wanting to get the Ducks into the postseason to build for the future
"This team, this coaching staff, needs another game. We've got zero percent margin for error, every single guy."

Notable: Aidan Schneider missed the point-after attempt following Oregon's first-half touchdown, ending a school-record streak of 102 made attempts. … The Ducks started the same 11 players on defense for the second game in a row, after using eight different lineups in the first eight games. … The offense began the game with two tight ends for the third game in a row. ... Defensive tackle Austin Maloata and defensive end Eddie Heard did not make the trip due to suspensions.

Up Next: The Ducks return home for their final Autzen Stadium appearance of 2016 when they host Stanford next Sunday (1 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).