Photo by: Samuel Marshall/Eric Evans Photography
5 Storylines To Watch: Oregon-USC
11/02/19 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The No. 7 Ducks play at Southern California on Saturday (5 p.m. PT, FOX).
LOS ANGELES — Now up to No. 7 in the FBS according to The Associated Press, the Oregon football team puts its top-10 ranking on the line Saturday night when the Ducks play at Southern California.
The Ducks (7-1, 5-0 Pac-12) are riding a seven-game win streak kept alive the past two weeks by dramatic fourth-quarter comebacks against Washington and WSU. The Trojans (5-3, 4-1) are unbeaten at home this season, including a win over Pac-12 South rival Utah, and are coming off their first road victory of the year, a Friday night win at Colorado.
Saturday's game will be a 5 p.m. kickoff on FOX, with Gus Johnson handling play by play, Joel Klatt providing analysis from the booth and Jenny Taft reporting from the sidelines.
Some storylines to watch entering the game …
1. The Pac-12 race is entering the stretch run, and Saturday's game could be a preview of the Pac-12 title game.
Oregon is not only the only undefeated team in the Pac-12, but the Ducks are the only Pac-12 North team with less than two losses. Oregon State is 2-2, the closest threat to Oregon in the race to represent the division in the conference title game.
USC is tied atop the Pac-12 South with Utah, a team the Trojans beat head-to-head to secure a tiebreaker. The Trojans will be looking to cement their momentum with a win over the Ducks, potentially setting up a rematch next month.
2. Emotions will be running high for several Ducks, and on multiple levels.
Oregon's roster features a couple dozen players from the greater Los Angeles area, guys who will be making a homecoming Saturday. Furthermore, linebacker La'Mar Winston Jr. and receiver Mycah Pittman have brothers on the USC roster.
UO coach Mario Cristobal is constantly reinforcing to his team the idea of sticking to their process, and not being affected by external forces. That philosophy will be tested given all the narratives surrounding this game.
3. What can the Ducks expect from Troy Dye?
The UO defense's senior leader at inside linebacker, Dye didn't play against WSU after suffering a broken thumb at Washington. But he returned to practice this week, Cristobal said, and was in line to play against the Trojans.
Dye gutted it out against the Huskies despite injuring his thumb early in the first half, so his toughness is unquestioned. Assuming he's going to be playing through some pain at USC, he'll have another chance to prove just how tough he is.
USC, by the way, has been beset by injuries itself in recent weeks. So the Ducks will get no sympathy from their hosts Saturday.
4. After breakout moments in the win over WSU, Juwan Johnson and Camden Lewis have the chance for an encore at USC.
Johnson, the graduate transfer from Penn State, was an eagerly welcomed addition to the roster this offseason, only to have his UO debut delayed by a preseason camp injury. He's finally back in the mix, and Johnson had two vitally important receptions during the game-winning drive to beat the Cougars.
That game-winning drive was capped by a field goal from Lewis, the true freshman placekicker. Cristobal said the Ducks have complete confidence in Lewis on attempts inside 50 yards, and that the hope as this season progresses is to lengthen his range beyond 50 as well.
5. Facing an Air Raid offense for the second week in a row, the UO defense will look to mount a more effective pass rush the second time around.
USC doesn't lean on the pass quite as heavily as Washington State, but the Trojans this season implemented many of the same Air Raid principles that fuel the WSU passing attack. Among those is getting the ball out of the quarterback's hand quickly, which makes sacks difficult to accumulate. But the Ducks want to accumulate them all the same, or at least get a little more pressure than they did a week ago.
Against the Cougars, Oregon's defense managed a season-low two tackles for loss, including just one sack. The Ducks also had just a single sack at Washington, after recording four or more in four straight games earlier in the season. The more pressure the UO pass rush can provide, the better Oregon's chances of remaining unbeaten in Pac-12 play.
The Ducks (7-1, 5-0 Pac-12) are riding a seven-game win streak kept alive the past two weeks by dramatic fourth-quarter comebacks against Washington and WSU. The Trojans (5-3, 4-1) are unbeaten at home this season, including a win over Pac-12 South rival Utah, and are coming off their first road victory of the year, a Friday night win at Colorado.
Saturday's game will be a 5 p.m. kickoff on FOX, with Gus Johnson handling play by play, Joel Klatt providing analysis from the booth and Jenny Taft reporting from the sidelines.
Some storylines to watch entering the game …
1. The Pac-12 race is entering the stretch run, and Saturday's game could be a preview of the Pac-12 title game.
Oregon is not only the only undefeated team in the Pac-12, but the Ducks are the only Pac-12 North team with less than two losses. Oregon State is 2-2, the closest threat to Oregon in the race to represent the division in the conference title game.
USC is tied atop the Pac-12 South with Utah, a team the Trojans beat head-to-head to secure a tiebreaker. The Trojans will be looking to cement their momentum with a win over the Ducks, potentially setting up a rematch next month.
2. Emotions will be running high for several Ducks, and on multiple levels.
Oregon's roster features a couple dozen players from the greater Los Angeles area, guys who will be making a homecoming Saturday. Furthermore, linebacker La'Mar Winston Jr. and receiver Mycah Pittman have brothers on the USC roster.
UO coach Mario Cristobal is constantly reinforcing to his team the idea of sticking to their process, and not being affected by external forces. That philosophy will be tested given all the narratives surrounding this game.
3. What can the Ducks expect from Troy Dye?
The UO defense's senior leader at inside linebacker, Dye didn't play against WSU after suffering a broken thumb at Washington. But he returned to practice this week, Cristobal said, and was in line to play against the Trojans.
Dye gutted it out against the Huskies despite injuring his thumb early in the first half, so his toughness is unquestioned. Assuming he's going to be playing through some pain at USC, he'll have another chance to prove just how tough he is.
USC, by the way, has been beset by injuries itself in recent weeks. So the Ducks will get no sympathy from their hosts Saturday.
4. After breakout moments in the win over WSU, Juwan Johnson and Camden Lewis have the chance for an encore at USC.
Johnson, the graduate transfer from Penn State, was an eagerly welcomed addition to the roster this offseason, only to have his UO debut delayed by a preseason camp injury. He's finally back in the mix, and Johnson had two vitally important receptions during the game-winning drive to beat the Cougars.
That game-winning drive was capped by a field goal from Lewis, the true freshman placekicker. Cristobal said the Ducks have complete confidence in Lewis on attempts inside 50 yards, and that the hope as this season progresses is to lengthen his range beyond 50 as well.
5. Facing an Air Raid offense for the second week in a row, the UO defense will look to mount a more effective pass rush the second time around.
USC doesn't lean on the pass quite as heavily as Washington State, but the Trojans this season implemented many of the same Air Raid principles that fuel the WSU passing attack. Among those is getting the ball out of the quarterback's hand quickly, which makes sacks difficult to accumulate. But the Ducks want to accumulate them all the same, or at least get a little more pressure than they did a week ago.
Against the Cougars, Oregon's defense managed a season-low two tackles for loss, including just one sack. The Ducks also had just a single sack at Washington, after recording four or more in four straight games earlier in the season. The more pressure the UO pass rush can provide, the better Oregon's chances of remaining unbeaten in Pac-12 play.
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