Four straight, and a road record that refuses to break
Oregon have beaten Southern California four times in a row. The most recent came last season in Eugene, 42-27, the first meeting between the two former Pac-12 rivals as Big Ten members. That is the backdrop for Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum.
The number that should trouble USC more is Dan Lanning’s road ledger. Since Oregon joined the Big Ten, Lanning has never lost a conference game away from Autzen Stadium. He is 9-0 in Big Ten road games, and across two league seasons the Ducks are 17-1 in conference play.
Oregon arrive 2-1 overall and 0-0 in the Big Ten. USC are 4-0 and already 1-0 in the conference, which makes this the sort of late-September fixture that reshapes a College Football Playoff argument in November.
Try it for $0.99.
Maiava is putting up the best passing numbers in the conference
The Trojans are averaging more than 40 points a game. Jayden Maiava leads the Big Ten in passing yards with 1,173 and in passing touchdowns with 12, and he threw for 277 in the 42-35 win at Rutgers last Saturday.
The targets are spread wide. Four USC players have at least 12 receptions. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt leads the team with 18 catches for 258 yards, and Trent Mosley has four receiving touchdowns while averaging 19.6 yards a catch. King Miller has run for 338 yards at 5.3 per carry with three scores.
The defence is the open question. Cornerback Prophet Brown has two interceptions, one of them returned 99 yards for a touchdown at Rutgers. A winless Rutgers side still piled up 460 yards of total offence.
“It’s a team we obviously know well. A lot of the same players from last year’s team,” Lincoln Riley said. “It’s a very talented football team with experience back. I’m looking forward to it, and it should be a great atmosphere inside the Coliseum.”
Oregon come in off 84-0 and a hangover
The Ducks closed their non-conference schedule by putting 84 points on Portland State without reply. A week earlier they had lost 39-31 at Oklahoma State, which is why the 84-0 read more like a correction than a statement.
Dante Moore has nine touchdown passes and no interceptions, and he played only a half against Portland State. Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore have five touchdown catches between them. Jeremiah McClellan broke a foot before that game, and Messiah Hampton stepped in to catch two touchdowns.
Oregon average 160.7 rushing yards at 4.7 a carry. They have also conceded seven sacks in three games, which against a defence hunting a response is the detail worth watching.
“It’s certainly not just another game. We don’t talk about all the scenarios that play out. We worry about the things that we can control,” Lanning said. “It’s Big Ten play. That’s different, right? All that matters.”
Discover the rest of our college football news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply