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Oregon Ducks at USC Trojans

Sep 26, 20266:30 PM CTLos Angeles, CA
By JR·2 min read
Oregon Ducks#20 ORE(2-1)
USC Trojans#12 USC(4-0)
AT
6:30 PM CT

TLDR: Oregon lands at the Coliseum still working through a stumble, and USC gets its first look at a ranked opponent since the Big Ten season opened.

SAT SEP 26, 6:30 PM CT
Spread
WIN
Total
#20 Oregon
(2-1)
WLWLW
#12 USC
(4-0)
WWWWL
Kickoff84°10 mph

USC brings an unbeaten start and its first look at a ranked opponent this season, while Oregon brings a dented ranking and a road resume that took a hit against Oklahoma State. The game turns on whether Oregon's offense travels the way it did at home against Portland State and whether USC's defense holds up better than it did in its Big Ten opener.

Oregon
  • Dante Moore threw for 280 yards, 4 TDs vs Portland State
  • Lanning is 50-9 in 59 games at Oregon
  • Lost 39-31 to Oklahoma State, only road trip so far
  • Outgained 554-281 in that loss, trailed most of the game
USC
  • 4-0 start includes a 39-0 shutout of Fresno State
  • Maiava threw for 277 yards, 2 TDs vs Rutgers
  • Defense allowed 35 points in Big Ten opener vs Rutgers
  • Hasn't faced a ranked opponent yet this season

Oregon arrives at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, September 26 carrying the No. 21 ranking, a step down from where the Ducks opened the year after their lone road trip so far ended in a loss. USC, meanwhile, has been unbeaten and mostly untested, and gets its first crack at a ranked opponent since Big Ten play started. Quarterback Dante Moore and the Oregon offense have had to answer for that setback ever since, and this is the first real measuring stick since it happened.

Oregon's response to that stumble was emphatic on the scoreboard if not on the schedule — Moore threw for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns in a rout of Portland State, the kind of homefield statement that says more about Autzen Stadium than about anything USC will throw at Oregon on the road. USC's own most recent test came away from home too, a Big Ten-opening scrap it had to hold onto down the stretch rather than the type of comfortable win its 4-0 record on paper suggests.

The two programs are trending in opposite directions heading into this one. Lincoln Riley's offense has been the story of USC's start, while Dan Lanning's Ducks are trying to prove a one-off letdown didn't reveal something structural. Both coaches have built quick winners at their respective stops, and neither wants to be the one explaining a loss to the other in front of a national audience at the Coliseum.

#20 Oregon Ducks
(2-1)
09/19WvsPortland State84-0
09/12L@Oklahoma State31-39
09/05WvsBoise State34-27
01/10L@#5 Indiana22-56
01/01W@#11 Texas Tech23-0
#12 USC Trojans
(4-0)
09/19W@Rutgers42-35
09/13WvsLouisiana49-30
09/05WvsFresno State39-0
08/29WvsSan José State42-26
12/31L@TCU27-30

Weather shouldn't be a factor either way — mid-80s, partly cloudy, calm wind at kickoff — so this one plays out closer to a track meet than a slugfest if both offenses are clicking the way they have been. USC's skill-position production has carried its unbeaten start, while Oregon leans on Moore to keep pace if the Ducks fall behind early the way they did against Oklahoma State.

#20 Oregon Ducks
(3)
  • DoubtfulJ. Lott (WR) — Lott is managing a hand injury, and he is unlikely to suit up against USC on Saturday, September 26th.09/22
  • QuestionableD. Gresham (WR) — Gresham is hampered by a neck injury, and it has yet to be established if he will be active against Portland State on Friday.09/18
  • OutJ. McClellan (WR) — McClellan is sidelined due to a foot injury, and there is no timetable for recovery.09/21
#12 USC Trojans
(4)
  • QuestionableR. Tezeno (WR) — Tezeno is dealing with a foot injury, and it remains to be seen if he will suit up against Rutgers on Saturday, September 19th.09/13
  • OutNewC. Simms (WR) — Simms is dealing with an Undisclosed injury, and it is undetermined if he will play against the Oregon on Saturday.09/24
  • OutT. Mosley (WR) — Mosley will miss an extended period due to a knee injury, and it is unclear how long he will be idle.09/17
  • OutK. O'Connor (OG) — O'Connor has been sidelined due to an undisclosed injury, and he has been shut down for the remainder of the season.08/11

Both sides have real questions to answer by kickoff. Oregon needs to show its one loss was a fluke and not a pattern against teams that can move the ball; USC needs to show its defense can hold up against a team that isn't overmatched. Whichever answers first probably wins the Big Ten standings tiebreaker that both of these programs are quietly playing for in September.

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