This coming Saturday, the Oregon Ducks will host the struggling USC Trojans in a late-night matchup at Autzen Stadium. Ever since the heart-breaking loss to Washington, the Oregon Ducks have wreaked havoc among Pac-12 opponents. After their fourteen-point win over Washington St, the Oregon Ducks walloped the Utah Utes 35-6 and followed up with a 63-19 shellacking of the California Golden Bears.
The Oregon Ducks have a lot of momentum on their side. The last three weeks will go a long way in convincing the College Football Playoff Selection Committee that they still deserve to be in the mix.
On the other hand, the last four weeks have been anything but fun for the USC Trojans. Other than defeating the California Golden Bears by the skin of their teeth two Saturdays ago, the Trojans were beaten soundly by Notre Dame, the Utah Utes, and the Washington Huskies last week. Given how things are going for USC, a matchup with the Oregon Ducks may be their worst nightmare.
In this piece, we will look at three reasons why the Oregon Ducks will defeat the USC Trojans on Saturday.
The USC Trojans’ defense will be no match for Oregon’s high-powered offense.
This matchup is like Nikola Jokic posting up against a point guard that’s under six feet tall. It is an understatement to say that Oregon’s offense vs USC’s defense is mismatched. Oregon’s offense is on fire right now. At this point, it is no secret that they’re one of the top offenses in the nation right now. Oregon is the 2nd best offense in the nation right now, with a mind-boggling 538.7 yards per game. Meanwhile, the USC Trojans come into this game with the 119th-ranked defense in the country. They gave up 436.0 yards per game on defense.
Over the last six weeks, it’s been a free-for-all for opposing offenses against the USC defense. Five out of their last six opponents have scored over 40 points. The only opponent that scored under 40 points was Utah. Yet, the game was still an indicator of how bad USC’s defense is. Utah scored 34 points despite dealing with significant injuries on offense. USC did fire defensive coordinator Alex Grinch following the loss to Washington, but that won’t mean the defense will suddenly become a top-5 juggernaut against Oregon.
Bo Nix has an excellent opportunity to strengthen his Heisman candidacy with a big-time performance on Saturday against this vulnerable USC defense. He should have all the time in the world to throw the ball, thanks to his offensive line. Oregon’s offensive line has only given up four sacks all season. Expect Tez Johnson to have another big day.
The Oregon running game will have a big day.
The two-headed monster of Bucky Irving and Jordan James are poised to feast against a rushing defense ranked 118th in the country. USC gives up 186.5 yards per game on the ground.
Bucky Irving had 821 yards on the ground and gains 6.9 yards per carry. Jordan James has 545 yards on the yards while averaging nearly eight yards per carry. Both running backs have nine touchdowns. There is no doubt in my mind that one or both running backs will reach the double-digit mark in terms of rushing touchdowns this season.
Oregon’s passing game will only make it much easier for Oregon’s rushing attack to have a big day. There is little doubt that Oregon’s offensive line will dominate USC on the line scrimmage regarding the running game.
Oregon’s defense will limit Caleb Williams and the USC offense.
Caleb Williams had an excellent day against the Washington Huskies defense last week and looked like a potential #1 overall pick in next year’s NFL draft. However, there have been instances this season in which he has looked less than stellar.
Against Notre Dame, he threw for less than 200 yards and 3 interceptions. He also looked pretty ordinary against Utah. This Oregon Ducks defense will be one of the toughest tests he’s faced all year.
Oregon is 18th in the nation on defense. Williams will have to contend with a secondary that has clearly established an identity. Tysheem Johnson is 2nd on the team in tackles with 47. He has two interceptions and four pass deflections. Khyree Jackson has two interceptions and five pass deflections.
Nikko Reed has five pass deflections. The USC passing game will be given a run for its money. Caleb Williams could run into problems if he tries to do too much.
Prediction
I believe that Oregon will beat USC 55-27.
