No. 20 Oregon visits No. 12 Southern California on Saturday in Los Angeles, and it’s not hyperbole to say there’s a boatload riding on this late September matchup.
The Trojans (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) are off to a hot start with quarterback Jayden Maiava leading the offense. He’s tops in the Big Ten in passing yards (1,173) and passing touchdowns (12) and is coming off a 277-yard performance in a 42-35 victory at Rutgers last Saturday in the Trojans’ conference opener.
Oregon (2-1, 0-0) has won each of the past four meetings between the two programs, including 42-27 last season in Eugene, Ore., the first meeting between the longtime Pac-12 rivals as Big Ten members.
“It’s a team we obviously know well. A lot of the same players from last year’s team,” Southern California head coach 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.”
The Trojans are averaging more than 40 points per game. Leading rusher King Miller has 338 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry with three touchdowns.
USC has four players with 12 or more receptions, led by Kayden Dixon-Wyatt with 18 catches for a team best 258 yards. Trent Mosley leads in receiving touchdowns with four and is averaging 19.6 yards a catch.
Cornerback Prophet Brown has two interceptions, including one he returned 99 yards for a touchdown at Rutgers. But the Trojans’ defense had a hard time stopping a winless Scarlet Knights team that put up 460 yards of total offense.
Oregon completed its non-conference schedule with an 84-0 win over FCS program Portland State last Friday. The Ducks got back on track after a demoralizing 39-31 upset loss at Oklahoma State the previous week.
The Ducks, in the win over Portland State, set a modern-era record for the largest margin of victory in a game.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has yet to lose a road game since the Ducks joined the Big Ten. Lanning’s teams are 9-0 in Big Ten play away from home, and the Ducks are 17-1 in conference play through two Big Ten seasons.
Quarterback Dante Moore, who only played a half against Portland State, has nine touchdown passes and no interceptions so far this season. His top targets are Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore, who have combined for five touchdown catches this season.
Oregon’s Jeremiah McClellan sustained a broken foot suffered prior to the Portland State game, but fellow receiver Messiah Hampton stepped in and caught two touchdown passes in that game.
The Ducks are averaging 160.7 rushing yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry but have allowed seven sacks through three games.
“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. We don’t go through all the what-if scenarios. We go through, OK, how do we prepare to be the best version of us for this game?”
