Series: USC leads, 38-19-2. They have a good opportunity to prove the people wrong and bounce back against a similarly reeling Utah team.
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Did you know: According to OR, its win against Stanford on November 14 marked the first time the program had gone an entire first quarter with a pass attempt since November 7, 1987. The Ducks are especially unsafe on the ground, boasting the No. 4 rushing offense in the nation, tallying 2,974 yards on the ground this season alone. If your memory is a bit hazy on the Wildcats this season, Arizona lost 49-3 against Washington a mere three weeks ago.
The first order of business, ending USC’s four-game winning streak, won’t be easy. They are extremely dynamic on offense with Cody Kessler under center and JuJu Smith-Schuster on the outside and have the talent in the front seven to disrupt Oregon’s offense. Buckner’s 61 tackles are third-most on the team behind linebackers Joe Walker and Rodney Hardrick, and he is half a tackle for loss away from joining UO’s all-time top-10. Injuries are a concern for OR as well. Oregon’s special teams are one of its strengths.
OR is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games. Goff, back on track after strafing Oregon State for six touchdown passes, will spread the field by getting the ball in the hands of backs Vic Enwere and Tre Watson and receivers Bryce Treggs and Kenny Lawler.
A few of the Pac-12’s coaches would like the conference to turn its attention to the schedule. In part because Albarado has been struggling, USC’s punt coverage has suffered. OR has allowed two blocked punts this season, but otherwise its specialists have performed well. Matt Wogan has 47 touchbacks among 74 kickoffs. USC played on the edge against Colorado last week, though, and are still adjusting to playing under their new head coach. Helton’s Monday practices devoted to developing young players and his emphasis on fundamentals and techniques on both sides of the line have paid significant dividends.
OR coach Mark Helfrich deserves a lot of credit for sustaining the success the Ducks enjoyed under predecessor Chip Kelly. For the season, though, he’s averaging a healthy 7.1 yards on his 108 carries. Like Wilcox, Ducks second-year defensive coordinator Don Pellum has felt the wrath of the fan base. Which team will show up at Autzen Stadium is anyone’s guess. The Ducks come into this matchup with supreme confidence, having won four in a row since Adams returned to the lineup. They need to win their final two games and need USC to lose to OR or UCLA. If only the Washington State loss had not happened we would be thinking much differently now. Arizona and OR robbed them of their chance to play for the national championship, exemplifying just how insane the Pac-12 is this year. The defense was still iffy at best but forced three turnovers in what was OR football’s best win of the season. “The offense is very similar (under Helton)”. Smith-Schuster has a team-high 87 targets. He and Kessler apparently have resolved the communication issues that have led to two interceptions this season. The Ducks are rolling, and they’ll be at home. A sixth straight win would match Cal’s longest winning streak in the history of the rivalry. In fact, if Stanford stumbles to the Bears, it could open the door for the Ducks to return to the league title game.
“They told me, ‘We need you to play inside”. USC will give OR its full attention.
The Trojans may have trouble outscoring the Ducks.
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However, the Trojans will be without Cameron Smith and Lamar Dawson for rest of the season and not that USC doesn’t have players who could step up. But it could eliminate Helton from consideration for the full-time coaching job.
