The Oregon Ducks won their ninth game of the season under the Saturday night, Autzen Stadium lights against the USC Trojans. The Ducks led for almost the entire game, but the Trojans did make a late push. With around five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Austin Jones scored a rushing TD, making the score 36-27. Lincoln Riley opted to go for the 2-point conversion, even though the PAT would’ve made it a one-score game. The Trojans didn’t convert, and the Ducks iced the game with a few first downs shortly after.
The thing that stood out most to me was how strong Oregon’s passing attack was. Bo Nix has led one of the nation’s best passing offenses all year, but his performance in this game was particularly special. The Oregon receiving corps was able to make plays in open space throughout the game.
Below are the rest of my instant reactions to Oregon’s win over USC.
Final Score – Oregon Ducks 36 – USC Trojans 27
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
The Oregon Ducks closed out the USC Trojans at home on the latest edition of Pac-12 After Dark.
Keys to the Game
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Downfield coverage seemed to be the most important factor for Oregon on defense. In the first half, both of the Trojans’ scoring drives were highlighted by Caleb Williams’ deep balls. But, when the Ducks were able to maintain their downfield coverage, USC’s offense stalled.
Caleb Williams made some impressive deep throws, but Bo Nix’s long ball couldn’t be stopped. By the game’s end, Nix had completed 3 passes of more than 60 yards, 2 of which were touchdowns.
USC’s defense used a lot of zone coverage, and the Oregon WRs and TEs seemed to have no trouble finding the soft spots between the Trojans’ zones.
Oregon struggled to run the ball for most of the game, which was a surprise considering how much USC’s run defense…
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