In the fourth quarter of last week’s game, USC once again found itself with their backs against the wall. The Trojans were in a battle against Colorado — the Buffalo had led 17-3 at halftime, and were now just a field goal away from tying the game.
Looking for someone to break the game open and put things away, the Trojans turned to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, a sophomore who has made a living hauling in big plays. On a first and ten in the fourth quarter, Smith-Schuster streaked down the sidelines, outrunning his defender to catch a 36-yard touchdown from quarterback Cody Kessler.
Smith-Schuster is that dangerous combination of size and speed. He is intelligent running routes and has soft hands that rarely botch a catch. This season, he has 63 catches for 1160 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Duck fans should recognize Smith-Schuster’s name, as Oregon was on the shortlist for schools he was interested in attending. But the Long Beach native decided to stick closer to home and chose USC.
Now, Smith-Schuster is set to play at Autzen Stadium for the first time, as the Trojans and Ducks faceoff Saturday afternoon.
He took the time to talk about USC’s season and what he expects from the game.
What is the confidence level heading into the game?
It’s more in our preparation right now, focusing on how to get prepared to play against Oregon. The confidence comes from how we practice.
If you win you control your own destiny for going to the Pac-12 Championships. Do you think about that going in?
Oh yeah, definitely. Winning the game has a big affect on our season.
It wasn’t the greatest start to the year, but now you are on a four-game winning streak. What changed?
It’s all on our head coach. Coach Helton, he is a great man. He inspired us to play the games we have these past four times. His speeches are awesome, telling us to stay strong and just do what we have to do.
The last game you have faced an early deficit. How were you able to battle back?
For us, we started off slow offensively, first half it just wasn’t clicking. Second half we talked it up and went over the game plan. We had to go out there and dominate.
What’s the strategy against the Ducks?
Offensively, we just have to put points up on the board. Knowing Oregon, they are going to do the same and we are going to have to match them.
Is the crowd noise of Autzen a concern?
Oregon is known for filling out the stadium and it’s going to have an affect on us. It’s going to be difficult, but fun.
The Oregon defense this season has had trouble stopping the pass. Is that something you will try to exploit?
We are just trying to go half and half: run the ball and throw the ball. It’s more on us just scoring.
Oregon offered you a scholarship, why were you interested in the school?
I was interested in the family culture. They had some warm coaches and a good academic department. And there were some players I was very close to, so that was pretty much it.
Are you looking forward to seeing those people at the game?
Yeah, definitely. Austin (Maloata), he is on the defensive line, will be good to talk.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur