The Oregon Ducks had just beaten Idaho back on Sept. 16 by a convincing 29 points, but senior linebacker Matt Smith was wary of what lay ahead.
Sure, Smith was excited about his team’s 2-1 start, but he made sure to lay forth the caution label toward the next three opponents.
“First there’s UCLA, then Washington and then a team ranked in the top-10 in those USC Trojans,” Smith said after that game. “And we have to go down to L.A. on that last one. Going to be a tough test for this team.”
Fast forward to the present day, and yes, there will be a top-10 team on the field Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but it sure won’t be the Trojans.
After falling to Oregon State and Arizona on consecutive weekends, the Trojans (3-2, 0-2) dropped all the way out of the polls after being ranked as high as eighth.
The Ducks (4-1, 2-0), on the other hand, have climbed up the national respect ladder and are sitting at No. 9 after taking care of business against then-No. 6 ranked UCLA and Washington.
Still, Oregon has its fair share of skeptics. The only loss for the Ducks came on the road on Sept. 9 at Wisconsin, and some people feel that if you take away the boisterous 45,000-plus die-hard Duck boosters, then the team falters a bit.
The players realize those doubts exist. That is why the Ducks will take the field against the Trojans with the intent of establishing that they can take their show on the road.
“I think to prove yourself as a team you have to win on the road,” head coach Mike Bellotti said. “So in that regard, it’s exciting to go down to L.A. But would I rather play at Autzen? Yeah, of course. But you know, we get a chance to play a great football team with great tradition and make our mark.”
The Ducks have certainly done their homework on the Trojans — they have had since Sept. 30 to think about this game. The bye week gave Oregon the chance for a much-needed breather, but now it’s more than ready to get back in action.
Don’t try telling the Ducks that USC is a weaker team because of what has happened in the past two weeks. If anything, they say it has made them a more scary opponent.
“Oh yeah, they’re hungry,” senior defensive end Jason Nikolao said. “They’re a bunch of competitors over there and probably some of the best athletes in the league. They’re going to come out hungry for a victory and we’re going to come out hungry to stay undefeated in the league.
“I love this feeling of winning.”
How the Trojans wish they were saying such a statement. The preseason optimism for USC was through the roof and the high hopes were bolstered greatly when the Trojans thumped then-No. 22 Penn State 29-5 to open the season back on Aug. 27.

But as the weeks have gone on, it has become evident that Penn State is just a mediocre team; now many people believe the same about the Trojans.
In its 31-21 loss to the Beavers on Sept. 30, USC was haunted by penalties. The Trojans committed nine penalties in crucial situations that cost the team a 49-yard completion as well as a touchdown pass. One week later, USC committed five penalties and quarterback Carson Palmer was picked off three times in Arizona’s 31-15 victory on the road.
“Yes, I’ve been surprised with their losses,” Bellotti said. “I think the biggest thing is that their own mistakes cost them, and that part is tough for any coach and team. They’ll just have to get back on track, but I hope it’s not this week.”
Oregon is aware that Palmer may be playing Saturday’s game with a little extra incentive. Palmer started last year’s game against the Ducks, but wasn’t on the field at the end of Oregon’s thrilling 33-30 triple-overtime win. Palmer’s season came to an abrupt halt toward the end of the first half of that game. He dropped back to pass, found nowhere to throw and took off on a scramble — directly into Oregon rover Michael Fletcher, who broke the quarterback’s collarbone.
“Yeah, Fletch had a knack for taking quarterbacks out,” Nikolao said. “You know he’s ready for this game. We’re just going to come on out and try to bang him as hard as we banged him last year.”
Trojan head coach Paul Hackett has been reported to be on the hot seat this past week by the media. Hackett brushes off such talk and instead focuses his attention toward the Pac-10 leading Ducks.
He knows the Rose Bowl is “near impossible” after losing the first two conference games, but says “there is a lot of football left to be played.”
“At some point in the season, you are going to stumble,” Hackett said. “The whole key to the season in my opinion is how you deal with that. Once again, you have to clear the decks and focus on the job at hand. Play Oregon, play them well and get back into the direction that we are headed.”
An interesting side-note to Saturday’s game will be Oregon tailback Maurice Morris. The Ducks’ junior college sensation was involved in an intense recruiting battle between Oregon and USC, and with the recent struggles of the Trojan running game, you can bet some USC fans will be thinking, “What if?” when they watch Morris run.
“The thing about Maurice is that he is an elusive runner once he gets out in space,” Hackett said. “He’s got sort of a niftiness to him that is very effective. What you don’t want to do is get him off and in a rhythm.”
On paper, the Ducks should win this game. But as everyone knows, games aren’t played on paper and if recent history is any indication, it’s going to be a whale of a game.
The last three games between these teams — each won by the home team — has been decided by a combined nine points.