For the first time in over a month, the Oregon football team will approach an upcoming game after a win the previous week.
Last week, the Ducks broke their five-game losing streak with a 54-35 win in which true freshman quarterback Justin Herbert set a school record with 512 yards of total offense. On the other hand, USC has risen near the top of the Pac-12 South division amidst a current four-game winning streak.
Here are how the teams stack up:
OFFENSE
Oregon: After putting up a season high in points last week, it would seem as if Herbert is in full control of Oregon’s offense. Through his three games as starter, he’s completed 63.6 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. With All-American candidate Royce Freeman not playing well in the backfield, Tony Brooks-James has picked up the slack. Brooks-James has three 100-yard rushing games in his last five played with four total touchdowns.
The tight end group has re-emerged to live up to its preseason hype. Pharaoh Brown had his first 100-yard game of the season last week and Johnny Mundt has two touchdowns the last two weeks. Charles Nelson is averaging over six catches a game in the last four games with three touchdowns.
USC: Ever since Sam Darnold took over the starting quarterback role, the Trojans’ offense has improved. The unit is averaging 38.8 points in its last four games as Darnold has averaged four touchdown passes a game over that period. USC lost tailback Justin Davis to injury three weeks ago against Colorado, but Ronald Jones II has shouldered the load. Jones had 18 carries for 223 yards and two total touchdowns last week against Cal. USC hasn’t had to worry about wide receiver targets with Juju Smith-Schuster still on the roster. Much like last year, Smith-Schuster has dominated. He has 27 catches for 434 yards and six touchdowns over the past four games.
Advantage: USC
DEFENSE
Oregon: It’s no secret that Oregon has struggled mightily throughout the year — ranking among the worst 10 teams nationally of nearly every major defensive category. But last week, the defense took a step forward against ASU. The defense held the visitors to 35 points and 468 yards of offense. Linebacker Jimmie Swain continued his midseason surge with 13 tackles while Troy Dye had 10 tackles. Brenden Schooler added his third interception of the year last week to help seal the game. Against ASU, the Ducks improved their one-on-one tackles, a much needed plus ahead of this week’s matchup.
USC: The Trojans use an array of players to get after the quarterback and running back. No one player has more than six tackles for loss, yet seven players have at least three tackles for loss on the season. The same goes for USC’s defensive backs. Six players have an interception in 2016. Adoree Jackson and Iman Marshall anchor the defensive backfield for a unit that allows 222.1 passing yards per game. Linebacker Cameron Smith leads the push up the middle. So far, he has a team-high 55 tackles. All together, USC boasts a well-balanced unit that since its opening loss to No. 1 Alabama, has surrendered an average of just 20 points per game.
Advantage: USC
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka