Coming into Oregon’s matchup against preseason Pac-12 favorites USC, there are a lot of storylines to look out for. One of the most compelling being each Heisman-contending quarterback has a go-to receiver that is among the nation’s best. USC and Caleb Williams have Brenden Rice, son of hall-of-famer Jerry Rice, while Bo Nix and Oregon have Troy Franklin.

The two currently share the lead for receiving touchdowns in the Pac-12 with 10.

Rice has caught 32 passes for 563 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, seeing most of his production out of the slot. Where he really finds success are short routes over the middle, where he has the ability to use his athleticism to get yards-after-catch (YAC).

The senior receiver is averaging 17.6 yards per reception, and given many of his receptions are within 10 yards he displays elite YAC ability.

One of the reasons Rice has so many touchdowns is that he has an incredible ability to jump up and high-point balls before the defender even has a chance. He has great timing and concentration that allows him to bring in tough catches and create a lot more.

His best performances came against Arizona State where he posted seven receptions for 133 yards and two touchdowns, and against Colorado, his former team, where he tallied five receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

The key to Rice is quality over quantity. He shares the receiver room with another elite receiver in Tahj Washington, so he doesn’t get the amount of touches as a clear number one receiver like Franklin. How Rice gets that quality is his athleticism and his route running.

Rice is able to angle his body so that he is an open target to Williams, but also positioned to break away and get upfield as soon as he has the ball. He is also able to position his body in the same way coming down with a ball he high-pointed. Wherever Rice gets the ball, he is often in position to get at least 10 YAC.

While Rice lines up in the slot a lot of the time, Franklin is typically an outside receiver, drawing the coverage of the opposing team’s best cornerback. Franklin has had an outstanding junior season for the Ducks with 58 receptions for 946 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has scored in all but two games this season and he has had a 30+ yard reception in every game this season.

Part of the reason he gets so many deep targets is because of his incredible speed off the line of scrimmage. Franklin is able to get behind corners within the first five yards of his route, especially when running a go, one of his most successful routes.

His route running is spectacular, which enables him to lose defenders with just one or two cuts because of his ability to accelerate and decelerate so effectively.

Many receivers with his speed often get held up at the line by corners, but that rarely seems to happen to Franklin because he has long arms which help him to fight off any contact. His release is also super quick, which doesn’t allow defenders to grab hold of him. After they try, Franklin’s already far past them.

Those long arms also help him leap and high-point balls if he needs to. Franklin’s elite hands make him a valuable target even when in just a little piece of space downfield. He also runs many 10- to 15-yard comeback routes because his ability to decelerate is often downplayed by defenders and Nix will always find him in that little window of space.

His best weeks have been against ranked opponents Colorado and Washington. Against Colorado, Franklin had eight catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns, and in Seattle, he put up eight catches for 154 yards and a touchdown.

All season, Franklin has been a safety blanket for Nix and has often been there when the Ducks need a big play. He has stepped up tremendously in his junior season and looks to continue to challenge for the Biletnikoff Award this season.

Both Rice and Franklin have been outstanding this season and have been of great service to their quarterbacks who often take most of the spotlight. While Williams and Nix are in talks about the Heisman, many fail to give credit to those who helped them get there. The two receivers look to build on their great seasons under the lights in Autzen Stadium on Saturday.