Nick Aliotti would love to buy into the talk that USC football isn’t what it used to be, that the Trojans’ best days are behind them and they’ll arrive at Autzen Stadium tonight as a second-tier Pac-12 team.
Oregon’s defensive coordinator would love to believe it, if it were true.
“We got a good team coming in here,” Aliotti said. “A lot of speed, a lot of good athletes. I’d like to sit here and say they’re not the same old ‘SC. But they are. Thye’re very good.”
Indeed, Oregon (9-1, 7-0 Pac-12) will have its hands full against the Matt Barkley and the Trojans (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) tonight as the Ducks look for their third straight victory over Southern California. Lane Kiffin’s crew has already lost twice in conference play this year, but appears to be putting things together at just the right time.
“From a scheme standpoint and an athletic standpoint, it looks like a really, really talented USC team,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said. “They’re playing at a real high level right now.”
The Trojans come in riding a modest two-game win streak, but it could have been much longer had they pulled out a win in triple overtime against Stanford back on Oct. 29. USC lost that game on a fumble at the goal line, literally coming inches away from toppling the nation’s sixth ranked team at the time.
That loss is the only blemish on the Trojans’ resume since a loss to Arizona State back in late September, and since then the offense has been particularly explosive. USC has scored at least 30 points in six straight contests, and the running game in particular has picked up steam behind Curtis McNeal and Marc Tyler (a combined 1,275 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground).
“(McNeal’s) got legitimate speed that can change the course of the game for them,” Kelly said. “He’s not the traditional big, bruising back that they usually have, and that’s what Marc Tyler is, so I think it’s really a one-two punch with Marc back and Curtis in there.”
The more well-renowned passing game, meanwhile, is led by Barkley (2,782 yards, 29 touchdowns) and sophomore wide receiver Robert Woods (1,126 yards, 11 touchdowns). Woods, though, is questionable with a sprained ankle and separated shoulder. He made the trip to Eugene and will likely play, but no matter how effective he is, the Trojans do not lack for weapons on offense.
“He’s not the only guy they have,” Kelly said. “You better not sleep on (freshman wide receiever) Marqis Lee, you better not sleep on Brice Butler, you better not sleep on Tyler or McNeal, so they’ve got a lot of other weapons besides him, and that’s what makes them such a scary offense.”
The Trojans also rank last in the Pac-12 in sacks given up with just six, which could make for an even steeper challenge on the defensive line.
“We’re just going to have to be ready for another physical game up front,” defensive end Terrell Turner said. “And that’s where it starts, is up front.”
The same could be said for units at all levels of the field, on both sides of the ball. And, with Iowa State’s shocking victory over No. 2 Oklahoma State last night, the stakes just got a little bit higher for the Ducks.
Not that they’re thinking about that. USC is more than enough to consume Kelly and co.
“We know it’s going to be another knock down, drag out battle,” Kelly said, “And that’s what it usually is when Oregon plays USC.”
No. 18 USC arrives in Eugene to take on fourth ranked Ducks
Daily Emerald
November 18, 2011
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