We’ve reached halftime of what is easily Oregon’s most uneven performance of the year so far. It was a half of turnovers, blown coverages, missed throws, and just about every other set of mistakes that typically doom teams. And so, the Ducks trail 21-7 here at Autzen Stadium, and their perfect conference record is very much on the line here.
The offense has been mostly stagnant — with De’Anthony Thomas scoring its lone touchdown — and committed two costly turnovers inside USC’s 20-yard line. Just before the half, as the Ducks looked poised to score and cut the lead to seven, De’Anthony Thomas caught a pass in the end zone but was ruled out of bounds. Two plays later, LaMichael James fumbled, and the drive was cut short.
USC, meanwhile, is humming on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Matt Barkley already has 186 passing yards and three touchdowns, while completing all but four of his 19 attempts. Oregon’s secondary appears to have no answer for receiver Marqise Lee, who is already over the century mark on just three catches. Nick Aliotti is going to need to make some major halftime adjustments if Oregon is to come back in this one.
Some noteworthy stats:
– Oregon actually has more total yards on offense (221) than USC (211), and the time of possession comparison is fairly even (16:33 for USC as opposed to 13:27 on Oregon’s side).
– Receiver Robert Woods looks to be just fine, with five catches and two touchdowns already.
– USC is averaging just over 1.5 yards per carry on the ground.
– Just two penalties combined from both teams so far.