Jared Siegel. Ryan Killeen.
Remember the names. Remember what they do. Remember when they do it.
Don’t let them trick you Saturday.
Four of the last five meetings between Oregon and USC have been decided by a field goal. This week’s Autzen showdown shouldn’t be any different.
The sophomores — Siegel of Oregon and Killeen of USC — could decide Saturday’s grudge match. Rather, if history repeats itself, one of them will decide the winner.
In preparation for Halloween, Siegel and Killeen will provide a scare for 56,000-plus fans at Autzen Stadium.
There will be something hiding around the corner. Guaranteed.
Siegel and Killeen will probably leave their ghost-like bed sheets at home, but they won’t need them to provide a spooky ending Saturday.
Anyone foolish enough to leave the game early should be kicked by Siegel’s big boot. And then thrown into a witch’s pot.
Trust me: Wait until the clocks strikes 0:00. It’ll be like getting
free candy.
Recent history has shown that the Oregon-USC kickers make or break a game.
Last season, as a true freshman, Siegel dressed up as Superman and provided a 32-yard game-saving boot with 14 seconds left, propelling the Ducks over the Trojans, 24-22.
The Ducks needed two misses from USC kicker David Newbury in 1999 and three different kickers of their own in a 33-30 triple-overtime win at Autzen in 1999.
Remember that David Katz missed kick in double-overtime? Or putting the game in the hands of Josh Frankel? Talk about scary.
But Frankel bid adieu to Frankenstein in that third overtime as he drilled a 27-yarder for the win.
This year should be just
as thrilling.
This is the best out-of-state rivalry in the Pac-10, more so than Oregon-Washington in recent years. It’s the “can’t miss” game of the season.
So don’t miss it. Don’t be stupid and walk out early, even if the Trojans score the go-ahead touchdown with a minute left or Oregon’s up by three touchdowns early. Enjoy the rivalry. Enjoy the game — all of it.
Siegel and Killeen have taken different paths to Autzen this weekend.
Siegel has kicked field goals of 53 and 59 yards this season, the latter a school record. He even picked his Halloween costume early this year. The cheetah outfit, his self-described term for his play call, will surely be needed against the Trojans.
Killeen, however, has been more of a devil for Trojan fans this year. In a 30-27 overtime loss at Washington State, Killeen missed two field goals and a crucial extra point at the end of regulation.
“The problems in our kicking game really have been the margin of victory,” USC head coach Pete Carroll said.
Of course, Carroll would like nothing more than to beat the Ducks the way USC has been beaten here so many times. And has anyone forgotten that Oregon billboard in Los Angeles, located just minutes from the USC campus.
The Trojans certainly haven’t. They’re ready to create a nightmare for the Ducks.
Regardless, it will likely come down a last-second kick.
You’ve been warned. Don’t leave early.
It’s no trick.