Lucas Clark: Here we are, week nine of the college football season with storylines surrounding this week’s matchup between the top-ranked Oregon Ducks and the No. 24 USC Trojans. Oregon throttled USC on Halloween night last fall. This time around, USC has the chance to return the favor on its home turf.
Oregon enters the game as the nation’s No. 1 team for the first time in program history, while the Trojans cracked the top 25 earlier this week.
ESPN’s GameDay crew will be on hand as Oregon looks to leave with the Coliseum with a win for the first time since Joey Harrington and Co. pulled off the same feat 10 years ago. Between the lines, the game looks to be an offensive shootout, which doesn’t bode well for USC fighting against the nation’s best offense.
James Bianchi: Although on paper there seems to be a slight overall advantage in the favor of the Ducks, this is certainly not the same USC team that floundered against Washington and struggled in non-conference games earlier this season.
Coming off an explosive 48-14 win over Cal — arguably the Trojans’ best performance in the last two seasons — the team has shown that they still possess the talent and the coaching prowess that allowed USC to become a national contender in the early 2000s.
To aid a Trojan offense that has lit up the scoreboard all season and is currently ranked seventh in the nation in yards per game, the USC defense seems to have finally come around.
The unit held Cal scoreless through the first half, forced two key turnovers and did not allow a single first down until 13:54 left in the second quarter. Add to that the fact that the Trojans have had the entire bye week to rest, get healthy and prepare for Oregon’s fast-paced offense, and there is no doubt that USC will be ready as the Ducks roll into town.
LC: The Trojan bye week could not have come at a better time. Oregon had a much-needed bye week heading into UCLA, and having a few extra days to prepare after that Thursday matchup will help in the long run. Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, known for taking things week by week, sees USC no differently than any other team on the Ducks’ schedule. But he did say he thinks this USC team is the most talented squad in the entire Pacific-10 Conference. The USC steamrolling of Cal had to play a role in that assessment.
The biggest threat for the Ducks will be sophomore quarterback Matt Barkley, but he will be tested over the course of the game against the Oregon secondary. Forcing turnovers will be key for an Oregon team that has scored in myriad ways this season.
JB: No doubt Matt Barkley — currently tied for fourth in the nation with 20 passing touchdowns — will be the driving force behind USC’s offensive attack. Helping him along the way will be seniors Allen Bradford and Stanley Havili.
The young Trojans are being put on the national stage for the first time since last year’s Oregon-USC matchup, and the veteran tailback-fullback combination will be used to the hype and the pressure, maybe more so than anyone else on the team.
Though this will be Barkley’s biggest test of the year, he has already shown so far this season that he can rise to the challenge.
Another thing to consider: The Coliseum will make USC feel right at home. The 12th man is a factor that hasn’t been discussed as much during all of the hoopla leading up to Saturday, but it will surely make things difficult for the Ducks, especially considering their “blur” offense relies so much on rapid communication with one another between snaps. Expect a wild crowd on Halloween eve.
LC: I completely agree about Barkley. Not only will this be the biggest game of the year for the sophomore, but it might just be the biggest game of his young Trojan career. The buzz around Eugene is that this could be the biggest game in the history of Oregon football, and it sure has all the telling signs of a great matchup.
As far as Oregon’s offense goes, the sophomore tandem of Darron Thomas and LaMichael James in the Ducks’ backfield is one that has left opponents scratching their heads this season. Thomas had a breakout game against UCLA, throwing for a career-high 308 yards and three touchdowns, while James actually had a bit of a slow game, tallying just 123 yards and two touchdowns.
The Coliseum will no doubt be a great support system, but Oregon has been relatively calm on the road this season (see Tennessee) and is used to a loud environment. They’ve even been blasting the USC fight song in practice all week.
Ultimately, to me, Oregon will never truly be out of a game until the final clock reads zero. That’s why I never find myself worried if they trail at half, or even in the third quarter, because I know eventually a big play is going to break. USC will have to contain as many of those big plays as possible in order to avoid dropping to 2-3 in Pac-10 play.
JB: The Ducks may never be truly out of it until the final second ticks away. But if there is anyone who knows what it feels like to take a game down to the wire, it is the Trojans. Sure, they have lost both of the close games they have been a part of, but there is something to be said about not only the fight they have shown during those battles but also the lessons they have taken away from them.
The Ducks — for better or worse — have not had that experience. With the two high-powered offenses that will be showcased in the Coliseum on Saturday, there is a good chance this game could come down to whoever gets the ball last. I give the advantage to the Trojans in those waning minutes.
Though there has been a heavy focus on Barkley and the offense, one has to remember the role that coaching will play. Lane Kiffin and his staff have committed every second of practice in the last two weeks toward full, complete preparation — not only physically and strategically, but also mentally.
Kiffin; his father, Monte; and co-defensive coordinator Ed Orgeron are used to big games on big stages, and they will know when to pull the trigger if the opportunity arises. This won’t be a game of nerves and fluke plays; this will be a methodical, grind-it-out game in which each team is ready for the other. And in that situation, my trust lies more in the proven coaching of USC than a Chip Kelly-led team that has never even tasted the chance for a national title.
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