After a thrilling win for the second week in a row, the Ducks have launched themselves into the top 10, sitting at No. 7 in the latest AP Poll. With talk of reaching the College Football Playoff swirling, Oregon must stay focused on the task at hand.
“Our process is as simple as, ‘This is the most important game of the year, because it’s our next game,’” head coach Mario Cristobal said in a press conference Monday.
The Ducks will have to finish the rest of the season undefeated if they want any shot at being selected for the Playoff, so the only thing they’re preparing for this week is to face the leaders of the Pac-12 South, the USC Trojans.
The Oregon defense will be up against freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis and a slew of explosive receivers — a combination that almost brought Oregon its first conference loss of the season last week, against Washington State. The Cougars’ Anthony Gordon completed 32 passes for 406 yards against the Ducks, exposing an Oregon secondary that had been mostly solid in the weeks prior. USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell takes a similar air-raid approach to his offense, meaning the Ducks have to make some adjustments.
“You have to make sure you work on the things that might’ve been effective against you, because if not, they’ll show up again,” Cristobal said. “Due to our preparation, we’ll be at a point where we are ready to play against whatever we see on Saturday.”
The Ducks are also working on getting more push from the defensive line and defending the air attack by putting the quarterback under pressure.
Oregon’s injury concerns this week involve the Dye brothers. Troy, against Washington State, was seen in street clothes with a cast on his right hand as a result of breaking his thumb in the first quarter against Washington. Travis was taken to the locker room near the end of the first half against Washington State after taking a hit to the head. Cristobal, though, was confident about the condition of the brothers, saying “they’re healthy and will be ready to practice by Tuesday.”
Cristobal is still emphasizing technique and execution in practice, no matter how big the games have gotten. If the Ducks can be near-perfect with their fundamentals, they will be a tough team to beat down the stretch. Freshman kicker Camden Lewis held up under pressure to kick the game-winning field goal last week, but a missed extra point earlier in the game forced the Oregon offense to go for a two-point conversion after a touchdown. These types of mistakes are crucial in big games, as they could be the difference between a win and a loss — or between making the Playoff and missing the cut.
While the Ducks still need to clean up a few mistakes, the ability of role players to step up during the past few weeks has been crucial. They’ve been able to win with different personnel, with Spencer Webb stepping up to compensate for the loss of tight end Jacob Breeland, and Juwan Johnson getting more snaps and targets.
“We knew that somebody in that locker room was going to step up and make plays, and everyone in their own right made a significant play in that game,” Cristobal said of last week’s game against Washington State.
The Ducks have all the momentum they need heading into Los Angeles, and it will be their ability to translate the execution they have in practice into gameday that decides whether or not they can defend the No. 7 spot in the nation. Oregon’s secondary can’t afford another poor performance like they had against Washington State, or the Ducks will find themselves on the losing end of an upset on Saturday.
