Southern California vs. Oregon

Trojans -16 vs. Ducks

Is the word “Oregon” striking fear into the mighty Southern California Trojan’s hearts? Fresh off last Thursday’s upset to the pesky Beavers of Oregon State, who also knocked them off in Corvallis in 2006, the Trojans play host to the Ducks from Oregon. The only similarities between the Ducks and the Beavers are that they are from Oregon and they have awful uniforms.

Oregon on paper would seem to be a more favorable matchup for USC than Oregon State had been. OSU was unranked, under .500 and seemingly in a mismatch, while Oregon is (4-1, 2-0) and with more weapons than their fellow Oregonians, however these are the matchups that USC enjoys most. USC is 64-7 in its last 70 regular-season games. Of those seven losses, five have been to unranked teams. Against the Top 25, it’s a different story. The Trojans have been nearly unbeatable, unless of course, you count last year’s game with the Ducks. Oregon was the first ranked opponent to defeat the men of Troy since 2002.

The Ducks ran all over USC for 182 yards last season which helped in the victory. Southern Cal hopes this will not repeat itself as well as the 176 yards achieved by Oregon State backs last week. The Trojans will be at a disadvantage as their star linebacker and defensive captain, Rey Maualuga, is questionable with a sprained knee.

USC’s bad news is good news for Oregon, who are averaging nearly 310 yards this season, firmly placing them in the top five of the country in that statistic. Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount form a formidable tandem and between the two of them caused the most damage in a 63-14 road throttling of a listless Washington State team. The Ducks‘ dynamic duo rushed for three touchdowns on 346 yards and 14 touchdowns on 945 yards in 2008.

The x-factor may be their home. USC loves the cavernous Los Angeles Coliseum and has beaten 14 straight ranked teams on that field.

InSpin.com