The Ducks biggest matchup of the season is this Saturday against the USC Trojans. Ever since the Ducks loss against USC last season, the first home loss in the Chip Kelly era, the Ducks have been out for trojan blood. The DuckTV Sports staff answers the burning questions going into the game.
1. What is the key matchup to look out for in the game?
Chris Brooklier, DuckTV Sports producer: The key matchup will be USC’s receivers versus Oregon’s secondary. Last year USC torched the Ducks secondary for 323 passing yards, including 187 from Marquise Lee. But the Ducks played with two freshman corners in Terrence Mitchell and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu last season, and both those players have matured tremendously since that game. Ekpre-Olomu is a semi-finalist for the Thorpe Award, given out to the best cornerback in college football every year. With Robert Woods and Marquise lee as the best combo in the nation, this matchup will be a big factor in who wins and lose Saturday’s game.
Andrew Murray, DuckTV Sports reporter: The key matchup will be with the Ducks secondary pitted against arguably the two best receivers in the Pac-12. Marquis Lee and Robert Woods will once again provide a rigorous test for a ball hawking secondary. Lee and Woods combined for 15 catches for 260 yards and three touchdowns last year in Eugene and look to do similar if not worse damage in the Coliseum.
Anthony Piganelli, DuckTV Sports reporter: The key match-ups to look for this game will be USC’s two standout wide receivers Robert Woods and Marquis Lee against Oregon’s young but proven corner backs Terrence Mitchell and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.
Zach Goldstein, DuckTV Sports reporter: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Terrance Mitchell v Robert Woods and Marquise Lee. Last time these two teams met, USC beat the Ducks at Autzen for the first home loss in twenty one games. The main reason that the Ducks fell was the secondary’s inability to cover the two NFL caliber receivers, this year the Ducks have made vast strides at the cornerback position but that’s not to say the USC wideouts haven’t either, last time I checked Marquise Lee had 345 yards in one game this year. If Barkley isn’t able to connect with his two favorite targets on a regular basis, look for the Ducks to win big.
2. What will be the keys to winning for USC?
Brooklier: Stopping the run will be the biggest key to winning for USC. All season USC has been plagued by questions about their defensive line, as their depth is weak on the front 4. USC gave up 219 yards on the ground in their loss to Arizona last week, and their depth will be tested against the fast paced Ducks attack. Another key will be limiting turnovers. Even though USC had 618 total yards and 493 yards passing, their 5 turnovers was a big reason Arizona defeated them.
Murray: Minimizing mistakes. The Trojans are the most penalized team in the Pac-12 and have experienced fumbling problems in the backfield. USC will have to cut down on the penalties and establish the run with Silas Redd in order to prevent Dion Jordan and Michael Clay from teeing off on Barkley.
Piganelli: The keys for USC will be controlling the clock by going on long scoring offensive drives.
Goldstein: As stated above, the Trojans need to get their wide receivers some serious looks. With that being said, Silas Redd has seven touchdowns on the year and USC will need to get their running game going in order to effectively execute their air attack. It’ll be important for the Ducks defensive line to contain Redd and the USC ground game in order to force the Trojans to become pass happy. If Barkley is able to use Redd and the play-action type passing game that they’ve found success with, the Ducks could be in for some issues.
3. What will be the keys to winning for Oregon?
Brooklier: Running. Early and often. When the Ducks running game gets going, it’s opens up the play-action passing game for Marcus Mariota. On play-action throws Mariota can attack downfield and incorporate junior wideout Josh Huff into the game. The Ducks will also have to take care of the ball on offense. Their 17 turnovers bring out the sloppy side of play Chip Kelly wants to avoid.
Murray: Keep the Trojan defense on their toes. The Ducks will have to get Kenjon Barner going early in order to force the Trojans into stacking the running lanes. This will allow Mariota to establish play-action and utilize De’Anthony Thomas, Josh Huff and Barlon Addison on the edges. Mariota will also have to show a willingness to run to keep the defense off guard.
Piganelli: For the Ducks, they have to be able to continue their run and gun style of play by putting up a lot of points right from the beginning.
Goldstein: For me it comes down to three guys, if each contributes positively the Ducks will leave Southern California with a win: Marcus Mariota, Kenjon Barner, and De’Anthony Thomas. While it might seem suspect to pick three offensive players, I think that if each one of these guys does well the defense will benefit. If Thomas is able to play with a level head and gets the Ducks on the USC side of the field consistently on punt returns I think Oregon will score a bunch of touchdowns. With Mariota it comes down to nerves as well, this is a big stage for a kid that’s nineteen years old, yet up until this point he hasn’t shown many shaky moments. With Barner it should seem automatic at this point, with fifteen total touchdowns thru eight games and a Heisman invitation on the horizon look for Chip Kelly to utilize his do it all back heavily in this big game.
4. Who will be the x-factor in the game?
Brooklier: De’Anthony Thomas will be the x-factor in this game. When the Ducks can mix De’Anthony into the offense, it makes them almost impossible to stop on offense. Thomas is a jack of all trades who can contribute running, catching and on special teams. Thomas is averaging 128.1 all purpose yards a game, but only 110 in conference play. Thomas broke out of his conference play slump, where he was averaging under 60 yards rushing and receiving a game, last week against Colorado with 97 yards rushing and a 72 yard punt return touchdown.
Murray: Marquise Lee is potentially the scariest player on the field next to Thomas in terms of playmaking ability. Lee is coming off a beastly game against Arizona where he racked up 345 receiving yards. Barkley will be counting on Lee to stretch the field and open running lanes for Redd. Look for Redd to be targeted constantly throughout the game.
Piganelli: I believe the X-factor in the game will be how each of the defenses will play against two of the most explosive offenses in the nation.
Goldstein: On offense it will be Mariota, having just played a immensely inferior opponent in Colorado the freshman signal caller will need to play beyond his years in the hostile environment of the Coliseum. On the defensive side of the ball it’ll be important for Dion Jordan to make an impact in the game. Jordan comes into the game as the team sack leader with five, and second on the season in tackles for a loss with seven and a half. If Jordan can disrupt the USC air attack, keep Redd in check, and generally create chaos on defense, the Ducks will create turnovers.
5. Who will win the game and why?
Brooklier: Oregon will win by establishing the run early and forcing Matt Barkley into a few costly turnovers. Kenjon Barner will eclipse the 100 yard rushing mark for the 6th time this season, eroding the shallow USC defensive line depth line in the process. Ducks 42-27.
Murray: The Trojans provide the toughest challenge for the Ducks yet this season. However, lack of discipline and failure to maintain a balanced offense has resulted in a spoiled season in terms of national title hopes. Still, the prospect of putting a dent in the Ducks season still remains for USC. Barkley will throw for around 400 yards, but it won’t be enough as the Ducks will shred the Trojan defense as they have with every other opponent this year. This will be a shootout as the Ducks win 52-31.
Piganelli: At the end of the day, look for the Oregon ducks to come away with a victory because of their great speed and overall depth on both sides of the ball.
Goldstein: While the game had tons of hype before the season started and it sounds like a good game, Oregon v USC, if you look at the numbers it’s the Ducks versus a mediocre team. The Trojans national rankings are pedestrian at best, twenty third in passing yards, seventy fifth in ground yardage, their points per game and points against are both in the mid-twenty’s. What this means to me is that if the Ducks can look past the fact that their playing USC, which I believe they can and will, they will succeed. The game should be close for a bit as both sides try to feel each other out but I see our Ducks heading north with a revengeful win against the men of Troy.