Oregon Overcomes A Sluggish Start, And Ends Up Routing Pac-12 Rival USC

For much of the first half of their critical Pac-12 matchup against the University of Southern California, it looked like the University of Oregon Ducks simply “didn’t show up” for their trip down to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In the first quarter, the Ducks managed a mere 16 yards of total offense (while running only 10 total plays), and found themselves down 10-0 at the end of the first stanza, after the Trojans converted the rare interception thrown by Justin Hebert – only his second of the season – into a 24-yard field goal, building on the touchdown USC scored on their opening drive of the game.

But the pivotal point in the game, which turned the tides of the contest entirely, would come just seven plays into the second quarter, when Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis threw a pass that was intercepted by Oregon cornerback Verone McKinley III. The sequence of events was exactly why coaches hate turnovers so much – because of their ability to change the momentum of an entire game.

McKinley’s interception completely changed the tune of the game, with Oregon outscoring USC 56-14 for the remainder of the game, and winning by a 56-24 score.

After starting the game with two punts sandwiching an interception in their first three drives of the game, the Ducks would not punt for the remainder of the game. In fact, they would score touchdowns on six consecutive drives, as well as a kickoff return for a touchdown with 12 second remaining in the first half (the latter of which gave them a 28-17 lead entering halftime).

The Ducks were helped, in large part, by the four turnovers they forced USC to commit. That was, in large part, why the game turned out to be so lopsided, despite the fact that the Trojans actually won the time of possession “battle;” USC held the ball for 31 minutes and 13 seconds, compared to 28 minutes and 47 seconds for Oregon.

Despite the aforementioned interception he threw, Herbert finished the day by throwing three touchdown passes; it was the fifth time in nine games this season that he’s thrown three or more scoring strikes. His 24 touchdown passes this season is good for 7th-most in the nation, and second-most in the Pac-12.

Senior wide receiver Juwan Johson was again a major beneficiary of Herbert’s passing. After catching six passes all season long entering the game, Johnson had seven receptions for 106 yards and three touchdown catches.

Oregon’s win comes at a very critical juncture of the season, as the College Football Playoff rankings are set to release their first iteration on Tuesday. There is a chance that the Ducks could be ranked among the top four teams, but if nothing else, their undefeated conference record likely ensures that they’ll be somewhere in the running for college football’s “Final Four.”

Further, Oregon’s win over USC has put them in a position where they’ve seemingly cleared the most difficult hurdles on their schedule. They’ll be heavily favored in their three remaining games of the year. The next game among those three takes place against the University of Arizona, who will have to travel to Eugene. That game takes place on November 16th.