Still
a lot at stake between Oregon and USC
By ANNE M.
PETERSON (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press – Wed, Oct 31, 2012 3:41 PM
EDT
EUGENE,
Ore. (AP) -- Back at the start of the season, Oregon's game at USC was circled
on lots of calendars.
It appeared
at the time to be the marquee matchup of the Pac-12 season, as well as a
possible preview of the league championship game, with the Trojans entering the
season ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll and Oregon ranked fifth.
Adding to
the anticipation was USC's 38-35 upset victory over the Ducks at Autzen Stadium
last season.
Eight weeks
later, the shine is off the game a bit. USC has lost two games, including a
39-36 loss at Arizona last weekend, and fallen to No. 18 in the AP rankings.
Undefeated
Oregon has climbed to No. 2 and has taken aim at a second national championship
berth in three seasons. The Ducks are leading the nation with an average of
53.38 points per game. Their vaunted offense is ranked third with an average of
331 yards rushing and seventh in total offense with 540 yards on average.
Oregon
hasn't dropped a game since that loss to the Trojans last season, a string of
11 straight victories.
So it
follows that the Ducks (8-0, 5-0 Pac-12) are favored to win Saturday night's
game in Los Angeles.
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| Oregon running back De'Anthony Thomas (6) breaks through the pack and heads down the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Colorado in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Don Ryan) |
But don't
count out USC just yet, warned Colorado coach Jon Embree, who has seen both
teams.
''With a
team like that, you'd rather play them after a win than a loss,'' Embree said.
''They're going to come out fighting and with a different sense of purpose.''
Colorado is
the most recent team to fall to the Ducks, losing 70-14 last weekend at Autzen
Stadium. The Buffaloes, with just one win this season, really never stood a
chance with Oregon leading 56-0 at the half and eventually piling up 617 yards
in total offense.
Earlier in
the season, the Buffaloes lost to the Trojans 50-6 in Los Angeles. USC
quarterback Matt Barkley tied his school record by throwing for six touchdowns.
Washington
coach Steve Sarkisian, whose Huskies have also faced both teams - and also lost
to both in back-to-back weeks - wasn't willing to pick a winner.
''I think
it will be a good game,'' Sarkisian said. ''I think they're different in their
style and their approaches. But they're both good teams, both well-coached. It
will be a fun game to watch.''
USC's loss
to the Wildcats changed the tone of the season for the Trojans, who were picked
in the preseason to win the conference championship and now sit at 6-2 overall
and 4-2 in the conference.
The Trojans
still lead the Pac-12 South after Arizona State's loss to UCLA at home, but
they lost a chance to get some separation. They also lost any realistic hope of
playing for the national title.
Still, USC
did put up some impressive offensive numbers against Arizona, including Marqise
Lee's Pac-12-record 345 yards receiving on 16 catches, along with two
touchdowns. Lee was named the Pac-12 player of the week.
Barkley
threw for a school-record 493 yards and three touchdowns as the Trojans rolled
up 618 yards.
But the
Trojans hurt themselves with 13 penalties for 117 yards. USC has been the most
penalized team in the Football Bowl Subdivision, with 10.25 penalties for 84.63
yards per game.
In contrast,
Oregon blanked Arizona 49-0 earlier this season.
 |
| CORRECTS OREGON QUARTERBACK TO MARCUS MARIOTA - Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, left, hands off to running back Kenjon Barner during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Colorado in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012. Mariota passed for 136 yards and two TDs while Barner rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns as Oregon defeated Colorado 70-14. (AP Photo/Don Ryan) |
''Both
teams have great athletes on both sides of the ball, and certainly a lot of
guys that are going to be playing on Sunday,'' Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez
said. ''Oregon's philosophy is to try to go faster offensively, at a different
tempo than USC goes, but I think it's going to be a great ball game.
''You've
got a lot of veteran players that understand their systems and it seems that
both teams are pretty healthy going into it. We didn't play well at all against
Oregon, of course, but there were moments we didn't play well against USC.''
Even though
the Trojans aren't living up to expectations, they're still playing for the
Pac-12 South and a spot in the league championship game on Nov. 30 - where they
could face Oregon again. And a USC upset for the second straight season could
derail the Ducks - again - in a bid for a national title.
Oregon's
players are aware of what's at stake.
''This game
has been hyped all season and it's finally here. But we couldn't focus on them
the whole year because then we wouldn't be where we are,'' Oregon safety Brian
Jackson said. ''So now it's time to focus on them and they definitely have our
attention.''
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