USC Tricked and Mistreated by Oregon

The following is a live journal composed during the USC/Oregon game. All times listed are Pacific Standard Time.

PREGAME

5:00 – There is no argument to be made—this is the game of the year in the Pac-10 Conference; one team will be treated to the driver’s seat in the Pac-10 race; the other will suffer nightmares whether they live on Elm Street or not.

5:08 – For a team who puts such a premium on wardrobe, that sure is a conservative uniform set-up by Oregon on Halloween.

5:09 – A couple things worth noting: (1) Matt Barkley led his team to victory in The Horseshoe and Notre Dame, so he’s no stranger to hostile environments. (2) On the other hand, USC’s defense has given up sixty-three points in its last two wins; Oregon’s unique offense could give them trouble.

FIRST QUARTER

5:18 – It looks like USC is challenging Oregon to stop their running game in the early going; the Trojan O-Line has been opening up some holes early on.

5:26 – USC undoubtedly wanted a touchdown out of that initial drive, but it was an encouraging series considering the gaps that were opened up for Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford. The receiving corps has been ravaged by injuries, so the less they have to go to them the better.

3-0 USC

5:29 – The Trojans missed three tackles in rapid succession on that kickoff return; that woke the crowd right back up. The USC defense needs to hold the Ducks to three or less here to keep the Autzen faithful from erupting early.

5:31 – The Oregon offense looked a little too pumped up for those three plays; the Ducks tied the score, but they’ll need to settle down and find their rhythm.

Tied 3-3

5:39 – This drive for Oregon has started off much better; Chip Kelly has gone back to some more basic plays to develop cohesiveness. The USC defense needs to be ready for the increase in tempo; the Ducks like to work fast, so the Trojans can’t fall asleep.

5:43 – The Trojan defenders keep overrunning Jeremiah Masoli while he’s standing in the pocket; instead of trying to plow a hole through his midsection, the defensemen of Troy need to trap him, wrap him, and drop him.

5:45 – USC should have known that was coming; Masoli burned Washington twice on that exact play last weekend.

10-3 Oregon

5:49 – That was a costly drop by Blake Ayles—if he catches that it’s either a touchdown or a long gain; USC’s starting tight end, Anthony McCoy, may be the downed soldier the Trojans miss the most right now.

5:53 – END FIRST QUARTER. OREGON LEADS 10-3.

SECOND QUARTER

5:57 – Hands of steel! That is just what USC needed; Oregon was well on their way to another good drive before that turnover. The Trojans have to use this opportunity to tie the game.

6:02 – Ronald Johnson, in his first game back, catches the equalizing touchdown; the number of injuries hardly matter because USC always seems to be able to field enough playmakers.

Tied 10-10.

6:06 – Poor tackling is killing USC; first, the Trojans strike out on a kick return, and now they let LaMichael James break free down the sideline after having him dead to rights in the backfield. On the next play, James carries a good portion of the defense with him inside the 5 yard line and Oregon punches it into the end zone soon thereafter. USC will have a hard time winning another shootout—the Trojans don’t have the same caliber of weapons on offense that they’ve had in past years.

17-10 Oregon

6:14 – For the second time, Barkley and Ayles can’t connect on a pass that could’ve led to a touchdown—though the pass was overthrown that time. Those two need to get on the same page since Barkley has been comfortable throwing to his usual tight end, McCoy, in the past.

6:21 – Oregon has been putting more men in the box to stymie USC’s rushing attack, but that blitz on 3rd and 14 was ill advised; the Trojans gained thirteen on a screen and then converted 4th and 1.

6:29 – Damian Williams catches his seventh ball of the half and fights past the goal line; the Trojan offense keeps finding ways to answer.

Tied 17-17

6:34 – That is inexcusable defense by USC; Masoli made it look like he was running to the sideline on that long dash—only to cut back upfield—but the secondary should still chase him out of bounds.

6:36 – That was drive was frighteningly easy for the Ducks; if the Trojans want to go this route, then their offense is going to have to score on every drive just to keep up. The USC defense is going to have to make some major halftime adjustments whether their offense can tie the game again or not.

6:45 – HALFTIME. OREGON LEADS 24-17.

6:48 – Well, the first half certainly lived up to the hype. Oregon’s offense found its groove after a shaky opening possession and Masoli has been deadly in the open field. Just as telling, though, is that star tight end Ed Dickson didn’t even catch a pass in the first half and the Ducks are still in the lead. The discrepancy in terms of offensive weapons was apparent as Oregon moved down the field much more easily while USC has had to get scrappy to keep up. What the Trojans really need, though, is a better effort from their defense; the defensemen of Troy have broken up plenty of called plays, but they’ve also let Masoli continually create something out of those broken plays. It’s obviously still anyone’s game, but USC has the harder road to turning things around.

THIRD QUARTER

7:13 – Dickson finally caught a pass to open the half and the Ducks are on the move again after a successful 4th and 3 conversion.

7:16 – Considering what happened in the first half, the Trojan defense should considered holding Oregon to three a slight victory; eventually, though, it would be better if they stopped the Ducks cold in their own territory.

27-17 Oregon

7:22 – USC is getting the running game going again; this is how they got on the board in the first place and it would be a major asset if a comeback is in the cards.

7:25 – The Ducks only sent one linebacker on that third down blitz and the results were much more positive; Barkley still had to get rid of the ball quickly and also had to make a much longer throw than the screen pass that worked in the first half.

27-20 Oregon

7:32 – USC’s defense looks utterly clueless on this drive; Oregon is befuddling them with their offensive sets and doing pretty much whatever they want.

7:37 – The Trojan D is just got carved up like a jack o’lantern; they looked absolutely helpless that entire series.

34-20 Oregon

7:48 – At this point, Masoli and James have a combined 270 yards rushing for the Ducks; coming into this showdown, the Trojans defense was giving up about 80 yards per game on the ground and the Oregon O-Line is making them fall like leaves in autumn.

7:50 – The route is on; Oregon’s offense is possessed and it’s doubtful that even an exorcism would be able to stop them—much less USC’s defense.

7:51 – END THIRD QUARTER. OREGON LEADS 41-20.

FOURTH QUARTER

8:01 – James was clearly down; that’s a shame for USC because that is the type of play they need to have even a prayer of coming back.

8:14 – Oregon keeps pouring it on; if the Ducks still had doubters coming into tonight’s game, they’ve certainly silenced them.

44-20 Oregon

8:25 – Coach Kelly looks to be playing for 50+ points; his first-team offense is still in there and the playcalling has hardly been vanilla in flavor. They’ve also crossed the 600-yard mark in total yardage; this kind of dominance has been non-existent and unheard of in the Pete Carroll era at USC.

47-20 Oregon

8:35 – Barkley throws a pick on the last play of the game. The king of the Pac-10 is dead. Long live the king.

8:35 – GAME OVER. OREGON WINS 47-20.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Once upon a late August night in Boise, Idaho, it looked like Oregon’s season was over just as it had begun. Time—and five games at Autzen Stadium—have healed those wounds and the Ducks are flying high now. They’re going to need some help from the likes of Texas and Iowa for a berth in the National Championship Game to become a realistic possibility; additionally, two more road tests at Stanford and Arizona loom and the Civil War with Oregon State is always a question mark. At this point, though, it’s hard to believe the Ducks even want LeGarrette Blount to come back; they’ve been a completely different team without him.

USC hasn’t looked this bad since Pete Carroll took over; even that 6-6 season back in Carroll’s first year (2001) didn’t contain a loss as lopsided and embarrassing as this. The Northwest has not been kind to the Trojans in recent years; this is their fourth straight loss in the state of Oregon and don’t forget that upset at the hands of Washington last month either. Despite the top 5 ranking and 1-loss record coming into this game, it was still safe to believe that this USC team was more vulnerable than any Trojan squad since that inaugural season under the Carroll regime. The talent is still there, but it’s not on the level of the likes of Palmer, Leinart, and Bush and that has never been more apparent than it was on this Halloween of 2009.

Remember Blount’s knockout of Byron Hout? That has nothing on tonight.