After Further Review: Oregon football decisively beats USC despite no blowout
One of the largest crowds in Autzen Stadium history made a ruckus cheering on Bo Nix and a hellacious Duck defense as Oregon slammed USC 36-27 in a game not as close as the final tally indicated. It is a reflection of the high standards Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has laid out for his players that the mood after the game was punctuated by degrees of disappointment with the misses and miscues that made a runaway become a little scary for the 59,957 fans who were impressed by the Trojans’ big play performance on offense.
It was a showdown between two Heisman contenders: USC’s Caleb Williams, who was like a crazed tap dancer, whirling and dodging a fierce Oregon pass rush that resulted in an astounding 23 quarterback pressures and 19 hurries, leaving Williams often breathless and frustrated. The Ducks kept Williams from throwing his lone touchdown pass until the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-nine situation and made enough big plays on third downs to offset the high-scoring potential of Southern Cal’s nationally ranked offense.
Nix, Oregon’s Heisman hopeful, got off to a pretty good start in the first quarter, completing his first two passes for touchdowns: 77 yards to Tez Johnson, and 84 yards to Troy Franklin, both of whom spotted USC defenders several yards head start and then outran them to the end zone, untouched. It is unfortunate, looking at it from the Trojans’ perspective, that most of their team's speed is on offense, not defense. USC has been in defensive disarray most of the season, putting enormous pressure on Williams to produce 40 or more points per game for the Trojans to be competitive.
Nix completed 74% of his passes: 23-of-31 and four touchdowns, and was well-protected by his offensive line throughout the contest. Steven Jones has to be the most-penalized offensive lineman in the Pac-12 Conference, picking up a holding call, illegal man downfield on a pass and false start against the Trojans. Lanning was upset by the number of penalties committed by offensive linemen — this has been a problem all season, often in the red zone and one of the reasons the Ducks were 113th in penalties in the nation going into this game.
Ducks must address little things before they become big things
Kicker Camden Lewis and Johnson struggled, and not for the first time. Lewis was one of the leading place kickers in the Pac-12 last season but is performing at a pedestrian level this year. After a dramatic early-season game-clinching kick against Texas Tech, Lewis is 9-of-14 field goal attempts and has kicked several kickoffs out of bounds, which, with the penalty, gives the opponent 10 easy yards of field position.
Place kicking is similar to a golf swing and Lewis is approaching the ball with an “over the top” swing that has him slice the ball off to the right. He had this problem as a freshman and needs to get back to solid fundamentals: finishing the kick with his shoulders square to the goal posts even on tries from the hash marks.
Johnson caught seven balls for 126 yards, which is an excellent output, but it could have been better. He dropped three that were easy catches — but his head and eyes turned away from the ball at the last second, looking for defenders to elude. This has occurred in other games. It has nothing to do with his skill, but his concentration, which is the same issue for defensive linemen who jump offsides, offensive linemen and defensive backs who get sloppy with their hands and even Nix, who finished on his back foot throwing the ball inaccurately in the second half. Little things, perhaps, but potential game busters as the quality of teams and their desire to knock off the Ducks grows in the final stages of the season.
USC's Caleb Williams scrambles against Ducks
Williams was 19-of-34 passing but was limited to a total of 291 yards. He easily ran a couple hundred more, avoiding pass rushers who were gassed evading offensive linemen and at the same time, trying to keep a bead on Williams who used the entire width of the playing field to play get-a-way. He is an exceptional athlete who did not have the advantage of the protection Nix enjoyed. Nix had a “sack free” Saturday night in Autzen and has only been sacked four times this season.
Williams’ Heisman stock took a tumble, mostly a result of leaky pass protection and tight coverage by Oregon’s secondary that had to go to the bench for replacements for injuries to cornerbacks during the game. The Trojans had five pass plays that gained over 15 yards while the Ducks had eight. The difference was Nix usually had plenty of time and Williams had to scramble, amazing onlookers with the accuracy and strength of his throwing arm while running for his life.
USC had nine possessions, scoring four touchdowns, punting four times and losing a fumble. Behind Nix’s cool direction, the Ducks also had nine possessions: scoring five touchdowns, a field goal, one punt and one missed field goal. Penalties and drops cost Oregon chances at more points and the blowout win fans anticipated at the beginning of the fourth quarter with the Ducks playing clean, decisive football and a 36-14 lead.
USC head coach Lincoln Riley forecast great things for his team this season, largely based on reigning Heisman winner Williams returning to lead the Trojans into the Pac-12 championship game, the national playoffs and a repeat Heisman. Although fielding a formidable offensive threat, the old saying that “offense sells tickets, defense wins championships” has never been more relevant than to Riley’s situation.
Oregon's improved defense must keep getting better
Lanning has built a strong, deep defense that kept this game under control from the very start, getting two sacks in USC's first possession. There is still a lot of football to be played and Oregon coaches and players need to focus on concentration and discipline if they wish to extend the season. The improvement in Oregon’s defense from last season is remarkable, but there is still a pressing need to continue to grow, and get better — whatever the day demands. It starts in practice this week and will be tested by Arizona State in Tempe on Saturday.
An old friend, Kenny Dillingham, former offensive coordinator for Oregon last year, is in the midst of a painful (3-7) growing experience as a first-year head coach. But his team knocked off UCLA on the road last week and had the Huskies on the ropes in Seattle a couple weeks ago. It would be a serious mistake to take this energized group for granted. Let’s see if the Oregon lads can cut the penalties and improve their blocking, tackling, kicking and catching.
After playing at Oregon, Ken Woody coached college football for 18 years as an assistant at Oregon, Washington, Utah State and Washington State and as a head coach at Whitman College and Washington University-St. Louis. He has been a commentator on Oregon football on Fox, Prime Sports Northwest and KCPQ. He conducts a free, weekly coaching clinic at the 6th Street Grill every Wednesday at 6 p.m. during the season. Plays from Oregon games are analyzed, there are scouting reports for opponents, and highlights from referees; all to learn about football and understand why the Ducks win or lose.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon Ducks football decisively beats USC Trojans despite no blowout
