The Oregon defense got a respectable result against USC, but Dan Lanning isn’t ready to call it clean.
The Ducks held the No. 18 Trojans to 2-for-11 on third down and helped push USC’s scoring average down from 43 points to 39.8 points per game, yet Lanning came away from the film study with a clear message during Oregon’s bye week: the big plays still have to go.
“We still gave up way too many explosive plays for us to be the team that we want to be, and they have some really good scheme that we just faced, right?" said Lanning. "And they were able to create explosives, but there's answers that we didn't have answers to that we had to have better answers.”
He pointed to a defense that did some things well, especially against the run between the tackles, but still got stretched too often on the edges and in the passing game.
“You know, I think we did a good job choking out the run in between the tackles, but then there were some explosive runs on the perimeter that we got to do a better job at and adjust at better. And again, some of the passing game explosives we've got to eliminate," Lanning continued.
USC’s numbers back that up. The Trojans hit on 6 of 10 pass attempts that traveled at least 15 yards, and they finished with 10 explosive passing plays for 214 yards. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Terrell Anderson each had multiple catches of more than 20 yards, while Zacharyus Williams and Ethan "Boobie" Feaster also chipped in 20-yard receptions.
That kind of damage put a spotlight on parts of Oregon’s secondary that have been under the microscope, even with the Ducks off to a 2-1 start. The pass rush and the difficulty of finishing sacks have drawn attention, but USC also exposed some issues behind it.
Brandon Finney Jr., Na’eem Offord, and Ify Obidegwu have all flashed at corner, with Finney even sliding into the nickelback spot at times to get the best 11 defenders on the field. Freshman Davon Benjamin has also made an early impression. Still, the safeties remain a group that needs to settle in.
Obidegwu led Oregon with three pass breakups against USC, while Koi Perich delivered the game-sealing play with an interception of Jayden Maiava in the end zone in the fourth quarter. Perich also had seven tackles in the win. Even so, USC found openings in the middle of the field.
Peyton Woodyard and Aaron Flowers each finished with three tackles, but younger safeties Jett Washington and Trey McNutt have yet to carve out a major role. Flowers briefly left the USC game because of an injury, which could create more practice reps for Washington or McNutt during the bye.
Some plays are simply going to happen, including USC’s first touchdown - a tough throw from Maiava to Dixon-Wyatt with linebacker Jerry Mixon in coverage. But if Oregon wants to line up with the Big Ten’s best, the explosive stuff has to shrink.
The Ducks now have the bye week to clean things up before facing No. 23 UCLA on Oct. 10.
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