USC knows the first few snaps on Saturday could tell the story.
The No. 12 Trojans have spent the week talking about tempo, precision and making sure the opening drive looks nothing like the sluggish starts they’ve had in their last two games.
With No. 20 Oregon coming to the Coliseum, that early stretch matters even more.
The Ducks have a defense that can turn small mistakes into real damage, and USC has no interest in giving them easy chances.
Offensive lineman Elijah Paige said the mindset begins well before kickoff.
“It all starts with how we wake up, how we stretch in the hotel, how we do walkthroughs in the hotel,” Paige said. “Everything that we do leading up to the game should be that fast start, and that all leads to the first drive of the game.”
That first drive has been uneven lately. Against Louisiana, quarterback Jayden Maiava opened 0-for-3 passing and threw an interception.
A week later against Rutgers, he went 3-for-8 on the opening possession, and USC also picked up two penalties for 15 yards. The Trojans still reached the 17-yard line, but the drive ended with a field goal instead of a touchdown.
Head coach Lincoln Riley pointed to the same issues after Tuesday’s media availability: cleaner football, better ball security and more efficiency when USC gets inside the 20.
“We haven’t played some of our best ball in the last few weeks,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “That’s always important moving forward, but we’ve been able to get in some pretty nice rhythms as well.
I don’t know if there’s anything magic to it. We need to play a little bit cleaner, we need to take care of the ball, and we need to be better in the red zone.”
That challenge gets sharper against Oregon. The Ducks are 2-1 and haven’t opened Big Ten play yet, but their defense has been especially sharp at creating turnovers.
Oregon owns the fifth-best turnover margin in the conference at 1.33, has a league-high five interceptions through three games and has seen four different players grab picks. Freshman defensive back Jett Washington leads the way with two interceptions.
Riley said finishing drives remains just as important as getting them started.
“Finishing in the red zone was definitely one of the big points for us,” Riley said. “Obviously, the previous week, we had a turnover.
We want to come out of the gates fast. That’s a big part of it, but you’ve also got to be ready to respond if you don’t.
Our guys have done a pretty good job of that.”
USC may have some comfort on its side at the Coliseum. The Trojans are 24-9-1 in home meetings with Oregon, and players talked about the value of a familiar setting and a crowd that is on their side from the start.
“It’s just being in the Coliseum, knowing what everything looks like, what everything sounds like,” Paige said, “and, really, the momentum of just having the fans cheer for you rather than the fans cheering for somebody else.”
The stakes are no smaller than the opponent. The 12-team College Football Playoff gives this game real weight, and USC’s schedule only gets tougher from here with No.
13 Penn State, No. 7 Ohio State and No.
5 Indiana still ahead. Oregon also arrives with a loss already on its record, falling to Oklahoma State earlier this season.
Still, Maiava said the Trojans are keeping their focus on the day-to-day work rather than the larger picture.
“We’re just focused on the game plan, the preparation, practice every single day,” quarterback Jayden Maiava said.
USC also announced a kickoff time for its Oct. 3 home game against Washington. That one will start at 4:30 p.m. and air on NBC (Ch.
4). It will be the second straight 4:30 home kickoff for the Trojans, who also face Oregon at that time this weekend.
Several Trojans picked up weekly honors after the win over Rutgers. Safety Christian Pierce was named the Jim Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week after posting a game-high 11 tackles and an interception.
He led all defensive backs nationally in tackles that weekend. Kicker Caden Chittenden earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after making two field goals and four PATs for 10 points.
Running back Riley Wormley was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after scoring his first touchdown as a Trojan and finishing with two touchdowns on four carries.
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