Oregon heads into Los Angeles this week with a chance to keep a very specific road streak alive, and the Ducks are bringing plenty of firepower with them.
No. 20 Oregon meets No.
12 USC in a Big Ten matchup that doubles as the Ducks’ first conference road test of the season. Dan Lanning’s team is 2-1 after the wild swings of September - the historic loss to Oklahoma State, then the blowout of Portland State - and it still hasn’t lost a Big Ten road game since joining the league in 2024.
That mark sits at 9-0 now, and Saturday gives Oregon a shot to make it 10-0 away from Autzen Stadium in conference play.
USC, meanwhile, has been cruising through a lighter opening stretch. The Trojans are 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten after opening against San Jose State, Fresno State, Louisiana and Rutgers. This one is the first real stress test of the year.
One of Oregon’s biggest offensive questions centers on Dakorien Moore, who has already become a major piece of the receiver room while Jeremiah McClellan may be out for an extended stretch with a broken foot. Moore has 689 career receiving yards in 14 games, with 192 coming in 2026 alone. He’s been a big-play machine this season, turning three of his 11 catches into touchdowns of 36, 45 and 62 yards and averaging 17.5 yards per grab.
The one thing missing from Moore’s Oregon résumé is a 100-yard game. That changes here. His previous bests are 93 yards against Boise State in Week 1 and 89 yards against Penn State in Week 5 of the 2025 season, but he finally breaks through against a USC defense that just gave up 292 passing yards and three touchdowns to Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis.
That performance also lines up with Dante Moore finding a rhythm early, and Oregon getting its first 100-yard game from Dakorien Moore.
USC has been doing what USC usually does on offense: piling up numbers. The Trojans are averaging 43.0 points and roughly 500 yards per game, with quarterback Jayden Maiava throwing 12 touchdowns against just one interception. Running back King Miller is also chasing his third straight 100-yard game, and he’ll face an Oregon defense allowing 110.7 rushing yards per contest.
Even so, Oregon’s defense has enough answers to make this one tighter than the raw numbers suggest. The Ducks have only 10 tackles for loss and five sacks, but they’ve been stingy on third downs, ranking No. 4 nationally by holding opponents to a 22 percent conversion rate, 9-of-41. Five interceptions, including two by linebackers, have helped keep that edge intact.
Maiava still hasn’t seen a defense quite like Oregon’s this season, and that matters here. The Trojans, who put up 39 on Fresno State in a shutout, have otherwise allowed at least 26 points to Rutgers and two Group of Five opponents. Rutgers scored 35 and rolled up 460 yards before fading late.
Oregon, on the other hand, is averaging 49.7 points per game, with the 84-0 win over Portland State inflating that total. If the Ducks get rolling early, history says USC is in trouble: Oregon has won 45 straight games when scoring at least 40 points, including all 25 under Lanning.
The prediction here is that Oregon’s defense does enough in the key spots, USC stays under 30 points for the first time this season, and Dante Moore helps push the Ducks to another road win in the Big Ten.
In Other News...
USC Is Hiding A Coliseum Twist Before Oregon Arrives
With Oregon coming to the Coliseum, one small pregame detail has become a talking point around USC: the tunnel captain has not been announced yet. The Trojans usually reveal that honor a few days before kickoff, so the silence has only added to the buzz around who will lead the team out for one of the seasons biggest home dates.
Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll are among the names drawing attention because of what they mean to the program, but USC has not made anything public. For a matchup with so much weight attached to it, even the walkout has taken on extra meaning, and the final choice should say plenty about how the school wants this night framed before the game even starts. [Read more 🡒]
USC Stars In The NFL Are Breaking Out And Breaking Down
Drake London gave USC fans a reminder of what elite receiver play can look like on a big stage Thursday night, hauling in nine passes for 194 yards against Green Bay. The former Trojans standout has continued to grow into a featured role with the Atlanta Falcons, and nights like this only deepen the sense that USCs receiver pipeline is producing players who can make an immediate impact in the NFL.
Elsewhere, the picture around USC alums is a little less celebratory. Baltimore Ravens rookie JaKobi Lane is on injured reserve after breaking his wrist in his NFL debut, while Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is working through a minor hamstring injury that could sideline him on a week-to-week basis. For a program that prides itself on sending stars to Sundays, the early-season snapshot is a mix of breakout production and the kind of health issues that can interrupt even the most promising start. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Rutgers Rotation Revealed A Troubling Depth Issue
USCs trip to Rutgers offered a clear look at how thin the roster has become in spots. The Trojans leaned on a season-low 60 players, with a wide spread in usage that reflected how much the staff had to press the available group into service. Desman Stephens II and Prophet Brown each logged 74 snaps, while Josiah Jefferson and Marquis Gallegos saw just one apiece in a game where the rotation was anything but normal.
The numbers also underscored how many bodies USC was already missing. Fourteen players were out because of injuries or were not dressed, and three more were injured and did not finish the game, leaving no one to return from injury or make a season debut. On the flip side, 13 players hit or matched career highs in total snap counts, a reminder that the Trojans are asking a lot from the same core as the season wears on. [Read more 🡒]