USC got a little clearer picture of Oregon before the Trojans even finished their Sept. 12 night.
The jolt came from Stillwater, where Oklahoma State stunned No. 6 Oregon, 39-31, and flipped the conversation around the Ducks in a hurry. A team plenty of people had circled as a national title threat is suddenly dealing with an early loss, and that matters for USC in a big way.
The Trojans now have a path to make Oregon’s September a lot uglier. If USC beats the Ducks on Sept. 26 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, it can knock Oregon’s Big Ten title hopes and College Football Playoff chances off balance before the month even ends. A second loss would leave Oregon far from a lock for Indianapolis and far from safe in the 12-team postseason picture.
Oregon still has a way to recover, though. If the Ducks finish September with only the Oklahoma State defeat and then keep winning, the picture changes fast.
A win over USC on the road would help reset the resume, and beating current No. 1 Ohio State later in the regular season would push them right back into the mix.
That leaves a messy early-season logjam in the Big Ten, and Oklahoma State, as the Big 12 representative, just helped create it.
For USC, the immediate job is more basic: get past Louisiana, then handle Rutgers on Sept. 19. Those are the two hurdles before Oregon arrives in Los Angeles.
Still, coach Lincoln Riley, defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, offensive coordinator Luke Huard and the rest of the Trojans’ staff should be studying what Oklahoma State did. The Cowboys handed over a pretty direct blueprint for slowing Oregon down.
Cowboys coach Eric Morris has a Texas Tech connection to Riley, with Morris playing there from 2004 to 2008 and later working as an assistant from 2013 to 2017. They never really crossed paths in Lubbock, but Morris runs an offense with similarities to the one Riley uses, and he found a way to stress Oregon’s defense.
Drew Mestemaker did plenty of damage by taking advantage of Oregon defenders overpursuing and losing their eye discipline, especially on Oklahoma State’s first snap of the game, when he ripped off a 75-yard rushing gain.
Drew Mestemaker with a massive 75-yard rush on Oklahoma State's first play of the game 😤 pic.twitter.com/zTyXZb8ISH
He kept the Ducks off balance by making plays on the move and still pushing the ball deep. That gives Riley more to think about when it comes to attacking Oregon edge rushers Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti in the Sept. 26 matchup.
Patterson, meanwhile, can zero in on the trench work. Oklahoma State won the leverage battle against Oregon’s tackles, which created real problems in pass protection for Ducks quarterback Dante Moore. Moore was sacked four times, had trouble pushing the ball downfield early, and had just 17 passing yards late in the second quarter before finishing with 191.
For now, USC has Louisiana and Rutgers to clear first. But Oklahoma State’s upset already changed the landscape, and the Ducks’ trip to the Coliseum now looks even more loaded with consequences.
In Other News...
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The filing adds more layers to an already messy split, with Baker-Mazara also claiming the school skipped an NIL payment and then tried to end the agreement by invoking a morals clause. He is suing for breach of contract, conversion and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and says the dismissal damaged his NBA Draft stock, leaving USC to answer not just for a personnel decision but for how the breakup was handled. [Read more 🡒]
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Lincoln Riley Just Added A Defensive Name Oklahoma Fans Know Too Well
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Patterson was approached by Riley about taking over as the Trojans defensive coordinator, and he agreed to the move after his Hall of Fame induction. For USC, the hire brings in a longtime defensive mind with a reputation built over years in the conference Riley knows so well, and it arrives at a time when the Trojans are looking to sharpen that side of the ball. The question now is how quickly Patterson can translate that experience into results in Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]