Oregon put up 84 points and rolled past Portland State in its final tune-up before Saturday’s showdown with USC, but the Ducks’ defensive front still left questions hanging in the air.
That was the takeaway from Ducks Wire’s Zachary Neel, who said the performance didn’t match the expectations attached to Oregon’s front four heading into the season. “There were a lot of things I saw on Friday night that were improved for the Ducks, but I don't think the defensive line was one of them,” Neel wrote.
“Yet again, Oregon's front four of Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti, Bear Alexander, and A'Mauri Washington struggled to get home on pass rushes and failed to record a sack. Between the four of them, only Alexander had 0.5 tackles for loss.
I understand that the Vikings were running a quick passing game and were getting the ball out with pace before a rush could get home, but this was still a game where I wanted to see the defensive front have more of an impact.
“Maybe upon rewatching the game and breaking down the tape, we see some positives from this group, but my instant reaction to what I saw on Friday night was that I still want to see more. There's a lot of season left, and plenty of time to improve, but thus far, it doesn't feel as if this group is living up to the high expectations we had before the year.”
That concern matters because USC’s offensive line, coached by Zach Hanson, now has a clear target area to attack. The Trojans are also without Kilian O'Connor, but if Oregon’s defensive line keeps coming up short, that absence may not be enough to swing the matchup.
In Other News...
USC Now Faces A Different Oregon Offense Than Expected
Oregons passing game took an unexpected turn before its meeting with Portland State, when junior wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan broke his foot in warmups and was ruled out indefinitely. The injury forced the Ducks to adjust on the fly, and freshman Messiah Hampton filled some of the opening with 71 receiving yards and two touchdowns, giving Oregon a different look than the one USC likely spent part of the week preparing for.
The matchup now brings another wrinkle for the Trojans, because Oregon is also expected to have tight ends Kendre Harrison and Jamari Johnson available for the upcoming game. With McClellan sidelined and Hampton suddenly in a bigger role, USC has to account for an offense that is already shifting in real time, and the Ducks may keep leaning on personnel groupings and targets that werent central to the original scouting report. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Oregon Week With A Secondary Problem Fans Feared
USCs secondary is suddenly a point of concern as the Trojans turn the page from their win over Rutgers and into a far bigger test against Oregon. Alex Graham and Jontez Williams both picked up injuries in that game, and Lincoln Riley acknowledged after the fact that each is dealing with an issue while the staff waits to see how they respond in the days ahead.
The timing is less than ideal, given how much the matchup with Oregon asks of a defense on the back end. USC is already sorting through replacement options and monitoring both players closely, with the hope that neither absence becomes a longer-term problem. For now, though, it leaves the Trojans heading into the week with one of the concerns fans were bracing for. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Added Pressure To Oregon In The Title Race
Oregon answered its loss to Oklahoma State the only way it could, burying Portland State in a record-setting 84-0 rout that looked more like a stress reliever than a tune-up. Even so, the Ducks did not fully repair the damage in the eyes of the oddsmakers, with multiple sportsbooks trimming their national championship odds as other contenders, including Ole Miss, kept stacking results that reshaped the early title picture.
For USC, the timing matters. The Trojans are set to see Oregon in Week 4, and that matchup now carries a little extra weight as the Ducks try to climb back in the College Football Playoff conversation. A win over a team still trying to steady its title hopes would give USC its own boost in the national discussion, while Oregon will be aiming to show the kind of response that sportsbooks and voters tend to notice. [Read more 🡒]