When USC and Oregon meet in Week 4, the obvious flash points are easy to find: ranked teams, a packed Coliseum, and a game that carries plenty of weight for both sides. But Lincoln Riley made it clear Monday that the hidden edge might come from somewhere a lot less glamorous.
Special teams, not just quarterback play or work in the trenches, could decide it.
Riley went on Trojans Live and stressed how much those snaps can swing a game like this.
“Huge. Huge.
These big games, it feels like there's a couple of special teams plays that just become really, really impactful,” Riley said. “Well, then a lot of times what the kind of average fan doesn’t see is just the amount of field position that is exchanged play to play in these special teams.”
“When you have two good teams going at it, a lot of the time this can be the differentiator,” he added.
That’s not hard to believe when you look at how much has changed on both sides of the ball in the kicking game. Oregon lost placekicker Atticus Sappington, who exercised his remaining eligibility, and Gage Hurych has taken over.
He’s opened 2026 by going 3-for-3 on field goals and 14-for-14 on extra points. The Ducks have also had turnover at punter, long snapper and returner.
USC, meanwhile, brought in Miker Ekeler as special teams coordinator this offseason. The Trojans’ first four games have had their ups and downs in that phase, but they’re coming off a game against Rutgers in which kicker Caden Chittenden was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week.
So this matchup is about more than one clutch kick. It’s about who wins the hidden yards and whether field position tilts the night toward one sideline or the other.
The game also carries the kind of edge that has followed these programs since their Pac-12 days. Oregon has taken the last four meetings, including a win at Autzen Stadium in 2025, but the stakes keep the rivalry-feel sharp every time these teams line up. This one also opens Big Ten play for Oregon, while USC entered the week after starting conference action on the road at Rutgers and staying unbeaten.
USC safety Prophet Brown said Monday that the matchup is exactly the type of stage players come to the school for.
“There's no hiding around the fact this is one of those games that everybody looks forward to,” Brown said on Trojans Live. “This is one of those games why you come to USC, to play in a top-ranked matchup on national television in front of a sold-out crowd in the Coliseum.”
Oregon coach Dan Lanning used similar language when he met with reporters Monday.
“Yeah, it's as intense as it gets, right? When you talk about two teams that are competitive, that want to be really good, that have great talent, it means a ton to the fan base,” Lanning said. “I think it's only grown, like you said, in my time since I've been here, that it means a lot our team.”
The Ducks arrive in Los Angeles with some pressure already attached after their loss to unranked Oklahoma State. That was their only road game so far, and the setback leaves little margin for more mistakes. For a program that entered the season with national championship goals, another slip could be costly fast.
USC is unbeaten, but it has its own concerns after a 42-35 win at Rutgers, a scoreline that left plenty to think about against a Scarlet Knights offense that has struggled.
Lanning also pointed to the challenge USC presents, and he agreed that the special teams battle is one more thing Oregon has to handle.
“Coach Riley's teams are always really hard to stop offensively. I think they've become pretty dynamic when it comes to special teams,” Lanning said. “Obviously, I know they had the fake against them in the last game, but they're doing some stuff different there.”
“That's a challenge. New coordinator on defense as well with Coach Patterson, who provides a myriad of looks that are challenging to prepare for, and then they have a team that has a lot of talent as well,” he continued.
“So, the environment, I'm sure, is going to be unbelievable there at the Coliseum. My first time getting to play down there since we've been at Oregon.”
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 🡒]