Oregon could be headed into its Sept. 26 trip to USC without one of its top receiving threats, and the Ducks still don’t have a clear answer on Jeremiah McClellan’s status.
McClellan went through pregame warmups looking normal, but when the team came out just before kickoff, he was back in street clothes. He had a boot on his left foot and was using crutches. Afterward, Dan Lanning said Oregon needed more testing before anyone would know how serious the injury is.
“Got tweaked in pregame; have to get an evaluation to see what exactly that looks like,” Lanning said. “I don't know right at this moment.”
That leaves Oregon waiting on an update at a bad time. The Ducks are about to head on the road to face No.
12 USC in a matchup that could shape both teams’ seasons. Oregon does have other pass-catching options, but losing McClellan for any stretch would still take a bite out of the offense and could slow some of the momentum the Ducks have built.
Lanning is expected to address McClellan’s status Monday night during his weekly press conference.
The injury situation on both sides is suddenly worth watching. USC might be without Trent Mosley for the game as well, setting up a major question heading into Sept. 26: will both teams be missing key receivers, or will one side get its weapon back while the other does not? That uncertainty could become a defining detail in this Big Ten showdown.
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For USC, the concern is less about one result than the pattern it has shown so far, including some uneven outcomes against the spread and lingering issues on both sides of the ball. The Trojans have the kind of offense that can keep a game alive for stretches, but against an Oregon team that has been sharper and more convincing early, the margin for error in Eugene looks thin. [Read more 🡒]