Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, at 12:30 p.m. PT on ESPN and WatchESPN
Duck to Watch: Sophomore RB Royce Freeman"Rolls" Royce is the Pac-12's leading rusher (139.2 yards per game) and the bell cow back for the nation's fourth best rushing offense (297.4 yards per game). While Oregon has had several talented tailbacks in recent years, Freeman is the pick of the bunch. To go along with breakaway speed, he carries a powerful 230-pound frame. He has only been held under 100 yards rushing twice this season, and not coincidentally, the Ducks lost both those games.
(Photo by Taylor Wilder/Daily Emerald)
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3 Keys
Quack First
USC has been prone to slow starts of late, so striking quickly would have been an emphasis against any opponent in any environment this week. However, the Ducks are the opponent and Autzen Stadium is the environment, so getting the engines revved up early is paramount. If the Trojans can play from out front, they can set the tempo to slow Oregon down and quiet the raucous crowd. In 2011, USC led 21-7 at halftime and then held on to win late. Interim head coach Clay Helton was there that night and knows a winning blueprint when he sees one.
Meet Ian Wheeler
In 2012, the last time USC and Oregon played, the Ducks did not punt until the game's final possession. The Trojans would like to get to know Ian Wheeler, Oregon's current punter, a whole lot better this time around. In order to get the Ducks to concede possession, the Trojans will need to force negative plays, which has suddenly become a strength for this team, totaling 10 tackles for loss in each of the last two games. Taking the ball away would be even better. Oregon is -4 in turnover margin in losses this season and +9 in wins.
7 >>> 3
The third key comes right from the head coach's mouth. Red zone efficiency is the stat of the week. Oregon leads the conference in scoring at 41.8 points per game, but the Ducks yield a conference-worst 37.1 points per contest. The Trojans have been more focused on physicality than explosiveness during their four-game winning streak, but they will need to hang a number on Saturday to hold off the Ducks. Oregon's defensive priorities will be stopping the run and taking away JuJu Smith-Schuster, so the Trojans need their other pass catchers to rise to the occasion.
