- After losing Cam Smith and Lamar Dawson for the season, the Trojans have a gaping hole at inside linebacker. Sophomore Olajuwon Tucker and junior Michael Hutchings are the top candidates to fill the role, but freshman Osa Masina could see increased time as well, per interim head coach Clay Helton.
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Uchenna Nwosu (pictured) has the versatility to play several different linebacker spots, and he is moving inside this week. "It's the next man up mentality. We feel sorry for our brothers but everyone is ready to step up and compete," he said about Smith and Dawson going down. "I expect to have a bigger role with Lamar and Cameron out...It's a move for me but I'm excited." - At right guard, Viane Talamaivao's status is uncertain with a knee injury, so Chris Brown is ready to step in. He has been rotating in with Damien Mama at left guard this season, but could be in line to get his first career start at Oregon.
- Going against the Pac-12's top scoring offense (41.8 points per game), USC knows it needs to put up a number this week, which means touchdowns instead of field goals. "This is going to be about points," said Helton. "I think it always is against Oregon. You can't have a bunch of three-and-outs, you can't get stopped in the red zone, because they're going to put some points on the board. A lot of pressure is going to be on our offense this week to be able to match and our defense to be able to create stops and create turnovers."
- The atmosphere of Autzen Stadium will make it difficult on the Trojans. "Obviously, you think about it and you know it's going to be loud and you prepare for it all week--we have the speakers and everything--but when you get in the game, or speaking for me personally, you don't hear it," QB Cody Kessler. "You block it all out. Just because you get in focus, zone in, ignore everything. But in between plays, when you snap out of that play you hear it, and it's loud, but you feed off it sometimes. It's fun."
- JuJu Smith-Schuster considered going to Oregon, and while he has never played in Autzen, he remembers visiting the raucous stadium. "My senior year I took a visit there and it was literally so loud that we couldn't hear each other talking, standing right next to each other. It's probably one of the best stadiums to play in, probably one of the loudest, and I think it's going to be a great time."
- Most of the Trojans have never played Oregon, and even fewer were on the 2011 trip to Eugene when USC ended the Ducks home winning streak, but they all remember that game. "I remember watching Marqise Lee and [Robert Woods] go up there and they put on a great show," said Smith-Schuster. "For us to go up there, to wear Cardinal and Gold, to be on the team I always wanted to play for and to play against the team I visited before I signed here, it's awesome."
- In 2011, USC came out hot, taking a 21-7 lead into halftime. The 2015 Trojans are focused on a fast start as well after being slow out of the gate against Arizona and Colorado. "It's the little mistakes," said Smith-Schuster about the slow starts. "It takes 11 guys to make a play happen. In the first half it wasn't happening...But I think the preparation was awesome. The energy was there and everyone was having a lot of fun. I think if we carry that to Oregon we're going to start off really fast."
- The Trojans have thrived as the underdog over the last month, stringing together victories in must-win situations. All of a sudden, they find themselves in control of their own destiny. "We've been in playoff football for basically four weeks now. Every game is a championship game," said Helton. "What I've told them is, 'Why would anything change? Why would we change our mentality whatsoever?' From our preparation, to how we handle things, it's the next game. It just happens to be against a really good team in Oregon."
- Here is Helton's press conference including high praise for Ducks QB Vernon Adams:
