USC-Oregon Preview Capsule
No. 22 USC (7-3, 5-2 Pac-12 Conference) at No. 23 Oregon (7-3, 5-2), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Line: Oregon by 4
Series Record: USC leads 37-19-2.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Oregon is looking to stay alive for the Pac-12 North title, but the Ducks will need Cal to beat Stanford in the Big Game to make it happen. The Trojans control their own destiny, if they can beat Oregon and take care of UCLA in next week, they can clinch the Pac-12 South.
KEY MATCHUP
USC's passing game against Oregon's pass defense. USC's pass offense is ranked No. 4 in the Pac-12, with receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster ranked sixth in the nation with an average of 116 yards receiving per game. Oregon's pass defense is last in the league, allowing nearly 320 yards passing a game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
USC: TB Ronald Jones II needs 87 yards for the school's single-season freshman rushing record set by Charles White (858 in 1976). Jones is also on track to be just the second freshman at USC to lead the team in rushing, joining LenDale White in 2003.
Oregon: QB Vernon Adams Jr. has been stellar since he returned from a finger injury. After two straight games with 300 or more yards passing and four touchdowns apiece, the senior transfer threw for 205 yards and two scores in the Ducks' 38-36 win at Stanford last weekend.
FACTS & FIGURES
The two teams haven't met since 2012, when the Ducks won 62-51 in Los Angeles. Kenjon Barner rushed for a school-record 321 yards and five touchdowns in the win. ... Oregon RB Royce Freeman leads the nation in rushes of 10 yards or more with 47. ... The Ducks haven't allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown for a string of 126 games. ... USC has won four in a row under interim coach Clay Helton. ... It will be This is the 10th-straight game in the series with both teams ranked.
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AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org