Oregon crushes USC by 3 touchdowns in the Coliseum, defense steps up in a big way

It was a crazy first 3 1/2 quarters in the Coliseum, but Oregon does what it has always done, dominated over the final two quarters, and after some early offensive and special teams mistakes, went on to beat the USC Trojans by 3 scores.

While the offense will get a lot of credit for piling up 599 yards and 53 points, I am very impressed by Oregon's defensive performance. USC is the most talented offense Oregon has faced this season, and likely for the rest of the season. They came into the game averaging 7.3 yards per play. They averaged only 4.4 yards per play on the night, better than Oregon's season average.

After looking weak over the first few plays, the Oregon defensive line stepped up, holding USC to only 3.1 yards per play. They forced USC into multiple 3rd and long situations, and USC was only 7-17 on 3rd down on the day.

Cliff Harris, Talmadge Jackson III, and John Boyett all had great games, and held the USC passing attack to a mere 5.4 yards per attempt, far less than their season average of 8.6 yards per attempt.

I could get very used to beating USC by 3 TDs in the Coliseum. This was a team and fanbase that still thinks it's 2005. Lucky for us, it's not. Oregon dominated both sides of the ball, and proved itself to be the far superior team on the field. It's a great day to be a Duck. Enjoy it everyone. I sure am.