Quack-to-Quack PAC-12 Champions! Ducks 31 - Trojans 24

Sco Ducks!

By AdamChimeo Dec 18, 2020, 9:30pm PST

The Oregon Ducks (4-2) defeated the previously undefeated USC Trojans (5-1) in the 2020 PAC-12 Championship game.

The Duck defense held strong during USC’s final two drives to clinch their second consecutive PAC-12 Championship! Oregon scored 14 quick points by forcing two interceptions from USC quarterback Kedon Slovis and capitalizing off of them with touchdown passes from Anthony Brown Jr. and Tyler Shough to Jaylon Redd and Hunter Kampmoyer, respectively.

All three PAC-12 quarterbacks recorded impressive plays along with awkward mistakes. Shough finished 8-of-15 for just 91 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, Brown was 3-of-4 for 17 yards and two touchdowns, and Slovis threw three picks and two TDS on 28-of-52 passing for 320 yards.

The Trojans responded to the Ducks’ 14-point lead with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Shough then added to the Duck lead by orchestrating a four-play, 41-yard touchdown drive that finished with tight end DJ Johnson in the end zone.

Slovis answered with a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive late in the second, and then the Trojan defense stepped up by picking off Shough and returning it 34 yards to the Oregon 26-yard line. Forunately, the Ducks preserved their lead by forcing an unsuccessful field goal attempt from 41 yards out.

Anthony Brown Jr. continued to shine in his Oregon debut by once again entering the contest for a goal-line situation and connecting with Travis Dye for a four-yard touchdown pass that gave the Ducks a 28-14 lead in the third. But the Trojans lived up to their reputation of late-game comebacks by rallying in the fourth to make it a one-score game.

Slovis led a 12-play, 63-yard drive that ended with a 21-yard field goal from Parker Lewis, and then put together a similar 12-play, 60-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown to Bru McCoy with 6:16 left on the clock.

In a drive reminiscent of the loss to Oregon State, Shough and the Ducks were forced to give the ball back to the Trojans after a three-&-out handed the momentum over to the home team. But this time, Jamal Hill was able to pick off a throwaway pass from Slovis to end their next drive.

The tandem of Brown Jr. and Cyrus Habibi-Likio picked up a first down, but failed to get the game-clinching second first down after a fumble put them behind the sticks. The Trojans received the ball with under 30 seconds of play remaining, but were finally stopped during one of their infamous comeback drives.

Kayvon Thibodeaux was the PAC-12 Championship MVP and deserved it, playing through visible pain at a very high level. The Ducks finished with just 135 yards on the ground and 108 through the air, but also played a much cleaner game than USC, who finished with nine penalties for a loss of 98 yards.

After locking down Cristobal with a contract extension, signing the best recruiting class in program history, watching two legendary Duck QBs battle it out in the NFL, and winning a second consecutive PAC-12 Championship game, things are looking great for the future of Oregon football!

On to a possible bowl game and the 2021 season!

GO DUCKS!

UO 14/7/7/3 - 31

USC 7/7/3/7 -24

Tyler Shough: 8/15 - 91 YDS - 2 TD - 1 INT

Anthony Brown Jr: 3/4 - 17 YDS - 2 TD

Kedon Slovis: 28/52 - 320 YDS - 2 TD - 3 INT

TD SCORERS: (UO) Tyler Shough {2}, Anthony Brown Jr {2}, Jaylon Redd, Hunter Kampmoyer, DJ Johnson, Travis Dye (USC) Kedon Slovis {2}, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Markese Stepp, Bru McCoy

DUCK YARDS: 243 yards - 108 passing - 135 rushing

TROJAN YARDS: 358 yards - 320 passing - 38 rushing

TURNOVERS FORCED: Ducks: 3 (3 Interceptions) - Trojans: 1 (1 Interception)

1ST QUARTER NOTES

The Ducks won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
Kayvon Thibodeaux brought a lot of pressure on USC’s opening play, forcing an incompletion from Kedon Slovis.
Deommodore Lenoir made the first big play of the game by picking off Kedon Slovis on 3rd-&-10 and returning it 24 yards. Aided by a facemask penalty called on USC, the Duck offense took the field at the USC 9-yard line.
Jaylon Redd was unable to bring in a pass from Tyler Shough on first down. Travis Dye picked up seven yards on second down, then backup quarterback Anthony Brown Jr. took his first snap of the season and threw a 2-yard TD pass to Jaylon Redd.

Ducks 7 - Trojans 0

(3 plays, 9 yards, :11)

On first down, USC was called for an illegal-use-of-hands penalty, resulting in a loss of eight yards.
A sack by Andrew Faoliu punctuated a forced three-&-out for the Duck defense.
A sack on second down by Talanoa Hufanga doomed the Ducks next drive. Oregon went three-&-out and committed an offensive hold on third down but the penalty was declined.
The Trojans converted on 3rd-&-1 with a 4-yard run from Markese Stepp, but two plays later Slovis threw his second interception of the game - this time to Jamal Hill.
Dye picked up four yards, and then fourteen yard on his first two touches of Oregon’s proceeding drive. Then Shough connected with tight end Hunter Kampmoyer for a 14-yard touchdown.

Ducks 14 - Trojans 0

(3 plays, 32 yards, 1:25)

Slovis connected with Drake London on 2nd-&-9 for a 10-yard gain, made worse by a personal foul called on Mykael Wright for unnecessary roughness that resulted in an additional 15 yards.
The Trojan drive reached a 3rd-&-3, but only managed to pick up two yards off a carry from Stephen Carr. Then, on 4th-&-1, Kayvon Thibodeaux brought down the already-slipping back for a loss.
The Ducks were forced to punt on their next drive after tight end DJ Johnson was unable to hold on to a pass that would have converted on third down.
Slovis scrambled out of the pocket and found a wide-open Carr near the sideline for a 26-yard gain. An illegal blocking penalty was called on Drake London which knocked off 15 yards.
On 3rd-&-5, Slovis escaped pressure to find Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 12-yard gain.
And on the very next play, St. Brown brought in a 47-yard touchdown reception that cut the lead to 7.

Ducks 14 - Trojans 7

(7 plays, 87 yards, 2:46)

Sean Dollars entered the game and picked up 15 yards on first down.
Shough threw to Mycah Pittman for a seven yard gain on the final play of the first quarter. Setting up a 2nd-&-3 for the second quarter.

2ND QUARTER NOTES

A miss-handled mesh resulted in an Oregon fumble on the first play of the second quarter. Thankfully, Shough was able to jump on it for a 4-yard loss.
Shough only managed to pick up three of the seven yards required to convert on third down, resulting in a punt from midfield.
The Trojans started at their own 7-yard line, and due to a ferocious passrush from Thibodeaux and Brandon Dorlus were forced into a three-&-out after a sack from the latter Duck.
JJ Greenfield got a couple fingers to USC’s punt, but got a lucky bounce that carried it to the USC 41.
Two 11-yard passes to Dye and Pittman got the Ducks to the Trojan red zone.
Johnson took a short pass 16 yards for another Oregon TD pass.

Ducks 21 - Trojans 7

(4 plays, 41 yards, 1:53)

Slovis found Bru McCoy for an 11-yard gain on first down.
On 2nd-&-5, Oregon was called on an unnecessary roughness penalty.
On 4th-&-3 at the Oregon 35, Slovis threw to Drake London for an 11-yard gain. Then returned to the sophomore on 3rd-&-6, who rewarded the QB with another first down via a 9-yard reception.
Gary Bryant Jr. nearly picked up the score but was slammed down at the 1-yard line by Nick Pickett.
Stepp pounded in the score on the next play.

Ducks 21 - Trojans 14

(12 plays, 80 yards, 5:10)

Kampmoyer lost a yard on first down reception. Shough picked up two yards with his legs on second down, setting up a 3rd-&-8 at the Oregon 16.
Sean Dollars picked up nine yards on the next two snaps, then on 3rd-&-1 Brown Jr and Cyrus Habibi-Likio entered the game and converted with a 3-yard gain.
On the next play, Shough threw an interception. Kana’i Mauga returned the pick 34 yards to the Oregon 26.
Slovis threw to London for a 7-yard gain on first down. On second down, offsetting penalties led to a 41-yard field goal attempt that missed wide right.
Shough killed the clock to end the first half.

3RD QUARTER NOTES

Dye received the first two touches of the second half and picked up six total yards, and an unnecessary roughness penalty called on USC gave Oregon the first down.
Hufanga sacked Shough for a 7-yard loss on the next play, but Jaylon Redd gained 16 yards on second down to set up a 3rd-&-2. Habibi-Likio picked up one yard on the next play, and on 4th-&-inches, Brown Jr once again entered the game and connected with Johnson for an 11-yard gain.
Back-to-back carries from Dollars picked up five yards each to keep the chains moving.
Shough evaded a sure sack and transformed it into a 6-yard gain with his legs. Then converted on 3rd-&-5 with a short pass to Johnny Johnson III which went for a 23-yard gain to the USC 4.
Brown Jr entered the game on a 1st-&-goal. He rushed for no gain on first down, nearly threw a TD to Johnson which then nearly turned into a pick by Hufanga on second down, then found Travis Dye in the back of the end zone for the 4-yard score.

Ducks 28 - Trojans 14

(14 plays, 83 yards, 7:40)

After a drop from Tyler Vaughns on second down, it appeared the Ducks would force another three-&-out, but Lenoir was called for a defensive pass interference penalty that extended the drive.
Slovis connected on his next three passes for gains of 8, 7, and 17 yards to reach the Oregon 31-yard line. A face mask penalty called on Wright added 14 yards to the play.
Three consecutive carries from Stepp netted a total of 13 yards and set up a 2nd-&-goal at the Oregon 4 before a USC timeout.
Great coverage from the Oregon secondary forced a throwaway from Slovis on second down, then a Duck defensive back forced the ball out of the hands of Drake London to force the 21-yard successful field goal attempt.

Ducks 28 - Trojans 17

(12 plays, 63 yards, 4:52)

Despite the fact that the Oregon return team was in position to defend the onside kick, the Trojans still managed to come up with the ball.
Fortunately, the Duck defense forced a three-&-out, highlighted by a Thibodeaux sack for a loss of nine yards.
Shough gained nine yards on first down, then Habibi-Likio picked up the first down with the addition of two more yards. A Shough incompletion was the final play of the third quarter.

4TH QUARTER NOTES

Sean Dollars carried the ball for a gain of three yards to open up the final quarter.
On 3rd-&-7, Oregon elected to run the ball and Dye picked up five yards. Tom Snee punted the ball away, but was tackled by a USC defender, resulting in a roughing the kicker penalty and an Oregon first down.
Dollars gained 15 yards on 2nd-&-6 to reach the USC 27.
Oregon ran the ball on their next three plays and gained only five yards. Henry Katleman hit a 40-yard field goal to give the Ducks a 14-point lead.

Ducks 31 - Trojans 17

(11 plays, 58 yards, 6:00)

Slovis connected with Bryant Jr. for a 7-yard gain on first down.
Thibodeaux left the game after an apparent injury, but came back in a couple plays later.
Stepp converted with a short run on 3rd-&-2 to reach midfield.
Slovis fumbled the ball on the next play, but it was recovered by Stepp for a 2-yard gain.
Back-to-back incompletions set up a crucial 4th-&-8, which Slovis converted with a 28-yard pass to Bru McCoy.
Carr made Noah Sewell miss on 1st-&-10 from the Oregon 20 and picked up 12 yards to earn a fresh set of downs.
A pair of Carr carries netted four yards to reach the Oregon 4-yard line, then Wright nearly caught a deflected pass that would have ended the drive on third-&-goal, but Slovis hit McCoy in the end zone on fourth down to make it a one-score game with 6:16 remaining.

Ducks 31 - Trojans 24

(12 plays, 60 yards, 4:10)

The Ducks were forced into a three-&-out after unsuccessful runs from Dye and Shough, and an ugly incompletion on third down.
Isaac Slade-Matautia batted a pass on second down to force a third-&-long, but Slovis connected with Vaughns for a 12-yard gain and a first down.
Slovis nearly completed a deep pass to McCoy, but the receiver dropped it.
On the next play, Vaughns came up with another big catch for a 12-yard gain.
On 2nd-&-8, Slovis scrambled away from pressure and eventually tried to throw the ball away. After review, it was determined that Jamal Hill actually picked off the pass near the sideline.
Oregon picked up a first down with runs from Brown Jr and Habibi-Likio.
A mishandled snap resulted in a fumble from Brown Jr, but Habibi-Likio was able to jump on the loose ball. Oregon elected to run it on 3rd-&-14 with CHL to kill more clock.
After Oregon’s final timeout, the Ducks punted the ball. USC was called for a penalty due to offensive holding.
USC started at their own 20 with under 23 seconds remaining. Thibodeaux nearly forced a fumble for the win, but the play was instead ruled an incompletion.
Slovis connected with McCoy for a 20-yard gain to reach the USC 40.
The Trojans crossed midfield with an 11-yard completion to McCoy, but only three seconds remained in the game.
USC’s Hail Mary attempt ended with Slovis tossing the ball which was called for intentional grounding. The penalty was declined and Oregon won the PAC-12.

GO DUCKS

DUCKS 31 - TROJANS 24

PAC-12 CHAMPIONS*

*during a global pandemic.

NEXT UP: Some bowl game, probably.