Oregon will host USC in Autzen Stadium for the first time since 2015 on Saturday night, as the Ducks hope to keep their Pac-12 Championship Game and College Football Playoff hopes alive.
UO is currently the highest-ranked one-loss team in the CFP rankings. The Ducks will put an 8-1 overall record on the line against one of the nation’s top offenses and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams.
A key to victory on Saturday night will be to keep USC’s offense off the field by running the ball. The ground game will drive the Ducks’ offense, starting with Bucky Irving.
Oregon running back Mar’Keise “Bucky” Irving transferred to Oregon from Minnesota after his true freshman season. He quickly became a star player in the Ducks’ explosive, high-powered offense. He has averaged over 7.5 yards per touch in each of his two seasons in Eugene.
The Ducks have proven to be one of the most balanced and efficient teams in the nation. Oregon leads the country in scoring offense (47.4 PPG) and ranks 11th in scoring defense (16.0 PPG). UO is one of just three teams (Georgia, SMU) in the top 20 for both total offense (2nd, 538.7 YPG) and total defense (18th, 301.7 YPG).
USC ranks 118th in rushing defense out of 130 FBS teams. Washington running back Dillion Johnson ran for 256 yards and four touchdowns, both career highs, against USC last weekend.
Bear Alexander and the Trojans will have their work cut out to say the least versus the Ducks’ run game.
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