The Ducks flew into Los Angeles and gave the USC Trojans and the college football world a primetime performance on a primetime stage.
The double-edged opportunity for USC to avenge their loss at Autzen last year and to knock of the new #1 media darling they used to be set a perfect story line. In a town that exists almost solely to fabricate one this script was rich and deep and that it was seen as more of an opportunity for the Trojans to make a statement than it was for Oregon is a telling nuance.
A true heavyweight battle for the first 33 minutes, Oregon took the halftime lead at 29-17 with the comfort of having the first possession after recess. A good twist to the plot gets a screenwriter a fat paycheck and in some of the season's highest drama we see just that.
Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas tries to throw a swing pass that's tipped and intercepted by Jurrell Casey on the Oregon 21. Two plays and a penalty get the Trojans in the end zone and within five points.
The USC defense holds for a three and out, then Ronald Johnson returns Jackson Rice's punt 55 yard and with a penalty tacked on, have the ball on the Oregon 11. Four plays and a two point conversion later the Coliseum is raucous and the klieg lights swirling as the Trojans take a 32-29 lead.
But every good plot twist deserves another and with 11:19 remaining in the third quarter the Ducks respond with a 13 play drive to re-take the lead at 36-32 then holds the Trojan offense to four plays and a punt to take over with 5:17 left. The Ducks go on an eleven play drive to lead 43-32.
Despite some silly claims that Oregon's offense is a gimmick, let's face the facts, shall we? Ranked # 3 nationally in rushing, the Ducks average 6.48 yards per carry with 29 touchdowns. Oregon's two drives in the third quarter took the starch out of the USC defense begging the question of what's the gimmick about running the football? Blocking and which line wins the battle at the line of scrimmage - just as Woody Hayes said.
The Ducks score 24 straight points and hold the Trojans scoreless the rest of the way with Darron Thomas putting the ribbon on a 53-32 win in TinselTown, taking a final bow with a snap in victory formation just after 8:30 pm.
It does seem to have escaped the notice of many that the Ducks regularly win those same battles on the other side of the ball. "Their defense is a fraud", said ESPN analyst Robert Smith who then went on to rank the Ducks # 1 nonetheless.
Just for chuckles, Mr. Smith - let's compare that Oregon defense with one of the SEC's acknowledged best, LSU? Ranked 7th nationally, the Tigers are the toughest of the SEC bad boys and have given up a total of 2,221 yards in eight games. Oregon, ranked a more pedestrian 35th nationally has given up 2,698 yards, also in eight games.
If Mr. Smith were a bit more intellectually curious he would also notice that LSU has defended a total of 495 plays while the Oregon defense has faced 601 snaps. Do the math and both LSU and Oregon have averaged 4.49 per play on defense. All stats courtesy of the NCAA: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/ncaa-m-footbl-stats-index.html
With Oregon ranking # 115 in time of possession per game - right behind that offensive juggernaut at Notre Dame - the Duck's defense is on the field an average time of 33:14 per game. Teams don't have to try to keep the ball away from Oregon, Oregon hands it to them to play with for as long as they like after every touchdown. Oregon had the ball for 9:14 in the first half versus USC, 10:29 versus UCLA.
Despite the workload Oregon has yielded only 7 points all year in the fourth quarter - to UCLA with less than two minutes remaining and Oregon leading 60-6. And Mr. Smith finds that fraudulent? But there is more.
This past weekend, Oregon yielded 377 total yards to USC. Auburn, on the other hand, yielded 407 total yards to Mississippi.
Comparing SEC offenses, the Ducks rank # 28 in passing, # 3 in rushing and # 1 in total offense and points per game. Arkansas, the SEC's best passing team, ranks 2nd nationally but digging a bit deeper, Arkansas has thrown 308 passes for 22 TD's good for a 14.2 yard per pass average while Oregon has thrown 244 passes for 22 TD's and a 13.81 yards per pass average. Better yards, equal scores and with fewer attempts.
Setting aside perceptions, by whatever statistical measure you care to apply it is quickly evident that on both sides of the ball Oregon's top ranking in the polls is justified.
It is probably a safe assumption that Saturday's match-up with Huskies will provide additional statistical corroboration. All players who dress will get playing time this week and Oregon cruises 55-17.
