Five Questions With a USC Writer Ahead of Ducks vs. Trojans

Oregon faces USC for the first time since 2020 Saturday night in Eugene.

The No. 6 Oregon Ducks will square off against the USC Trojans this Saturday and it's shaping up to be a game with major postseason implications.

Oregon is trying to take things one game at a time, while the Trojans are coming to Eugene with nothing to lose.

Ahead of a 7:30 pm PT kickoff on Saturday, I asked USC beat writer Connor Morrissette of USCFootball.com (247Sports), five questions.

1. How much do you think Lincoln Riley firing Alex Grinch will affect the Trojans' defense this week against Oregon?

It may provide a small spark, but I don’t see USC taking any major steps forward defensively. I do think co-defensive coordinators Brian Odom and Shaun Nua will simplify USC’s defense though.

Nua said this week: "We might go in with one call if that's what it takes for them to fly around and play as physical as possible, as fast as possible, as right as possible."

2. What's the vibe of the fanbase at this point in the season?

The past month had been received terribly by the fan base prior to Sunday when Lincoln Riley fired embattled defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. To me, it seems like the fanbase is much happier this week looking at it from both a short and long term lens.

If USC gets blown out by Oregon that may change, but letting go of Grinch has definitely given Lincoln Riley's approval rating a big boost. I think as time goes on people will get more frustrated by Grinch being around during Caleb Williams' final college season, but right now, just the fact that USC got rid of Grinch is all people are talking about. 

Our boards are filled with threads on potential replacements and visions of happier days.

3. Has Lincoln Riley's tenure as USC's head coach been better, worse, or about what you expected to this point?

I think this question has to be broken up into Riley’s two seasons. Last season was much better than I expected and this season has been much worse. USC started the 2023 campaign ranked No. 5 in the country and the team currently isn’t in the AP poll. I didn’t see that coming.

4. What's something about this team that you don't think is getting enough attention?

USC is one of the most scrutinized teams nationally, but I’d probably go with the play of running back MarShawn Lloyd. The South Carolina transfer leads the nation averaging 7.74 yards per carry. 

He’s had his issues with fumbles and pass protection, but when he has the ball in his hands, great things tend to happen. Lloyd has rushed for 766 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games.

 5. What does USC absolutely have to do to win against Oregon?

I’ll break this down into three parts.

1. Stop the run.

USC was putrid against the run last week against Washington allowing 316 yards on the ground.

2. Play mistake free football on offense.

This will obviously be a challenge. That's the margin of error USC's offense has dealt with against top teams at times this season. Against Washington, USC had a holding penalty take a touchdown off the board and true freshman Duce Robinson also dropped a potential touchdown pass. The Trojans wound up not scoring on either of those drives and lost the game by two scores.

3. No major special teams gaffes

USC has allowed a kick return touchdown and missed multiple field goals this season. If the team has any hope of pulling off an upset, the Trojans must get a clean special teams performance.

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