No. 22 USC likely to face OR without RB Madden, S McQuay

USC quarterback Cody Kessler is a veteran with a lot of weapons, but so is OR quarterback Vernon Adams. After compiling a school-record 777 yards against Cal, OR averaged an absurd 9.08 yards per play against Stanford. There’s also Washington’s hope of bowl eligibility, which would require wins over OSU and Washington State.

The Ducks lead the Pac-12 in scoring offense (41.8 ppg) and rank eighth nationally in total offense (532.6 ypg).

Madden missed the Trojans’ win at Colorado last week because of a sore knee, while a torn knee ligament has sidelined McQuay for the last two games. The Cardinal win a close game against the Utes and claim the final spot in the playoffs.

USC has intercepted seven passes in the last four games.

“I’ve been wanting to play in this stadium for a while, as a Trojan”, Smith-Schuster, who strongly considered OR during the recruiting process, told the Orange County Register. But McCaffrey and the Cardinal linemen, on both sides of the ball, will eventually wear down the Bears for a hard-fought sixth straight win in the storied series. Last week, while the Trojans barely escaped a loss in Boulder, the Ducks upset Stanford 38-36. As far as Utah goes, Utah plays the Colorado Buffaloes. But Robinson got hurt vs. Stanford and might not be available.

Both teams are on a roll, but the Ducks will be feeling much better coming in off last week’s victory against the 7th ranked team in the nation.

Oregon’s Bralon Addison has 45 receptions, six for touchdowns. As one of the most sought-after prospects from the Class of 2012, Cravens received offers from big-time powers from coast-to-coast, and that includes from nearly every Pac-12 program – every Pac-12 program that is, except Oregon. Punter Kris Albarado has slumped, and kicker Alex Wood hasn’t been almost as effective on kickoffs. In part because Albarado has been struggling, USC’s punt coverage has suffered. OR has allowed two blocked punts this season, but otherwise its specialists have performed well. Kicker Aidan Schneider has made 17 of 18 field-goal attempts, including 4 of 4 from 40-plus yards. Matt Wogan has 47 touchbacks among 74 kickoffs.

Iowa rolls over Purdue (2-8), only to lose its last game of the season to Nebraska (5-6) on the road. USC has found a lot of success through the air. Neither is in play this year as OR has three losses for the first time since 2009, Kelly’s first season.

That is, until Hardrick found the University of OR to be a better fit overall. Both he and Darren Carrington are having big returns to the lineup and give the Ducks the explosive offense many have grown accustomed to seeing. Weather shouldn’t be a factor with the afternoon kickoff; the forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-40s. UCLA will represent the Pac-12 South if they beat Utah and USC in the regular-season finale.

For the first time since the MI State game OR football played with a swagger Saturday night against Stanford. They’ll need another strong effort Saturday to beat USC. Will Helton open up the offense knowing the Ducks are vulnerable on the back end? Jackson played more on offense in practice this week, so that’s one possibility.

The Ducks had five plays of at least 30 yards against the stout Cardinal, including touchdowns of 75, 47 and 49 yards.

USC is catching OR at exactly the wrong time. Adams is back, and the Ducks are rolling. The same could be said of the Trojans; after all, their winning streak is just as long. The loss will be enough to keep the Irish out the playoffs and an integral step for Stanford. Clay Helton, offensive coordinator/QB coach, took over on an interim basis, and he has the Trojans playing decently, a la Ed Orgeron from a few years ago before the start of the Sarkisian era. It’s also possible that the Trojans were looking past the Buffs. Ducks defensive end DeForest Buckner is one of five finalists for Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, along with two Trojans, Cravens and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. They have a good opportunity to prove the people wrong and bounce back against a similarly reeling Utah team. But it could eliminate Helton from consideration for the full-time coaching job.