UCLA vs. Utah Preview & Prediction

The Ducks kept their hopes alive for a berth in the Pac 12 championship game with a narrow 38-36 victory at The Farm last week to move to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in Pac 12 play for the season.

THE LAST TIME: The two teams haven’t met since 2012, when the Ducks won 62-51 in Los Angeles.

USC quarterback Cody Kessler is a veteran with a lot of weapons, but so is OR quarterback Vernon Adams. With each game and TD pass, they extend their NCAA record. (Baylor leads the nation at 8.11 yards per play.) Adams isn’t as much of a running threat as recent OR quarterbacks. UO running back Royce Freeman averages 139.2 yards per game, seventh-most nationally, with an FBS-leading 47 rushes of at least 10 yards.

The USC Trojans will be playing a game for all the marbles whether they want to or not. If your memory is a bit hazy on the Wildcats this season, Arizona lost 49-3 against Washington a mere three weeks ago.

After last week’s upset win over no. 7 Stanford there I had one general takeaway from the game: OR football is still OR football. Our backs are to the wall and we’ve got to find a way to beat UCLA this weekend. Injuries are a concern for OR as well. Jackson is the only player to score offensively and defensively. But Robinson got hurt vs. Stanford and might not be available. The Trojans passing game is ranked 22nd, compared to the 126th-ranked pass defense of the Ducks.

Oregon’s Bralon Addison has 45 receptions, six for touchdowns. Washington 28, Oregon State 14. 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.

Helton said he had no concerns about playing Tucker or other young players.

Yet Southern Cal’s defensive coordinator is anything but misty-eyed on the eve of the Trojans’ first game at OR since 2011. The Cornhuskers finish the season with bowl eligibility, but ruin Iowa’s dream of the playoffs. Neither is in play this year as OR has three losses for the first time since 2009, Kelly’s first season. 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. OR played MI State close in East Lasing but couldn’t come away with a late victory. If the Ducks continue to pound the rock their should be no reason why they can’t match those numbers against USC’s injury-riddled front seven.

OR and USC battle Saturday at Autzen, with both teams clinging to a shot at conference supremacy.

This being a Pac-12 game, the pregame plans still tend to devolve into games where 40 points are not unique. “The offense is very similar (under Helton)”. And will anyone besides Smith-Schuster emerge as a consistent downfield option?

Between the two offenses, there should be a few points in this one. Steven Mitchell Jr., looking healthy again after a sprained ankle cost him two games, had three catches for 59 yards last week. He and Kessler apparently have resolved the communication issues that have led to two interceptions this season.

But, for an Oregon-USC conference title showdown? They have been far less aggressive on special teams after that play. The same could be said of the Trojans; after all, their winning streak is just as long. But USC’s offense has taken a step backward during that stretch. The Trojans are expected to start sophomore Olajuwon Tucker in Smith’s place.

The podcast concludes with listener questions on the topic of the Trojans potential to beat OR and Clay Helton’s candidacy for the head coaching position.