Postgame Post Mortem: Takeaways from Oregon’s win over USC

Postgame Post Mortem: Takeaways from Oregon’s win over USC

Team / Sunday, November 3rd, 2019

In what was billed as arguably the biggest remaining game on their schedule, the 7th-ranked Oregon Ducks delivered hands down their biggest statement win of the season.

A sluggish first quarter, which saw the Ducks trail 10-0 at the end of the first frame, gave way to a 56-14 avalanche from the second quarter on. At the end of it all, Oregon’s 56-24 win over USC goes down as the largest margin of victory for the Ducks over the Trojans in over a century – literally.

Now 6-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 2012, Oregon is now riding an eight-game winning streak heading into a well-timed bye week before the final stretch of the regular season begins. The victory also keeps the Ducks well positioned to make a strong case for the College Football Playoff, and they’ll no doubt be one of the most talked about teams in the nation when the first College Football Playoff rankings are revealed on Tuesday.

For now though, Oregon coaches, players, and fans get to bask in the glow of a resounding win over a USC team that had been sporting an undefeated record at home until Saturday night. WFOD breaks it all down with its Postgame Post Mortem on the Ducks’ demolition inside the L.A. Coliseum.

Postgame Post Mortem: Takeaways from Oregon’s win over USC
Oregon DB Verone McKinley (Photo: Oregon Athletics)

1. Turnovers fuel dominant effort

Entering the day, the Ducks and Trojans resided on opposing ends of the turnover margin spectrum both in the Pac-12 and nationally. On one end was Oregon, who came into Saturday’s game tied with Ohio State for third nationally in turnover margin at +11. On the other end was USC, who ranked dead last in the Pac-12 in turnover margin and tied for 117th nationally (-6) in the category. Those numbers ballooned in a major way by the time the clock inside the Coliseum hit 0:00, as the Ducks forced four turnovers (three interceptions and one fumble) which were converted to four touchdowns that proved instrumental in sparking Oregon’s comeback after trailing 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Verone McKinley would get things started in the second stanza with an interception (his fourth of the season) that gave the Ducks starting field position (following penalty – more on those in a bit) on their own 41-yard line. Six plays and 59 yards later, Justin Herbert would cap off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to cut USC’s lead to 10-7.

La’Mar Winston’s forced fumble on USC’s ensuing offensive possession with the Trojans driving deep into Oregon territory would set up a nine-play, 92-yard scoring drive that was punctuated by a two-yard touchdown run by Jaylon Redd on a jet sweep that gave the Ducks a 14-10 lead; a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

The turnover that firmly flipped momentum in Oregon’s favor, however, was Brady Breeze’s 32-yard pick-six to give the Ducks a 21-10 lead late in the second quarter. That play, combined with Mykael Wright’s 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown which came immediately after a Trojan scoring drive, seemed to break USC’s will before halftime, as Oregon went into the break with a 28-17 advantage before getting the ball to start the second half. Deommodore Lenoir would add another interception in the third quarter that would help the Ducks add even more insurance to their 35-17 advantage at that stage in the game, but the damage had already been done. On a night when the defense didn’t get off to the greatest of starts, the unit’s opportunistic nature came through in a way that completely changed the complexion of the game.

2. Juwan Johnson shines in the City of Stars

It hasn’t been the most ideal season for Juwan Johnson, but the grad transfer from Penn State couldn’t have picked a better time to produce the most complete performance of his collegiate career. After being saddled with a calf injury towards the end of fall camp that lingered through the first half of the season, Johnson has undoubtedly seen his fortunes turn for the better after reports indicated that the 6-foot-4, 231-pound receiver had turned in his best consecutive weeks of practice these past two weeks. Those reports were emphatically validated by Johnson’s breakout performance Saturday night in Los Angeles, as the Glassboro, N.J. native was absolutely brilliant serving as Herbert’s top target in the passing game, notching seven catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns.

Each of Johnson’s scores seemed to demonstrate the full capacity of his skill set. His 15-yard score to kickoff the third quarter showed Johnson’s ability to make big plays in traffic, while his 11-yard touchdown later in the quarter flashed Johnson’s value as a hard-to-defend red zone target as he went up and over a USC defender to reel in the score. However, his 37-yard catch and run for a touchdown was perhaps his most impressive display, as Johnson showcased his impressive speed and athleticism running away from the Trojan defense and extending over a defender and across the goal line for the score. With tight end Jacob Breeland (leg) sidelined for the remainder of the season, Johnson revealed Saturday that he may very well be the player who is best equipped to emerge as Herbert’s go-to receiver in Breeland’s stead.

3. Slow start (and an injury scare) doesn’t sink Justin Herbert

Another week begets another oddly slow first quarter start for Justin Herbert, who would once again rebound over the final three quarters to lead the Ducks to yet another memorable victory. Much like his starts at Washington and vs. Washington State the past two weeks, Herbert had difficulty finding his rhythm in the early going against a USC defense that ranked sixth in the Pac-12 in passing defense (239.3 yards/game) entering Saturday’s game. However, after completing just 1-of-5 passes for -3 yards and an interception to start the game, Herbert would only throw one incompletion the rest of the way, finishing the game completing 20 of his next 21 pass attempts for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Though he would leave the game in the third quarter after getting hit in the knee by a Trojan defender, Herbert returned just four plays later to lead the Ducks to an eventual touchdown. His 10-yard touchdown run to get Oregon on the board in the first quarter seemed to help Eugene native settle into a rhythm, but it was nevertheless another peculiar beginning to what turned out to be a superb overall performance for Herbert in a critical spot.

4. “Penalties an outrageous problem for Oregon”

Those were the words from FOX color commentator Joel Klatt, who, like many Oregon fans undoubtedly, was taken aback by the sheer number of penalties the Ducks racked up in the first half. In fact, the Ducks’ nine penalties for 112 yards in the first half nearly equaled the number of yards of total offense the Ducks compiled (113) through the first two quarters, as Oregon would go onto finish the game incurring 12 penalties for 157 yards. It’s the second time in the last four weeks that the Ducks have racked up double-digit penalties, and the fourth time in the last five weeks that Oregon has been flagged for eight or more penalties. For perspective, the Ducks didn’t have a single game last game season where they were flagged for more than seven penalties.

The opponent and the location of Saturday’s game may have had something to do with insane number of penalties, as much of the top talent on the Oregon sideline hails from Southern California. Yet, that’s no excuse for the sheer number of fouls and the fact too that two Oregon players (Austin Faoliu and Nick Pickett) were ejected for personal foul penalties. Mario Cristobal has been particularly good about addressing penalties with his team after Oregon was the most penalized team in the country coming off the 2017 season, but it was nevertheless an uncharacteristic display from a team that has proven it has the capacity to be far more disciplined.

5. Trying to figure out Oregon’s rotation at running back is a futile task

It would have been reasonable to assume that after rushing for 257 yards and three touchdowns last week vs. Washington State, that CJ Verdell would have locked up the job as Oregon’s primary ball carrier from that point forward. But you know what they say when you assume. Despite entering the day as the conference’s leading rusher, Verdell would only receive six carries for 12 yards. In fact, between Verdell and Cyrus Habibi-Likio, arguably the hottest two running backs in the Ducks’ deep stable, the duo combined for just seven carries for 11 yards. Instead, Oregon was mostly led by Travis Dye (12 carries for 75 yards) and the lightly-used Darrian Felix, who saw extensive action in the second half rushing for 43 yards on 10 carries after failing to appear in the previous two games. To Cristobal’s credit, he has reiterated throughout the season that the Ducks would ride with whichever back (or backs) were demonstrating the hot hand, though it’s becoming increasingly clear that he means that in the most literal sense possible, regardless of achievements from players in previous weeks.

Items of note:

  • Oregon has won 11 of its last 12 games dating back to last season
  • The Ducks handed USC its worst home loss since 2009 and they were just the third team ever to score 56-plus points against USC at home. Moreover, the 32-point win is the second largest margin of victory for Oregon over USC, with the largest coming in the first meeting between the teams in 1915.
  • The Ducks are averaging 45.9 points per game in the last seven meetings with USC, scoring 45 or more in five of those games
  • Oregon is +13 in turnover margin during its eight-game winning streak, scoring 106 points off turnovers
  • The Ducks have now had 18 different players score a touchdown this year after Justin Herbert, Juwan Johnson, and Mykael Wright each found the end zone for the first time
  • Oregon returned both a kickoff and an interception for a touchdown in the same game for the first time since 2011 vs. Washington State
  • The Ducks have had 11 different players with an interception this season after Brady Breeze and Deommodore Lenoir both got their first of the season at USC
  • Juwan Johnson set career-highs with 106 receiving yards and three touchdowns while matching a career-best with seven receptions. He’s the first Oregon player to haul in three touchdown catches in a game since Bralon Addison in 2015. Saturday was also Johnson’s first career multi-touchdown game, surpassing the number of touchdowns he caught during his three-year career at Penn State (2).

Top Photo: Oregon WR Juwan Johnson (Oregon Athletics)

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