The No. 23 Oregon Ducks rolled to a 48-28 victory against No. 22 USC on Saturday, making it look easy.
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who grew up an avid Trojans fan, threw more touchdowns than incompletions, completing 20 of 25 pass attempts for 407 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Adams threw each of his six touchdown passes to a different receiver, and connected with eight total receivers.
Adams’s lone interception occurred in the end zone on the first drive of the game, but from then on it was smooth sailing. The USC defense looked helpless as the Ducks pulled off eight scoring drives in just over 25 minutes of possession.
The Oregon defense shut down quarterback Cody Kessler after an impressive first half, holding him to just 85 passing yards and no touchdowns in the second half. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was a non-factor for USC.
Both teams entered the game on four-game winning streaks and Pac-12 division titles in sight. The Ducks (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12) will be in the driver’s seat to win the Pac-12 North if California (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12) can beat No. 15 Stanford (8-2, 7-1 Pac-12) in the Big Game in Berkeley at 7:30 p.m. tonight.
UCLA (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) defeated No. 18 Utah (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) in Salt Lake City earlier today, so the winner of UCLA at USC (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12) next Saturday, Nov. 28, will determine the winner of the Pac-12 South.
Key Plays:
— Oregon punched first with a 48-yard touchdown connection between Adams and Bralon Addison, giving the Ducks an early 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
— Cody Kessler answered back with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Darreus Rogers in the corner of the end zone late to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.
— Looking confused with how wide open he was, Oregon tight end Evan Baylis caught Adams’ second touchdown pass for a 52-yard score to take a 14-7 lead with 1:32 remaining in the first quarter.
— After a quick drive for the Trojans offense, Kessler lobbed a 12-yard pass to his tight end Cody Petite to even the score at 14-14 at the 12:13 mark in the second quarter.
— With under three minutes to go in the first half, Adams found a streaking Royce Freeman near the Oregon sideline for a 36-yard gain. Adams capped off the drive with a 30-yard lob to Kani Benoit to take 28-14 lead heading into halftime.
— Following a pair of big gains from Freeman and Addison, Aidan Schneider capped off the first half with a 37-yard kick through the uprights, giving Oregon a comfortable 31-14 advantage heading into halftime.
— Adams connected with Dwayne Stanford, who made an acrobatic catch, for a 21-yard touchdown to cap a nine-play, 78-yard drive to open the second half.
— Ronald Jones II shared and baked his way into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown scamper to close the gap to 38-21 in the third quarter.
— USC came within 10 points of Oregon when Adoree’ Jackson returned Ian Wheeler’s punt 41 yards for a touchdown.
— Arrion Springs sacked Cody Kessler and forced a fumble, which DeForest Buckner recovered at the USC 26-yard line. The next play, Adams completed a 26 yard touchdown pass to a leaping Charles Nelson to go ahead 45-28.
Stats
Oregon passing
Vernon Adams Jr. — 20-of-25 for 407 yards, six touchdowns, one interception
USC passing
Cody Kessler — 30-of-41 for 238 yards, two touchdowns
Oregon rushing
Royce Freeman — 20 carries for 147 yards
USC rushing
Justin Davis — 16 carries for 141 yards
Oregon receiving
Bralon Addison — Five catches for 105 yards, one touchdown
Darren Carrington — Four catches for 66 yards, one touchdown
Evan Baylis — Two catches for 62 yards, one touchdown
Dwayne Stanford — Four catches for 57 yards, one touchdown
Royce Freeman — Two catches for 50 yards
Kani Benoit — One catch for 30 yards, one touchdown
Charles Nelson — One catch for 26 yards, one touchdown
USC receiving
JuJu Smith-Schuster — Five catches for 57 yards
Darreus Rogers — Five catches for 53 yards, one touchdown
De’Quan Hampton — Seven catches for 31 yards
Tyler Petite — Two catches for 18 yards, one touchdown
Oregon total offense — 578 yards
USC total offense — 424 yards
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