CORVALLIS — Everyone in the stadium and watching on TV knew exactly what Oregon State was going to do with the ball.

The Oregon coaching staff and its defense knew what the Beavers were going to do.

Yet, play after play, the Ducks were unable to stop the run game in the final minutes of Saturday’s game.

“It’s frustrating because we knew exactly what they were going to do but we didn’t do anything to stop it,” freshman linebacker Troy Dye said. “We were in the right places but we couldn’t tackle at all — we missed so many tackles.”

The result was a dominant fourth quarter for Oregon State and the end of a winning streak for the Ducks. Behind running back Ryan Nall’s efforts, Oregon State came from behind to defeat Oregon 34-24, snapping the Ducks’ eight-game winning streak in the Civil War.

“You have to give credit to Coach [Gary] Anderson and his staff. They did a very good job,” Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said. “They made the plays when they needed to.”

Running back Royce Freeman led the Ducks with 106 yards on 19 carries while Darren Carrington had three catches for 76 yards and a score.

Nall finished the game with 155 yards on 31 carries with four touchdowns while Oregon State quarterback Marcus McMaryion added 81 yards rushing and 101 yards passing.

The Ducks appeared to be in good shape midway through the third quarter. Oregon took a 24-14 lead after Aidan Schneider kicked a 46-yard field goal.

From that point on, the weather began to take hold. Heavy rain prevented both the Ducks and the Beavers from efficient passing.

In return, the Beavers called on Nall. Oregon didn’t have an answer.

“Everyone knew they were going to give the ball to him but we couldn’t execute on how to stop him,” senior linebacker Johnny Ragin said. “He keeps his legs moving so it was difficult to bring him down, but that’s no excuse.”

The Beavers scored the final 20 points, wearing down a depleted Oregon defensive line. In the fourth quarter alone, Oregon State ran 20 plays — all of them rushes.

With 9:40 left, the Ducks, facing a 3rd-and-12 on the drive, handed off the ball to Freeman instead of opting for a pass. Freeman was held to a gain of six yards and Oregon was forced to punt. The visitors didn’t get the ball back until there was 1:56 left in the game.

“They definitely played keep away and kept us off the field,” Freeman said. “It was a good strategy by them and it worked in their favor because we couldn’t turn that around.”

After entering halftime tied at 14, Oregon’s defense came out of the locker room and played with an edge.

Oregon forced the Beavers to punt on their first two possessions to take advantage of good field position. Justin Herbert — 16-of-28 for 160 yards and a touchdown — threw his only scoring pass of the game to Charles Nelson.

The Ducks would add Schneider’s field goal on the next drive but their scoring ended there.

Saturday was Oregon’s first loss in the Civil War series since 2007.

Dye said the coaches told the Ducks to “keep fighting” after the loss.

“Get ready for next season,” Dye said of the message. “You can’t really dwell on this loss, even though it hurts the most out of any loss this season. You just have to keep pushing.”

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CORVALLIS — Oregon has lost the Civil War for the first time since 2007.

With the score tied at 14 at halftime, the Ducks scored 10 consecutive second-half points for a 24-14 lead, but the Beavers rallied for 20 consecutive points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, to make it a 34-24 win over their in-state rivals.

Oregon State finished off the game when Ryan Nall rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 34-24 with 1:56 remaining.

The Ducks conclude the season at 4-8, 2-7 Pac-12. Oregon State improves to 4-8, 3-6 Pac-12.

Key plays:

— Oregon took control out of halftime when senior TJ Daniel sacked Oregon State quarterback Marcus McMaryion on third down to force a punt. The Ducks then responded with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Charles Nelson for the lead, 21-14.

— The Ducks drove 50 yards on 11 plays to the Beavers’ 29-yard line. From there, Aidan Schneider drilled a 46-yard field goal for the 10-point lead at 24-14.

— Oregon State running back Ryan Nall ran for a 14-yard score near the end of the third quarter to make it a 24-21 Oregon lead.

— At the start of the fourth quarter, heavy rain began to fall and the Beavers turned the game into a battle of the trenches. Oregon State went 80 yards on 11 plays, finishing the drive with a 6-yard score to take a 28-24 lead with 9:40 left.

— The Beavers responded with another score, a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Nall, to make it 34-24 with 1:56 remaining. The Beavers missed the ensuing point after attempt.

Key Stats:

Oregon State Passing

Marcus McMaryion: 13-of-20 for 101 yards and a touchdown

Oregon Passing

Justin Herbert: 16-of-28 for 180 yards and a touchdown

Oregon State Rushing

Ryan Nall: 31 carries for 155 yards and four touchdowns

Marcus McMaryion: 11 carries for 81 yards

Oregon Rushing

Royce Freeman: 19 carries for 106 yards

Tony Brooks-James: nine carries for 70 yards

Oregon State Receiving

Ryan Nall: two receptions for 34 yards

Timmy Hernandez: three receptions for 24 yards

Oregon Receiving

Darren Carrington: three receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown

Charles Nelson: four receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown

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CORVALLIS — The 120th meeting of the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State had a little bit of everything in the first half. For what has become a lopsided series the past decade, the first half was a competitive and evenly matched showing with teams trading blows like heavyweight boxers.

The Ducks used big plays to score their points while the Beavers methodically drove down the field. At the end of the half, Oregon and Oregon State were tied at 14.

Royce Freeman led Oregon in rushing with 71 yards on 11 carries while Tony Brooks-James added six carries for 37 yards.

Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, playing in his first Civil War, struggled a bit by going 6-for-9 for 49 yards. He wasn’t given much help as two of his passes, particularly a long ball to Jalen Brown, were dropped.

Oregon State’s Ryan Nall was the Beavers’ main guy on offense, leading them with 86 total yards.

Oregon State struck first on its opening drive. While quarterback Marcus McMaryion kept the Duck defense honest with his ability to run the ball, running back Ryan Nall provided the power. He scored from nine yards to give the Beavers the early lead.

The Ducks would respond with a long drive of their own the next time they got the ball. Freeman got the Ducks deep into Beaver territory before Brooks-James scored on a three-yard run to tie the score at 7.

With Oregon State driving early in the second quarter, the Ducks got a turnover deep in their own territory. Arrion Springs forced a fumble that Justin Hollins recovered. An ensuing 15-yard penalty on the Beavers gave the Ducks much better field position.

The Ducks appeared to give the ball right back to Oregon State as freshman Justin Herbert threw a long interception on the next play after the fumble recovery. But a pass interference on the interception gave Oregon a second chance.

Brown helped the Ducks capitalize on that second chance when he threw a 33-yard score to Darren Carrington on a reverse pass. Brown hit Carrington in stride, dropping the ball perfectly over three Beaver defenders to take the 14-7 lead.

Oregon State responded with its own scoring drive. The Beavers marched right down the field, using big plays by Nall and McMaryion to tie the game at 14 midway through the second quarter.

Not to be outdone, Oregon marched right down the field, using big plays by Charles Nelson and Freeman to put the ball at Oregon State’s 12-yard line. However, Brooks-James fumbled and the Beavers recovered at their own five-yard line, evening the turnover battle.

STATS:

Oregon Passing

Justin Herbert: 6-for-9 for 49 yards

Jalen Brown: 1-for-1 for 33 yards and one touchdown

Oregon State Passing

Marcus McMaryion: 12-for-16 for 96 yards and one touchdown

Oregon Rushing

Royce Freeman: 11 carries for 71 yards

Tony Brooks-James: 6 carries for 37 yards

Oregon State Rushing

Ryan Nall: 12 carries for 52 yards and one touchdown

Marcus McMaryion: 6 carries for 35 yards

Oregon Receiving

Darren Carrington: 1 catch for 33 yards and one touchdown

Charles Nelson: 2 catches for 19 yards

Jacob Breeland: 2 catches for 17 yards

Oregon State Receiving

Ryan Nall: 2 catches for 34 yards

Timmy Hernandez: 3 catches for 24 yards

Ricky Ortiz: 1 catch for 6 yards and one touchdown.

Total Yards

Oregon: 190 (108 rushing and 82 passing)

Oregon State: 202 (104 rushing and 98 passing)

Turnovers

Oregon: 1

Oregon State: 1

Time of Possession:

Oregon: 9:52

Oregon State: 20:08

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— The Emerald released an investigative article on Thursday regarding Oregon tight end Pharaoh Brown. According to the story, Brown has been accused of three acts of violence since October 2014.

— The Oregonian’s Andrew Greif wrote about the football team’s porous defensive line in the wake of suspensions, injuries and dismissals.

— Oregon men’s basketball got back to its winning ways on Thursday night. The Ducks defeated Valpariaso 76-54. Chris Boucher led Oregon with game-highs of 25 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. The Ducks will next face Georgetown, who lost to Arkansas State on Thursday.

— Oregon baseball signed 10 recruits to its 2018 class. Of the 10 recruits, seven of them were pitchers while the other three were outfielders. Nine of the players are coming straight out of high school with one of the outfielders coming from a junior college.

— Devon Allen will no longer represent Oregon in football or track. Allen, who is currently out for the 2016 football season with a torn ACL, held a press conference on Wednesday addressing his future. After placing fifth at the Olympics in the 110-meter hurdles and winning the US Championship in the event, Allen will forgo his final seasons of eligibility in both sports and turn professional in track and field.

— The Emerald’s Shawn Medow details how the relationship between Maite Cazorla and Sabrina Ionescu could pay massive dividends for the future of Oregon women’s basketball.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

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As Oregon walked off the basketball court on Tuesday against Baylor, the Ducks had an uneasy feeling. They played bad in all facets of the game and head coach Dana Altman was thoroughly upset with Oregon’s ball movement.

It came as no surprise Thursday evening when Valparaiso opened up in a zone defense against the Ducks.

This time, things would be different.

Chris Boucher led the way as he totaled game-highs of 25 points, nine rebounds and four blocks to help Oregon bounce back with a 76-54 win.

“His activity allowed him to play so well,” head coach Dana Altman said of Boucher.

“Honestly I think he’s capable of doing this every time,” Jordan Bell added.

Boucher and Bell, Oregon’s two starting bigs, combined for 40 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks, showing how dominant the Ducks can be when they play well down low.

“They’re amazing athletes — I think they’re the best in college basketball,” Peyton Pritchard said of his two big men.”When those guys are going inside, we are a top-five team in the country — everything else is smooth after that.”

Boucher and Bell combined to limit Valparaiso’s Alec Peters to 44 percent shooting, including 25 percent from 3-point territory. Granted Peters still scored 24 points, he did so by taking 18 shots. Peters was held to 4-of-10 shooting in the second half, including a 1-of-5 showing from deep.

“We knew he was the leading scorer and if we took him out of the game, everyone else would struggle because the ball ran through him,” Bell said. “We tried to pressure the ball, not let him get easy catches and double him in the post.”

As starting guards Tyler Dorsey and Dylan Ennis struggled for much of the night, Pritchard picked up the slack. Playing in only his third college game, Pritchard became ever-more comfortable on the court. He finished the game with nine points and a game-high five assists.

Oregon started the game slow from the field, struggling to find any rhythm offensively and defensively. With Valpo leading 14-10 early in the first half, the Ducks went on a 19-6 run over the next eight minutes. The Ducks started to force Valpo into contested shots while using ball movement to get open looks for themselves.

“I thought we were much more focused tonight — energy was way better,” Altman said. “We were more active, knees bent and running the floor — we responded well tonight.”

Oregon came out of the half leading 37-30 and used a stout defense to put the game away. Over the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Ducks limited Valpo to two made buckets, eliminating second chance opportunities by cleaning up on the glass.

A Pritchard 3-pointer was the exclamation point for Oregon as the Ducks opened up a 59-40 lead and never looked back over the final 10 minutes.

Oregon will now travel to Hawaii to take place in the Maui Invitational from November 21-23. At the end of the tournament, the Ducks will have played six games in 13 days over three different time zones, so depth and energy will be huge if Oregon wants to leave Maui as champions.

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The future of Oregon football doesn’t appear to be bright on paper. The Ducks’ 2017 recruiting class ranks 32nd in the nation — the same ranking it finished in last year. Oregon has zero five-star commitments and just lost in-state recruit Elijah Molden to Washington this past week.

It may be time for the Ducks to panic with no five-star recruit or big-time recruiting class on the way.

But at Oregon, class rankings have not always dictated the success of the program. It’s about growing those two, three and four-star players into bona fide contributors for the program.

“One of the best things about Oregon is the way they’ve developed players over the years,” freshman safety Brenden Schooler said. “Oregon doesn’t get a ton of high-profile recruits, but each year they have a handful of three-star guys who make a huge impact — that’s what I want to be a part of.”

This year, Oregon is being led by three true freshmen: Justin Herbert, Troy Dye and Schooler.

Herbert is a former three-star recruit who almost committed to Washington before staying home to play for the Ducks. He took over as starter halfway through this season and hasn’t turned back.

Dye, a former three-star recruit, leads the Ducks with 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks — his tackles for loss and sacks both rank second in the nation by a freshman.

Meanwhile, Schooler was so undervalued that he wasn’t given a ranking. He now leads Oregon with four interceptions — third in the nation among freshmen — and is third on the team with 57 tackles.

“To me, the recruiting rankings really don’t mean a lot because it doesn’t guarantee how good you are going to be at the next level,” Schooler said. “It’s all about who’s going to come in, regardless of rankings, and work their butt off to see the field and help the team.”

The offensive line, which is leading Oregon to a top-25 rushing offense in the nation, has four redshirt freshmen on the unit. Of those four players, two were four-star prospects and two were three-star prospects.

“We pride ourselves in getting the right guys for our program — not necessarily the best guys,” offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. “This offensive line group may not look like anything special on paper, but we knew we had something special when they all came here.”

This trend of developing players into big-time contributors isn’t something new to the program.

Former five-star prospects De’Anthony Thomas and Arik Armstead grabbed the headlines when they committed to the Ducks, but neither of those players ended up being the best in their classes.

In 2011, Oregon signed two-star quarterback Marcus Mariota. Eventually, Mariota would break multiple school records, lead his team to the national championship, win Oregon’s first Heisman Trophy and be selected No. 2 in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Likewise, 2012 three-star defensive end DeForest Buckner ended up being named Pac-12 defensive player of the year and an All-American. Buckner was drafted No. 7 in the 2016 draft — up 10 spots from where Armstead was drafted the year before.

When Oregon made its runs to the national championship games in 2011 and 2015, both teams were led by low-star recruits who transformed into star players.

The 2011 team was anchored by three-star players LaMichael James, Jeff Maehl, Casey Matthews and John Boyett. The 2015 team was led by Mariota, Buckner and other three-star players Tyler Johnstone, Hroniss Grasu and Derrick Malone Jr.

Greatwood and the Ducks know they won’t always impress national analysts with five-star recruits — but they may just develop those low-star prospects who eventually lead the team.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

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As the Ducks head to Salt Lake City, Utah, this weekend, they once again find themselves in an unfamiliar position. Typically this late in the season, Oregon is playing its best football of the season and looking ahead to a Pac-12 Championship and then some.

Now, the Ducks (3-7, 1-6 Pac-12) find themselves eliminated from bowl eligibility. They’re looking to stay out of the cellar as the worst team in the conference.

Here are the players and matchups to watch for Saturday’s 11 a.m. game at Utah:

Matchup to watch

Oregon backfield vs. Utah front seven: Oregon will enter the game as the top rushing offense in the conference while the Utes have the conference’s No. 2 rushing defense. Saturday’s game will largely be decided in the trenches. Whichever team does has the physical edge should earn the victory.

Utah is anchored by two standout defensive ends in Hunter Dimick and Pita Taumoepenu. They have combined for 26.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks on the season. Oregon will counter with an improving offensive line that has come together as the season has progressed. Running back Royce Freeman found his groove last week against Stanford, rushing for 111 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown. Quarterback Justin Herbert flashed his athleticism by running for 47 yards on 12 carries.

Players to watch 

Oregon
Brenden Schooler, S: Schooler will have to pull double duty this week on defense if Oregon is going to return to Eugene with a win. Not only will he have to play deep at safety and stay grounded on play-action passes, he will have to come up and fill the holes at the line of scrimmage. Utah running back Joe Williams is having a career season, but it will be up to Schooler to come up and fill the gaps, much like John Boyett and Erick Dargan used to do for the Ducks.

Brady Aiello, LT: Aiello will be matching up with Dimick, one of the most disruptive players in the Pac-12 this year. Dimick has an array of moves to get after the quarterback and cause havoc in the backfield so Aiello will have to play smart. Aiello will have to move his feet well and use his hands to engage Dimick rather than waiting for something to happen. If Aiello can limit Dimick throughout the game, Oregon could be off and running in this one.

Royce Freeman, RB: It hasn’t been the season Freeman wanted — that’s apparent. While his status for next year is still up in the air — he’s NFL draft eligible — this could be the last time Freeman shows NFL scouts what he can do against a talented defense. If the Freeman of old shows up by out-running linebackers and running over defensive backs, Oregon should be in good shape.

Utah
Hunter Dimick, DE: Much has already been made of Dimick so far, but it’s for good reason. Dimick leads the Pac-12 with 12 sacks while ranked second with 17.5 tackles for loss. He’s a force on the defensive line. He can either beat opposing tackles with a powerful bull-rush or use his hands to exploit leverages and go around them. Dimick’s play will be a deciding factor in this game.

Joe Williams, RB: Williams has been one of the surprises of the Pac-12 by averaging 156.5 yards per game on the season. He’s only played in six games after he retired from football earlier in the season before returning a month later. A running back with a unique blend explosiveness, speed and power, Williams has been arguably the Pac-12’s top running back this year.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

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As sophomore defensive back Ugo Amadi was leaving practice on Monday, he looked around and noticed someone was missing. Without even turning around, he started yelling “Arrion. Yo, Arrion.”

Amadi was in search of his friend, junior defensive back Arrion Springs.

Springs heard his name being called and quickly caught up with his teammate. Together, they shared a short laugh before heading into the locker room.

“Shoot, I don’t even know what it is about that kid but he’s awesome,” Amadi said of Springs. “When I first got here, we just clicked and since then, we teammates. We brothers.”

Although this may not seem like anything special since most people know Springs and Amadi to be inseparable, the circumstances surrounding the two players the last couple weeks showed how unbreakable their bond is.

Two weeks ago brought a position change involving Amadi and Springs. Amadi moved into the starting rotation — replacing his best friend.

“To be honest, Ugo has just played better as of late. … We feel he gives us a better chance to win,” defensive backs coach John Neal said. “Arrion has been in his ear about helping him out and always supporting him — that speaks to their relationship.”

Since the change, Springs has been Amadi’s biggest supporter.

“Without a doubt Arrion has been helping me,” Amadi said. “Every time I come off the field, he’s there for me talking about what was going on out there, what he saw and how I can always get better.”

Before the change, the teammates weren’t always in a position where one player would start and another would sit.

During Amadi’s freshman year, both players saw action as the starting cornerbacks for Oregon. They expected the same arrangement this year but Amadi was replaced in the starting lineup by Tyree Robinson.

“It was tough when I wasn’t starting anymore… that was brutal,” Amadi said. “But he (Arrion) never let me get down about it. He always kept pushing me to stay with it and be better — he’s a big reason why I’m where I’m at now.”

With the roles reversed on the field, Amadi has found himself helping Springs through his tough time. He remembers what it was like when you don’t see your name atop of the depth chart.

“I know where he’s at because I’ve been there,” Amadi said. “But Arrion won’t quit and he’ll just continue to fight. He’s a competitor and I know he’s coming for my spot… which is a good thing for us as a unit.”

What could’ve been a terrible situation between friends has ended up making the entire defensive backs group stronger. Instead of letting it bring him down, Springs has risen to the challenge.

“Arrion continues to work hard and push through it,” Neal said. “He’s one of our leaders.”

Regardless of who’s starting, both Amadi and Springs realize that they’re better football players with one another still supporting each other brothers. Above all else, that will never change — and the laughter will never stop.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

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The Ducks entered the 2016 season with questions on the offensive line. The unit had two returning starters and planned to start three redshirt freshmen.

Junior tackle Tyrell Crosby injured his foot and was lost for the season, tossing in another redshirt freshman into a starting role.

Crosby’s injury meant Oregon had to start one veteran, Cameron Hunt, and four young players: Brady Aiello, Shane Lemieux, Jake Hanson and Calvin Throckmorton.

“We’ve definitely had a lot of time to grow,” Hanson said. “From our first game to now, the amount of experience we’ve got has been the biggest thing for us to continue moving forward. It doesn’t feel like we are the young guys anymore. We feel like seasoned vets and each game is just another game.”

Two-thirds of the way through the season, it’s safe to say the unit has overachieved. What was once considered a question mark and potential downfall to Oregon’s high-octane offense has now turned into perhaps its most consistent position group.

“Learning how to compete, understanding how to compete and having confidence in themselves has really allowed this group to thrive,” offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. “The way they prepare every game has led to great chemistry and a group that will help lead us back to where we want to be.”

While outsiders might struggle with understanding how this unit has been able to gel so quickly, it comes as no surprise to Greatwood. Last year, all four of the redshirt freshmen played together on the scout team offensive line. It was there that they learned each others tendencies and how to communicate, something that has bene vital to their success.

Hanson, Oregon’s center, has been the anchor of the unit. He has been widely praised by coaches and teammates for his attention to detail and his unwavering demeanor. For a player who has been thrown into the fire from day one of this season, there has never been a situation that has been too big.

“I really haven’t seen him blink at all,” Greatwood said of Hanson. “He’s really just excepted and embrace this role as to what we need him to do. He has that presence about him where nothing seems to faze him and that demeanor he has is something I’ve never had to coach.”

Hunt is the veteran of the unit — the Duck who gives Oregon that extra edge when needed. His leadership alone has a calming effect on the team.

The other three guys all have personalities that do a great job of balancing out the rest of the line.

“We are a really close, tight-knit group on and off the field,” Hanson said. “Brady is more of the funny guy. Shane is the meathead country boy. Calvin is the smartest as a human physiology major, and Cam is the leader we’ve all needed.”

The offensive line is the driving force behind Oregon’s season averages so far: 248 rushing yards, 271 passing yards and 40.5 points per game. Though the Ducks are close to missing a bowl game, Oregon has set itself up for a successful 2017 on the offensive line as the unity learns to play together.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

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For the first time in over a month, the Oregon football team will approach an upcoming game after a win the previous week.

Last week, the Ducks broke their five-game losing streak with a 54-35 win in which true freshman quarterback Justin Herbert set a school record with 512 yards of total offense. On the other hand, USC has risen near the top of the Pac-12 South division amidst a current four-game winning streak.

Here are how the teams stack up:

OFFENSE

Oregon: After putting up a season high in points last week, it would seem as if Herbert is in full control of Oregon’s offense. Through his three games as starter, he’s completed 63.6 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. With All-American candidate Royce Freeman not playing well in the backfield, Tony Brooks-James has picked up the slack. Brooks-James has three 100-yard rushing games in his last five played with four total touchdowns.

The tight end group has re-emerged to live up to its preseason hype. Pharaoh Brown had his first 100-yard game of the season last week and Johnny Mundt has two touchdowns the last two weeks. Charles Nelson is averaging over six catches a game in the last four games with three touchdowns.

USC: Ever since Sam Darnold took over the starting quarterback role, the Trojans’ offense has improved. The unit is averaging 38.8 points in its last four games as Darnold has averaged four touchdown passes a game over that period. USC lost tailback Justin Davis to injury three weeks ago against Colorado, but Ronald Jones II has shouldered the load. Jones had 18 carries for 223 yards and two total touchdowns last week against Cal. USC hasn’t had to worry about wide receiver targets with Juju Smith-Schuster still on the roster. Much like last year, Smith-Schuster has dominated. He has 27 catches for 434 yards and six touchdowns over the past four games.

Advantage: USC

DEFENSE

Oregon: It’s no secret that Oregon has struggled mightily throughout the year — ranking among the worst 10 teams nationally of nearly every major defensive category. But last week, the defense took a step forward against ASU. The defense held the visitors to 35 points and 468 yards of offense. Linebacker Jimmie Swain continued his midseason surge with 13 tackles while Troy Dye had 10 tackles. Brenden Schooler added his third interception of the year last week to help seal the game. Against ASU, the Ducks improved their one-on-one tackles, a much needed plus ahead of this week’s matchup.

USC: The Trojans use an array of players to get after the quarterback and running back. No one player has more than six tackles for loss, yet seven players have at least three tackles for loss on the season. The same goes for USC’s defensive backs. Six players have an interception in 2016. Adoree Jackson and Iman Marshall anchor the defensive backfield for a unit that allows 222.1 passing yards per game. Linebacker Cameron Smith leads the push up the middle. So far, he has a team-high 55 tackles. All together, USC boasts a well-balanced unit that since its opening loss to No. 1 Alabama, has surrendered an average of just 20 points per game.

Advantage: USC

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka