27
7-4, 5-3
36
winner
9-1, 6-1
7-4, 5-3
27
36
winner
| team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
|
|
13 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 36 |
John McGillen
Match Review: Football | | Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Bo Nix threw for 412 yards and four touchdowns and No. 6 Oregon held off USC football’s late surge to secure a 36-27 victory Saturday night.
Tez Johnson caught seven passes for 126 yards and two scores, and Oregon totaled 552 yards on offense. It was the fourth straight win for the Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12, No. 6 CFP), who are undefeated at home.
Caleb Williams threw for 291 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score. USC (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12) has lost four of its last five games after winning the first six.
Austin Jones scored on a 13-yard dash late in the fourth quarter to put the Trojans up 36-27 with 3:44 left, but the two-point conversion failed and USC couldn’t get any closer.
.@rockwitaust get in!
📺: @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/5uiy6onFhj
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) November 12, 2023
The Trojans fell out of the AP top 25 for the first time in their coaching careers Lincoln Riley‘s tenure following a 52-42 loss to No. 5 Washington last weekend. USC has one more game next weekend against UCLA.
Under Nix’s leadership, Oregon is having arguably its best stretch of the season following a humiliating 36-33 loss to the Huskies on Oct. 14. Oregon’s fifth-year senior moved into the Heisman conversation with 29 passing touchdowns and five scoring runs. He was only intercepted twice.
Nix entered the game with a 78.1 completion percentage and was on pace to break the NCAA record of 77.4 set by Mac Jones at Alabama in 2021.
With just one loss, Oregon sits just behind the undefeated Huskies in the conference standings and has two games left – next week at Arizona State and at home on Thanksgiving weekend against rival Oregon State.
It was USC’s first game since firing defensive coordinator Alex Grinch on Sunday. The Trojans gave up 52 points and 572 yards in the loss to the Huskies. Defensive coach Shaun Nua and inside linebackers coach Brian Odom have been named USC’s co-defensive coordinators for the remainder of the season.
Injuries added to the defensive problems. Linebackers Eric GentryNickelback Jaylin Smith and cornerbacks Ceyair Wright And Jacobe Covington were all absent.
Oregon scored on its first series of the game. Nix found Johnson, who spun off a defender and raced down the field for a 77-yard reception. Johnson had 12 catches for 180 yards and two scores in the Ducks’ 63-19 win over California last week.
The Trojans responded with MarShawn Lloyd’s 5-yard scoring run before Nix combined with Troy Franklin for an 83-yard TD reception. Nix’s third touchdown of the night came on a 15-yard pass to Terrance Ferguson. The two-point conversion failed.
Camden Lewis kicked a 33-yard field goal to extend the Ducks’ lead, but Williams scored on a 2-yard keeper for the Trojans to make it 22-14 at halftime.
Johnson, who was taken in by Nix’s family as a teenager, added a 21-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.
Oregon running back Bucky Irving appeared to injure his left ankle in the third quarter, but was treated on the sideline, returned a short time later and ran for a 19-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Franklin caught two passes for 147 yards and a TD. Irving finished with 118 yards rushing.
Williams threw a 9-yard TD Brenden Rice in the fourth quarter to close the gap to 36-21.
Great pastime @BrendenRice ‼️
📺: @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/zryP4MHhzz
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) November 12, 2023
THE TAKING AWAY
USC: Lloyd returned after missing last week’s game against the Huskies with an undisclosed injury. He leads the Trojans with nine touchdowns this season. … USC was charged with using disturbing signals in the fourth quarter.
Oregon: It was the first time USC played at Autzen Stadium since 2015. … Oregon Heisman winner Marcus Mariota (2014) was at the game. … Oregon had 330 yards of offense in the first half alone. … The official number of visitors: 59,957.
NEXT
USC: Hosts rival UCLA on Saturday in the final game of the season. Tickets are sold out, but fans can still purchase verified resale tickets at SeatGeek.