Oregon Travels to USC For Top-25 Matchup

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EUGENE - The University of Oregon football team (7-2 overall, 4-2 Pacific-10 Conference) goes back on the road this week to face USC (7-1, 5-1) at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Ducks are entering unfamiliar territory as they have not faced the Trojans in Los Angeles since the 2000 season and not one current Oregon player was on the roster that season. In fact, under 12th-year head coach Mike Bellotti, Oregon has played in the Coliseum just twice (1997, 2000). After having their 27-game Pac-10 win streak snapped by Oregon State three weeks ago, the Trojans rebounded with a 42-0 win over Stanford last week while the Ducks are looking for their third consecutive win this week.

TELEVISION/RADIO INFORMATION:

LIVE TELECAST: FSN: Barry Thompkins, Petros Papadakis, Jim Watson

LIVE BROADCAST: Westwood One: Kevin Kugler, Terry Bowden

LOCAL BROADCAST: Oregon Sports Network, 6:00 PM (PST): Jerry Allen, Mike Jorgensen, Jay Allen

DELAYED TELECAST: Oregon Sports Network, 11:30 PM (PST): Joe Giansante, Anthony Newman

QUICKLY:

• Under head coach Mike Bellotti, Oregon has traveled to USC only twice and is 1-1 in those games, winning 28-17 in 2000 and losing 24-22 in 1997.

• During Bellotti’s tenure, USC and Oregon have played just seven times, missing each other in 1995, 1996, 2003 and 2004. Bellotti is 4-3 vs. USC.

• The Ducks are 1-2 on the road vs. Pac-10 teams this season.

• USC has won 30-straight home games. Its last loss was Sept. 29, 2001 to Stanford (21-16).

• It’s been so long since the Ducks last played USC in the Memorial Coliseum (2000) that Oregon’s nine fifth-year seniors would have been high school juniors during its last visit.

THE SERIES:

The Trojans lead the series over Oregon, 35-15-2, but Oregon is 4-3 in the last seven meetings.Oregon’s margin of victory in those four wins is five points, including a 33-30 triple overtime win in 1999 — the Ducks’ only triple overtime win in school history. Under Bellotti, Oregon’s largest margin of victory was 11 points when it won 28-17 in 2000.

WHAT’S HAPPENED SO FAR - OREGON IN THE FIRST EIGHT GAMES:

• Jonathan Stewart has 798 rushing yards this season, surpassing Terrence Whitehead’s total (679) from all of last season.

• Jonathan Stewart has 1,187 all purpose yards...He had over 200 total yards in three games (Stanford, Oklahoma, UCLA) and has rushed for over 100 yards on five occasions.

• The Ducks have been in the red zone 48 times this season and have scored 41 times (85.4%) — 31 TDs, 10 FG

• The Ducks had a 100-yard receiver in seven consecutive games — the most ever in school history -- before having the streak snapped last week vs. Washington.

• Wide receiver Jaison Williams has five 100-yard receiving games this season and needs one more to break the single-season record. He is currently tied with Damon Griffin (1998) and Pat Johnson (1997).

• Defensively, the Ducks lead the league in pass defense, allowing 142.1 yards per game (sixth nationally), and trail only USC in total defense -- 287.8 avg. -- (23rd in the country).

• The Duck defense did not allow an offensive touchdown at Arizona State and held UCLA’s offense to just two field goals until the fourth quarter. Oregon held PSU scoreless in the second half.

• Oregon ranks first in the Pac-10 (ninth nationally) in rushing offense (205.7 ypg), first in total offense (fifth nationally) with 456.2 ypg, tied for first in scoring offense, averaging 36.3 points per game (T6th nationally) and fourth in passing offense (250.4).

SCOUTING USC:

• Head Coach Pete Carroll is 17-0 in the month of November since arriving at USC.

• The Trojans have won 30-consecutive home games.

• Included in those wins are 21 straight conference victories.

• Quarterback John David Booty leads the Pac-10 in passing at 245.8 yards per game and has been picked off just five times in eight games, while tossing 19 TD passes.

• As a team, the Trojans’ defense ranked 18th nationally, allowing 281.63 yards per game.

USC LAST WEEK VS. STANFORD:

Southern California bounced back from its first regular season loss in more than three years with a 42-0 win over Stanford. John David Booty threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter and Terrell Thomas scored on a 71-yard blocked field goal. It was the Trojans’ most lopsided victory of the season. Booty went 12-for-21 for 203 yards, Dwayne Jarrett caught five passes for 118 yards and a touchdown, and the Trojans finally had a laugher after sweating it out until the end the previous four games. Those games were all decided by seven points or fewer, including the loss to the Beavers. The Trojans hadn’t won by more than 18 points since blowing out Arkansas 50-14 in the season opener. USC put the game away in a span of less than a minute early in the second quarter. After Booty connected with Steve Smith on a 10-yard pass on fourth-and-4 from the 31, he found Jarrett in the corner of the end zone for a 21-yard TD on the next play to make it 14-0. Wopamo Osaisai, who was beat on the touchdown pass, fumbled the ensuing kickoff when Keith Rivers ripped the ball out of his hands, giving the Trojans the ball on the 7. Booty hit Smith on the next play to make it 21-0 with 13:14 to play in the half. USC ended the half with a 98-yard drive capped by Booty’s 2-yard TD pass to Fred Davis with 55 seconds left.

THE LAST TIME - USC 45, OREGON 13 - EUGENE, ORE.:

Game Recap: Matt Leinart threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns and top-ranked USC trailed early but took over in the second half to beat No. 24 Oregon, 45-13. The Ducks jumped out to an early 13-0 lead and clung to a 13-10 halftime advantage, but the Trojans scored 35 unanswered points in the second half. Leinart, who was completing 75 percent of his passes going into the game, didn’t even make half of his attempts in the first half, but the Heisman Trophy winner finished 23-of-39 with an interception. Reggie Bush caught a scoring pass and ran for another and finished with 20 carries for 122 yards, and three catches for 43 yards. Dewayne Jarrett added eight catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. LenDale White ran for 111 yards and two scores. Kellen Clemens made 15 of 30 passes for 168 yards and one TD for Oregon. Paul Martinez kicked at 37-yard field goal to put the Ducks ahead 3-0 early in the game and on USC’s subsequent possession, Leinart’s pass intended for Jarrett was intercepted by Aaron Gipson in the end zone and returned 38 yards. Oregon capitalized on the turnover with Clemens’ 36-yard touchdown pass Demetrius Williams.Martinez added a 48-yarder to make it 13-0 before the Trojans got going with Leinart’s 19-yard scoring pass to Bush and the Trojans tossed a shutout in the second half.

STATISTICAL LEADERS – OREGON:

Rushing: Jonathan Stewart (134 carries for 798 yards, 7 TD, 63 long, 6.0 per carry)

Passing: Dennis Dixon (158 of 257 for 1803 yards, 11 TD, 9 INT, 67 long, 200.3 per game)

Receiving: Jaison Williams (56 catches for 858 yards, 6 TD, 67 long, 95.3 per game)

Tackles: Blair Phillips (84 total, 8.0 for loss of 26 yards)

Sacks: Darius Sanders (6.0 for 50 yards)

Tackles for Loss: Darius Sanders (8.0 for 54 yards)

Interceptions: Jairus Byrd (4 interceptions for 30 yards)

Punt Returns: Jeremiah Johnson (13 returns for 127 yards, 27 long, 9.8 avg.)

Kickoff Returns: Jonathan Stewart (12 returns for 313 yards, 54 long, 26.1 avg.)

STATISTICAL LEADERS – USC:

Rushing: Chauncey Washington (117 carries for 555 yards, 5 TD, 23 long, 69.4 ypg)

Passing: John David Booty (167 of 267 for 1966 yards, 19 TD, 5 INT, 53 long, 245.8 ypg)

Receiving: Steve Smith (42 catches for 698 yards, 7 TD, 53 long, 87.2 ypg)

Tackles: Rey Manaluga (56 total, 3.5 for loss of 16 yard, 1 sack, 0 forced fumbles)

Sacks: Dallas Sartz (3.0 for 21 yards)

Tackles for Loss: Sedrick Ellis (5.0 for 26 yards)

Interceptions: Terrell Thomas (2 INTs for 7 yards)

Punt Returns: Desmond Reed (12 returns for 50 yards, 4.2 avg., 11 long, 0 TD)

Kickoff Returns: C.J. Gable (11 returns for 285 yards, 25.9 avg., 55 long)

ON THE RUN:

After running for 16 touchdowns all of last year, Oregon already has scored 22 TDs on the ground in 2006. That’s the most rushing scores the Ducks have accumulated in one season since 2002 (21) and only the 14th time since 1952 that Oregon has amassed as many as 20 rushing touchdowns in one season. In fact, the Ducks have registered more pedestrian trips into the end zone than this year on only four occasions in the past 53 years, led by 26 scores via the run in 1996.

WILLIAMS FINALIST FOR BILETNIKOFF AWARD:

Senior wide receiver Jaison Williams was not on the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which honors the nation’s top receiver, but with five 100-yard receiving games this season, Williams was listed as one of 14 finalists. Williams is one of four Pac-10 players on the finalists list, including DeSean Jackson (California), Dwayne Jarrett (USC) and Steve Smith (USC).

BELLOTTI VS. THE TOP-25:

Oregon has accumulated a 21-20 record vs. opponents ranked among the nation’s Top 25 in Mike Bellotti’s 12th season at the Ducks’ helm, including a 10-7 record in Autzen Stadium. A year ago, Bellotti’s teams tallied a 3-1 ledger against the nation’s elite, with the lone setback coming at the hands of national runner-up USC. Oregon is 1-1 in such instances in 2006, defeating then-No. 15 Oklahoma (34-33) while losing at 16th-ranked California (45-24). When the scope is narrowed to encompass opponents ranked among the nation’s Top-10, Bellotti’s record drops to 5-8. The Ducks have played 23 games under Bellotti where both Oregon and its opponent where ranked among the Top 25, with the Ducks accumulating a 14-9 mark on those occasions. In those previous 23 appearances between two ranked foes, Oregon was able to pull the “upset” six of 10 times as the lower-ranked participant. The Ducks’ latest triumph over a Top-10 foe was over third-ranked Michigan (31-27) in Eugene in 2003, with the last time that occurred on the opponent’s home field being in 1997 (31-28 win over #6 Washington).

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