USC v. Oregon State Line

Written by Jason Lowry

This Thursday college football will be bringing you some great action, as #1 ranked USC Trojans get ready to take on the Oregon State Beavers in a Pac 10 showdown. Both teams had the previous weekend, off and that gives both coaches plenty of time to prepare and scheme for their opponent this weekend. One thing is the Beavers come in just 1-2 after a lopsided win over Hawaii in their most recent game, while the Trojans (2-0) look like they just might be in a class of their own this season, after their most recent whooping of Ohio State 35-3. This is a probably what the odds makers were thinking when they came with the totals for this one, as the Trojans currently sit at 25 point favorites over the Beavers.

The Trojans look like they just might be the fastest team in football, after the way the manhandled the Buckeyes. Quarterback Mark Sanchez really showed off his skills against a pretty solid Buckeyes defense when he threw for 178 yards and 4 touchdowns. While over a handful of different running backs had carries in this one, Joe McKnight was the star running just 12 times for 105 yards. The Trojans leading receivers against the Big Ten powerhouse were Stanley Havili who had 5 catches for 49 yards and a score, and Damian Williams who also had 49 yards, but found the endzone twice in this one. So far in two games the offense has put up nearly 90 points and its going to be tough for any team to keep up with those kind of numbers. Oregon State will need a slight miracle to keep this offense in check.

The thing that really makes this team the best in the country right now, is the fact that their defense is nearly as good as their offense. After holding Virginia to just 7 points on the road, and then literally shutting down the Buckeyes for just 3 points, this defense has been awesome. The Buckeyes barley scratched out 200 yards of total offense and wound up forcing 3 turnovers as well, including a 48 yard interception return by star linebacker Rey Maualuga. The Buckeyes were without their star back Beanie Wells, but its hard to imagine he was going to play big enough to change this score around. Oregon State really has no chance to win this game, but they have had plenty of time to find any holes that might exist in this Trojan defense.

That leads us to the Beavers offense, where they finally got in rolling last week against Hawaii. Freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers had a big game in this one, running 26 times for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns. But the Beavers weren’t just getting it done on the ground, as quarterback Lyle Moevao got it going throwing for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 3 different receiver hauling in the scores. Shane Morales led the way with a touchdown and 93 yards, but James Rodgers had 76 and a score, while Sammie Stroughter had 42 yards and a score. If the Beavers want to stay in this one they are going to have to try and beat the Trojans through the air, but its likely easier said than done.

The Beaver defense really doesn’t come in with much of a shot in this one, so expect them to play hard in front of the home crowd early, but really ware down by the 3rd and 4th quarters. Even though they held Hawaii to just 7 points last week, you have to remember this unit gave up 36 in week 1 against Stanford and followed that up by giving up 45 to Penn State. The Trojans will score and they will score a bunch, its just a matter of how much before the clock run out. If the Beavers want a fighting chance in this one they not only have to win the turnover battle, but they have to have their offense keep the Trojan offense off the field. That will be their best defense in this one.

Predicted Score: USC 35 Oregon State 10

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