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USC Trojans @ Oregon State Beavers Football Preview

For all of Pete Carroll’s successes, the former USC head coach never had it easy playing in the state of Oregon.

The Northwest became especially troublesome for Carroll in the last four years, as he went 0-4 since 2006 in road trips to Oregon and Oregon State.

Lane Kiffin will have his shot at turning around the streak that his mentor started when USC travels to Reser Stadium on Saturday to play Oregon State at 5 p.m. PT.

This year may provide the Trojans their best shot at beating the Beavers in their stadium. Oregon State is coming off a disastrous 31-14 loss at home to Washington State, which had lost its previous 16 Pac-10 games. The Beavers must win two of their last three games to become bowl eligible.

And with Stanford and Oregon still to come, the game is a must win for Mike Riley.

Oregon State has also lost three of its last four games.

But past wins in Reser Stadium against USC have frequently come as a surprise from a supposedly overmatched team. The Beavers’ offensive speed and unique style have given the Trojans plenty of trouble in recent years.

USC won’t have to worry about James Rodgers, who has compiled plenty of highlight reel footage against the Trojans during his time. The senior receiver is out for the year.

Jacquizz Rodgers has proved to be equally as problematic for the Trojans, if not moreso. The diminutive junior will try to get back on track and lead a rushing attack that ranks only 94 th in the country with 123 yards per game.

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Santa Monica native Ryan Katz will try to knock follow in the footsteps of Matt Moore, Lyle Moevao and Sean Canfield, who all gained fame with impressive performances against USC.

With temperatures peaking in the 40s and rain expected, both teams’ running games are expected to take center stage. The timing is right for USC, with Marc Tyler coming off a 160-yard day against Arizona. Tyler is expected to once again earn the bulk of the carries, with Allen Bradford having fallen out of favor due to fumbling issues.

Stopping the ground game could be an issue for the Beavers. Oregon State gave up 221 yards and three touchdowns last week as Washington State seldom opted to pass.

USC’s offensive gameplan will likely resemble the one it employed against Arizona. Matt Barkley finished with his lowest yardage output of the season, but the Trojans’ ball control offense kept USC comfortably ahead for most of the game.

Kiffin will need Barkley to be even more careful with the ball after throwing his ninth interception of the season last week.

By Mike Schwartz
DFN Sports Staff Writer