No. 5 USC Favored By 3 Over No. 10 Oregon

NFL News - October 29th, 2009 - Written by Scott

No. 5 USC will have a chance on Saturday to keep their Pac-10 hopes alive as they travel to No. 10 Oregon on Saturday. The Trojans can force a three way tie for first in the conference if they can notch a win over the Ducks who are in sole possession of first place. USC (6-1, 3-1) is coming off a 42-36 win over Oregon State. Oregon routed Washington this past weekend to improve their record to 6-1 and 4-0 in Pac-10 play. The Trojans won last years matchup 44-10 and will look to repeat this year in hopes of obtaining their eighth straight conference title.

The Trojans' offense has steadily improved each week and true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley is maturing at a fast pace. They have gained over 400 yards in their past four games and are averaging 31 points per game this season. Barkley has thrown for 1,540 yards and 15 touchdowns this year. They are led in rushing by Joe McNight who has gained 917 yards and 7 touchdowns. Their receiving group will get a boost as Ronald Johnson has returned from a broken collarbone. Damian Williams has led the way in his absence and has 525 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns.

USC's defense has been shaky in their past two games after only allowing 238 yards and 9 points through their first five. They have not been able to close out games over the past two weeks and have allowed their opponents to score 14 points in the fourth quarter. They will need to play all four quarters against Oregon and their versatile offense.

Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is now healthy and the Ducks thrive when he is in the lineup. They are averaging 46 points and almost 500 total yards in his last three games. For the year, he has thrown for 905 yards and 5 touchdowns. He is also dangerous with his feet and has rushed for 272 yards and 7 touchdowns. Running back LaMichael James has stepped in nicely for suspended LeGarrette Blount. He has rushed for 735 yards and 6 touchdowns. The Ducks are gaining 210 yards per game on the ground, but they will be in for a fight to reach this mark against USC.

The Ducks have been impressive in their last four games. In three of these, they have held their opponents to 211 yards or less. Their young secondary will get a great test from USC's passing game and will need to come up big to force them to run.

For those of you who are doing a little bit of College Football Betting, USC comes into the game favored by 3 against the Ducks according to BetUS sportsbook.

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