The Ducks could lose tonight. It's not a jinx to admit that, not a curse, not a prediction. To win they have to solve the Trojan's passing game and limit breakdowns and big plays, have to avoid missed assignments and missed tackles, keep the Trojans from gathering momentum and sustaining the emotional energy they've built up in two weeks of preparing for and answering questions about the Ducks.
They don't think Oregon is very good. Defensive tackle Jurrell Casey said so, and assistant coach John Baxter announced it to the crowd at the USC jock rally in Heritage Hall:
"Just let it be known that we are SC," he said. "We'll always be SC. And they'll always be Ducks."
That's a pretty emphatic diss. The Ducks don't resort to cheap emotional ploys, but it's pretty clear that two years of mediocrity have done nothing to curb the Trojans' confidence, which still borders on arrogance. This is a team that lost four conference games last year, that was hit hard this summer by NCAA sanctions and lost 30 scholarships, and is just 2-2 in the league this season. They are the defending champions of nothing, still talking like the king of the hill
Even so, they still have talent. They are easily the most talented offense the Webfoots have yet played. Oregon will need their best defensive effort of the year to win, and Chip Kelly's vaunted offense will have to adjust quickly to the stunts, gap-shooting and pressure Monte Kiffin has been scheming for three weeks. While coaching for Tennessee last year he held Tim Tebow and Florida to 23 points, and no doubt he's worn out his seat in the video room studying what Arizona State and Ohio State did to the Ducks. He'll have his players flying around. The offensive line has to block them, and Darron Thomas and LaMichael James have to get them flying in the wrong direction, or ground them altogether.
Word is the Ducks will come out in silver and white uniforms, and the contrast could not be greater. USC will come adorned in their tradition, in cardinal and gold, with the white horse and the spear and the band blaring "Conquest" and "Fight On." They are SC. The Ducks are the new kid in town, the flavor of the month, the trendy, flashy interloper with the gimmicky offense. The Trojans are eager to assert themselves, to mug into the camera in the fourth quarter, to be interviewed after the game spouting jubilant sentences that start with "We knew if we came right at them..."
Tonight we'll find out if the dreams of Oregon fans are alive, or postponed again. At 7-0 the Ducks have done everything necessary to reach the pinnacle of excellence. Will they answer the bell, answer the questions, quiet the critics? Robert Smith of ESPN said again on Friday the Oregon defense was a fraud. Yet he picked them to win the game. The pundits are divided, but everyone who says they'll lose cites the defense as the reason. Many think the Ducks aren't ready for this next step, that they'll be beaten, intimidated and overwhelmed by the Trojans talent, speed, size and ability. They think SC found themselves in the victory over California, and they'll treat this game like their Super Bowl, a battle to rediscover the Trojan pride and mystique.
The Ducks have prepared for this game like any other, and have declined to spout off in the media. They've shown respect for the opponent, and they've been focused and purposeful in practice. While USC was overhauling their defensive schemes and tweeting bold predictions, they were watering the bamboo in their accustomed way.
We'll see which approach works better. Kickoff is 5 p.m. on ABC.
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