Five questions Oregon Ducks will have to answer in Week 13 against USC

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It’s almost here. The much-anticipated matchup between the Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans is just a day away after a full week of preparation for both teams.

It’s the biggest, most significant game in college football in Week 13, ripe with College Football Playoff implications. The winner will be in the driver seat to make the CFP, while the loser — especially if it’s USC, as it would be their third loss — faces an extremely difficult uphill battle.

There are a number of key elements to this game, ranging from the star players on both sides, the weaker components that can potentially be exploited and the coaching battle between Oregon’s Dan Lanning and USC’s Lincoln Riley, two of the most well-known head men in the sport.

There are numerous questions as well. How will each team defend the opponents’ stars? Can the defenses step up and get pressure on the opposing quarterback?

Both of those questions will have to be answered, and they’re included in our weekly edition of five questions that the Ducks will have to answer in Week 13 against the Trojans.

How will the Ducks defend Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane?

It’s no secret that Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane are arguably the two best players on the Trojans roster. They make the offense go, with Lemon specifically garnering buzz for the Biletnikoff Award and elevating himself to near sure-fire first-round status in the 2026 draft. Lane isn’t far behind, also putting himself in position to be an early round pick.

Simply put, the duo has the ability to break the game open and win it single-handedly if given the chance — which makes how the Ducks defend them a very, very big deal.

The way I see it, there’s two options:

1) Place ace cover man Brandon Finney Jr. on Lemon, hoping that he can limit him by himself. In that case, give extra, but not an overwhelming amount of attention to Lane’s side, where a combination of cornerbacks Jadon Canady and Ify Obidegwu will likely try their hand.

2) Have Finney, who stands 6-foot-2, match up with Lane (6-foot-4) and take him out of the game while safeties Aaron Flowers and Dillon Thieneman provide significant attention to wherever Lemon lines up.

Both can be effective strategies if executed correctly. We may see a combination of both.

This is a question that will essentially be answered on the first drive of the game, as we’ll see exactly how defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi deploys Finney. But the real answer will come in how effective it is, which will progress through the entire game and greatly impact the outcome of the game.

Who wins the red zone battle — Trojans offense or Ducks defense?

When USC is on offense and reaches the red zone, keep a close eye on the ensuing plays. They might just decide the game when it’s all said and done.

The Trojans are excellent once they reach inside the 20-yard line, ranking No. 24 in the country with an even 70% touchdown rate. The Ducks on the other hand, rank near the bottom defensively, allowing 72.2% of their opponents’ red zone drives to result in touchdowns.

If an entire season’s resume is an indication, it’s not going to look too hot if USC can drive the ball down the field on Oregon’s offense and reach the red zone. While it’s still a question of if they can do it consistently, they’re going to get there at least two or three times.

What happens when they get there will be intriguing. Forcing two field goals and allowing one touchdown on three red zone trips would almost assuredly end in a Ducks win. Allow three touchdowns on three red zone trips and it gets a bit hairy.

How effective will the Ducks’ run game be?

It’s hard to imagine this rushing attack not being effective. After all, USC is entering as the 63rd-best rushing defense in the country, allowing 145.8 yards per game on the ground. Oregon’s rushing offense ranks eighth, amassing 233.6 rushing yards per game.

The advantage clearly points towards the Ducks winning this battle — and if they do, they could easily run away with this one, literally and figuratively.

The one thing, and it’s been highlighted multiple times in recent weeks in this piece, is offensive coordinator Will Stein avoiding his propensity of getting too cute with his play calls. This is not a game that can have a Cooper Perry fumble on a hook-and-latter. Nor should anyone besides quarterback Dante Moore put the ball in the air.

This is a classic time for the Ducks to lean into tried-and-true Big Ten football: running it right into the teeth of the defense. Against a weak Trojans front, it should be successful. And if it isn’t early on, Stein needs to continue to dial up runs — it will pop at some point.

Can the Ducks get pressure on Jayden Maiava?

Statistically, Oregon’s pass rush has been among the bottom third in the country. Overall, and headlined by a front four of Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti, Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington, the Ducks have totaled just 18 sacks in ten games.

It’s a disappointing mark considering the talent amongst those four, yet they have a golden opportunity to redeem themselves on Saturday. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava has a tendency to try to do too much, scrambling out of the pocket and trying to do Caleb Williams things without quite possessing Williams’ talent.

But it won’t be easy. USC’s offensive line is more than solid, as they’re tied with the Ducks with having given up just 12 sacks thus far. They’re talented and move well, but they aren’t the most physical group.

If the Ducks can consistently get their hands on Maiava, take him down and rattle him, it’d be huge towards their chances of coming away with a much-needed victory.

Will Dante Moore play within himself?

Last week against Minnesota, Moore was nails. He set a program record by completing 27 of 30 passes, equaling a 90% completion rate. And while he was accurate and made sound decisions, his pass catchers made a number of tremendous receptions.

We’ve come to know Moore as someone who doesn’t get too high or too low, and that’s extremely important that he doesn’t do that here. There’s a slight possibility that he comes out forcing things, trying to one-up his last performance and show a national audience that he’s the best quarterback in college football.

But the Ducks don’t need that. In fact, they don’t need it in the slightest.

They could lean on the defense and running game and be alright, in some cases grinding out a closely-contested victory. But when they’re at their best, it’s combination of the rushing attack and Moore completing deep shots down the field off of extended play-action fakes. It’s finding standout tight end Kenyon Sadiq. It’s checking it down when the defense is willing to give that up.

It’s Moore playing within himself and not thinking that he has to do too much, because he doesn’t. We’ll see how it all plays out.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Five questions for Oregon Ducks to answer in Week 13 against USC

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