Haley Sawyer (OC Register)  —  LOS ANGELES — USC receiver Tanook Hines had a breakout game in Oregon on Saturday, making six catches for a season-high 141 receiving yards in the 42-27 loss to the Ducks. His previous best was 67 receiving yards.

His one touchdown catch came from fellow receiver Makai Lemon on a trick play. Quarterback Jayden Maiava threw a lateral pass to Lemon, who slung a 24-yard pass in stride to Hines.

“The throw was unreal,” Hines said. “The chemistry was there. He knows where to put it. We automatically gelled.”

Hines, a true freshman, had the 14th-best Pro Football Focus receiving grade in the FBS for Week 13 at 80.7%.

He was the best-performing USC receiver that day. Ja’Kobi Lane’s height and reach created mismatches with defenders and helped him collect 108 receiving yards, but Oregon’s passing defense had cracked down on Lemon and only allowed him to accumulate 34 yards.

It was a welcome sign of measurable progress for Hines, who said on Tuesday that the college game has helped him improve his blocking and reading the defense. He’s also developed mentally, he said, which helped him in high-stakes games like Saturday’s.

“I already knew (pressure) was gonna be on the way,” he told reporters. “But I’ve been going through pressure since a child. So, like coming and seeing that – that’s nothing. It’s time for me to ball.”

Penalty problem returns

USC (8-3 overall, 6-2 Big Ten) matched its season-high in penalty yards in Saturday’s game at Oregon.

The Trojans were on the receiving end of eight calls, which amounted to 103 yards. It matched the total from their Week 3 victory over Purdue.

They had seemingly turned a corner from the discipline issues that had led to the loss of so much yardage in recent games. The Northwestern and Iowa games each had 30 penalty yards apiece.

The message among the team this week regarding the penalties has revolved around simplicity.

“It’s being able to dial back down on the little things, stick to the basics,” quarterback Jayden Maiava told reporters after practice on Tuesday. “Not do anything we’re not asked to do or out of the ordinary. Being able to be decisive in every decision that we make, and make sure it’s a winning decision. And to buy into the team more.”

The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty given to Hines for spinning the ball during a post-reception celebration didn’t keep USC from scoring later in the drive, but two other discipline-related penalties did impact the game.

Lane followed Oregon’s Ify Obidegwu to the sideline after he had intercepted a Maiava pass, wanting to get his team’s ball back. A crowd of Oregon players quickly followed when Lane grabbed Obidegwu’s shoulder pad, and he was quickly escorted away by an official and an Oregon coach.

USC has handed another unsportsmanlike penalty as a result, and Oregon moved up to the 44-yard line.

Unsportsmanlike and facemask calls had Oregon settling for a field goal on that drive, but a leaping flag on Desman Stephens gave the Ducks a fresh set of downs. Oregon then moved 13 yards down the field for a touchdown.

If high-running emotions in what some considered a West Coast supremacy game played a role in any of the discipline penalties, the Trojans aren’t saying.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Hines told reporters, after a long pause. “We’re on to the next. Steady grinding and steady competing.”

Biletnikoff finalist

Lemon is one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which recognizes the nation’s best college receiver.

Connecticut’s Skyler Bell and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith are the other two finalists.

Lemon’s 1,124 receiving yards and 102.2 receiving yards per game are the best among Power Four conference players and his 10 receiving touchdowns leads the Big Ten Conference.

USC has had one Biletnikoff Award winner in program history in Marquise Lee, who was recognized in 2012. Lee is currently back at USC completing his undergraduate degree.

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