Can USC and Lincoln Riley halt Oregon State’s perfect red-zone streak?
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — Less than two minutes remained on the clock — a comfortable, four-touchdown win over Fresno State long ago secured — but as USC lined up for one final stand with its back against the end zone last Saturday, no one seemed to have told its defense.
Instead of coasting to the finish line, USC mounted one of its strongest defensive stands of the season, stopping three straight rushes inside the two-yard-line to force a turnover on downs. Afterward, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley called it his favorite sequence of the game.
“That’s what we’re about,” Riley said. “No matter who thinks the game is over, it all matters to us. If you’re going to be a champion, it’s gotta all matter. For our guys to get that stop right there at the end to close the game was as meaningful as anything that happened tonight.”
A similar effort near the goal line could prove especially meaningful Saturday, when USC meets Oregon State in Corvallis for a crucial early Pac-12 tilt. The Beavers have scored on all 14 red-zone trips this season. Only four schools (Michigan, Clemson, Vanderbilt and Tennessee) have more red-zone conversions, while still boasting a perfect conversion rate.
On account of their defense’s struggles between the 20s, the Trojans already have weathered 13 trips into the red zone. But while opposing offenses have had no trouble getting there, USC’s effort inside the 20s has kept them from accomplishing much when they do.
Just seven of those 13 trips (54%) have resulted in points, a rate that sets USC apart as one of the top red-zone defenses in college football through three games. No other defense that’s faced double-digit red-zone trips has held opponents to anything lower than a 60% success rate.
That probably isn’t sustainable, especially against an offense such as Oregon State‘s, which boasts one of the better rushing attacks in the conference.
“It’s just battling, not giving in, having the awareness about you to make them run another play,” USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said. “There’s no magic. You sometimes wish there was, but give our guys credit, we’ve held up in situations so far. But they’re a little different animal in the red zone this week.”
It starts with Oregon State’s rushing attack. The Beavers lead the Pac-12 — and rank eighth in the nation — with 11 rushing touchdowns through three games. The threat of the run sets up the perfect play-action scenario for quarterback Chance Nolan (10), who threw four touchdowns against USC in a dominant win for Oregon State last season.
“They’ve been efficient but we have too,” Riley said about the red zone. “We’ve been stingy against the run down there. We’ve defended well. We’ve gotten turnovers. We’ve gotten fourth-down stops. Both teams have done the things you need to do well, and it’s going to be strength versus strength. There will be some moments like that in this football game, and they’ll be pivotal moments.”
Oregon State won’t be able to turn to tight end Luke Musgrave in those moments. The Beavers top receiver through two games will miss the game because of an injury.
But Oregon State is likely to once again use linebacker Jack Colletto in short-yardage situations around the goal line. Colletto already has three touchdowns this season in six carries.
The best weapon against Oregon State’s red-zone offense might be to keep them out of the red zone. But that part has been the problem for USC’s defense this season.
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Yes, Big-Time Revenge is definitely on USC’s mind OCR (Adam Grosbard) — “USC (3-0, 1-0 in Pac-12) hit a painful rock bottom last season. It wasn’t just the 4-8 record, but the historic magnitude of the losses the Trojans suffered. “BYU’s first win at the Coliseum. UCLA scoring 62 points, the Bruins’ most in the history of the crosstown rivalry. Utah’s first road win over USC since 1916, prior to the Coliseum’s construction. “And of course, Oregon State’s first win at the Coliseum since 1960. “And it’s hard to forget a loss to the Beavers in which the USC defense… Read more »
OSU is playing decent football with decent talent and inspiration. USC is playing lights out football with exceptional talent and fierce determination. It won’t be that close. Always remember USC finally has coaches that know how to make adjustments.
Just now on ESPN halftime of Syracuse vs Virginia (Talking about SC starting to get more coverage) of ALL the games on tomorrow…..1st game they previewed ??? ….. USC vs ORE State …..Fight On !!!!!
Colin Cowherd — “Corvallis has always been a thorn in everybody’s side, or USC’s side. It doesn’t matter who the coach is. Pete Carroll got beat there with one of his best teams ever. It’s late night in a small stadium, really loud. Oregon State’s got a very good coach. Excellent corners. Probably the 2nd or 3rd best O-line in the conference. They can play ball control. My guess is USC wins, covers barely, 34-27. “The best tight end at Oregon State is out. Their best running back is out. So I think it’s a scary night for Trojan fans.… Read more »
Isn’t it fun to be relevant again? SC is definitely must watch TV. I disagree slightly with Colin about the D talent: I think Tuli, Gentry and maybe of couple of the DBs may be NFL level talent. Shane Lee may also make an NFL roster. I also think that only Tuli and Gentry and maybe Blackmon are capable of starting in the NFL. I do agree that the DL has only one NFL caliber player on it. We need Gentry to have a game like Adrian Young had against ND (12 tackles and 4 interceptions). And we need Caleb… Read more »
I’ve never been to Corvallis, so I don’t know anything about the noise factor. Maybe someone who has personally seen USC play the Beavers there has can chime in on this. Regardless of the noise, I expect USC’s gonna have its hands full with a tough team and a very excited Beaver fan base who think USC’s D can be exploited and beaten. It’s amazing how much overall fan interest USC generates wherever it goes when the Trojans have a good team. It’s clearly good for the sport when USC is strong. What we have coming up here in Corvallis… Read more »
People keep confusing this year’s team with last year’s team. I understand it a bit, but in my lifetime USC has never been worried about Oregon State. They’re Oregon State for crying out loud. They had an impressive win against…Montana State. So while they shouldn’t be over looked, I just don’t see all the hype and worry about playing the beavers. USC own a 62-12-4 record against Oregon State. I’ve seen the term overrated when discussing the Trojans, as much as I have seen “high powered” to describe the OSU offense. USC might not be ready to beat Alabama yet,… Read more »
Rialto, This is probably the best team Oregon State a has fielded since the Great Pumpkin roamed its sidelines and Bill Enyart thundered on its stadium. And remember,”it’s only Oregon State” beat one of PC’s best teams in Corvallis. I am really looking forward to this contest. I subscribed to Futol so I could watch it!
RJJ did you forget about the years 2001-2002 under Dennis Erickson and a certain QB Jonathan Smith that almost went undefeated and ripped Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl? My boss was a OL on the 1962 OSU team and later and still brags about shutting down MG in the mud-bowl that year. And yes, “wild Bill earthquakes Enyart was a bulldozer RB. He had to weight some 250-260 lbs and had surprising speed.
This USC at ORE ST affair this weekend in Corvallis has turned into a real national spotlight game despite its 7:30 PT time slot. The Beavers are ALL fired up about their unusual 3-0 start, and their shot at derailing the upstart Trojans.
And a win by the Beavers would give them their only two-win streak over USC since the teams first played in the dark ages, 1914 and 1916.
Either ESPN’s GameDay or Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff should be at this game.
Chris’ post in the prior thread was a clue as to attention this game is drawing. Per ESPN, more money has been bet on this game than any NFL game in Week 3. Again, a real shame it is starts at 10:30 pm EST on the Pac 12 network. Most will read about it in the morning paper. 80% of the nation leaves in the Central and Eastern time zones and very few of them get the Pac 12 Network. I repeat the thread on the Board, gross Conference mismanagement.
USC’s getting more attention from the media about its unfavorable time slot and P12-Network packaging than some schools get over a prime-time gig. ORE ST is also attracting quite a lot of upset predictions, adding a great amount of fuel to the fire.
“That’s what we’re about,” Riley said. “No matter who thinks the game is over, it all matters to us. If you’re going to be a champion, it’s gotta all matter. For our guys to get that stop right there at the end to close the game was as meaningful as anything that happened tonight.”
It starts with Oregon State’s rushing attack. The Beavers lead the Pac-12 — and rank eighth in the nation — with 11 rushing touchdowns through three games. The threat of the run sets up the perfect play-action scenario for quarterback Chance Nolan (10), who threw four touchdowns against USC in a dominant win for Oregon State last season.
Yes, Big-Time Revenge is definitely on USC’s mind OCR (Adam Grosbard) — “USC (3-0, 1-0 in Pac-12) hit a painful rock bottom last season. It wasn’t just the 4-8 record, but the historic magnitude of the losses the Trojans suffered. “BYU’s first win at the Coliseum. UCLA scoring 62 points, the Bruins’ most in the history of the crosstown rivalry. Utah’s first road win over USC since 1916, prior to the Coliseum’s construction. “And of course, Oregon State’s first win at the Coliseum since 1960. “And it’s hard to forget a loss to the Beavers in which the USC defense… Read more »
OSU is playing decent football with decent talent and inspiration. USC is playing lights out football with exceptional talent and fierce determination. It won’t be that close. Always remember USC finally has coaches that know how to make adjustments.
Report: Nebraska’s Going To Make ‘Kitchen Sink’ Offer To Dave Aranda
“We can add another candidate to the mix for Nebraska’s head coaching gig.
“On a recent episode of the ‘Locked On Baylor’ podcast, Drake Toll revealed what he was told by one of his sources.
“According to Toll’s source, Nebraska will ‘give the kitchen sink’ to Baylor head coach Dave Aranda.”
thespun.com
If I were Nebraska AD I would take guys who are program builders. If they can throw the kitchen sinkat somebody, any of these guys should be a target.
Just now on ESPN halftime of Syracuse vs Virginia (Talking about SC starting to get more coverage) of ALL the games on tomorrow…..1st game they previewed ??? ….. USC vs ORE State …..Fight On !!!!!
The Athletic Experts picks against the spread (USC -6.5)
Brody Miller, Austin Mock, Dan Santaromita and Chris Vannini all pick ORE ST to beat the spread.
Ari Wasserman picks USC.
theathletic.com
The bookies are going to clean up on all the suckers taking OSU.
Colin Cowherd — “Corvallis has always been a thorn in everybody’s side, or USC’s side. It doesn’t matter who the coach is. Pete Carroll got beat there with one of his best teams ever. It’s late night in a small stadium, really loud. Oregon State’s got a very good coach. Excellent corners. Probably the 2nd or 3rd best O-line in the conference. They can play ball control. My guess is USC wins, covers barely, 34-27. “The best tight end at Oregon State is out. Their best running back is out. So I think it’s a scary night for Trojan fans.… Read more »
Isn’t it fun to be relevant again? SC is definitely must watch TV. I disagree slightly with Colin about the D talent: I think Tuli, Gentry and maybe of couple of the DBs may be NFL level talent. Shane Lee may also make an NFL roster. I also think that only Tuli and Gentry and maybe Blackmon are capable of starting in the NFL. I do agree that the DL has only one NFL caliber player on it. We need Gentry to have a game like Adrian Young had against ND (12 tackles and 4 interceptions). And we need Caleb… Read more »
Give Bullock another season and he will go nfl.
Is the stadium going to be that loud this year. Isn’t down like a third of the seats for construction?
I’ve never been to Corvallis, so I don’t know anything about the noise factor. Maybe someone who has personally seen USC play the Beavers there has can chime in on this. Regardless of the noise, I expect USC’s gonna have its hands full with a tough team and a very excited Beaver fan base who think USC’s D can be exploited and beaten. It’s amazing how much overall fan interest USC generates wherever it goes when the Trojans have a good team. It’s clearly good for the sport when USC is strong. What we have coming up here in Corvallis… Read more »
People keep confusing this year’s team with last year’s team. I understand it a bit, but in my lifetime USC has never been worried about Oregon State. They’re Oregon State for crying out loud. They had an impressive win against…Montana State. So while they shouldn’t be over looked, I just don’t see all the hype and worry about playing the beavers. USC own a 62-12-4 record against Oregon State. I’ve seen the term overrated when discussing the Trojans, as much as I have seen “high powered” to describe the OSU offense. USC might not be ready to beat Alabama yet,… Read more »
Correct, over rated should be applied to the Beavers and high powered is certainly the Trojan offense.
They don’t realize the first half of the Fresno game they were inefficient and still built a nice lead. The second half was a well oiled machine.
Rialto, This is probably the best team Oregon State a has fielded since the Great Pumpkin roamed its sidelines and Bill Enyart thundered on its stadium. And remember,”it’s only Oregon State” beat one of PC’s best teams in Corvallis. I am really looking forward to this contest. I subscribed to Futol so I could watch it!
RJJ did you forget about the years 2001-2002 under Dennis Erickson and a certain QB Jonathan Smith that almost went undefeated and ripped Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl? My boss was a OL on the 1962 OSU team and later and still brags about shutting down MG in the mud-bowl that year. And yes, “wild Bill earthquakes Enyart was a bulldozer RB. He had to weight some 250-260 lbs and had surprising speed.
This USC at ORE ST affair this weekend in Corvallis has turned into a real national spotlight game despite its 7:30 PT time slot. The Beavers are ALL fired up about their unusual 3-0 start, and their shot at derailing the upstart Trojans.
And a win by the Beavers would give them their only two-win streak over USC since the teams first played in the dark ages, 1914 and 1916.
Either ESPN’s GameDay or Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff should be at this game.
Chris’ post in the prior thread was a clue as to attention this game is drawing. Per ESPN, more money has been bet on this game than any NFL game in Week 3. Again, a real shame it is starts at 10:30 pm EST on the Pac 12 network. Most will read about it in the morning paper. 80% of the nation leaves in the Central and Eastern time zones and very few of them get the Pac 12 Network. I repeat the thread on the Board, gross Conference mismanagement.
USC’s getting more attention from the media about its unfavorable time slot and P12-Network packaging than some schools get over a prime-time gig. ORE ST is also attracting quite a lot of upset predictions, adding a great amount of fuel to the fire.
Fun to be relevant again.