USC @ #4 Oregon...What it do Sicc?
- Thread starter wheregoliathat
- Start date
USC is surging big time right now, but with the game being in Autzen, Oregon is going to score 40+. The question is, can they stop Barkley (who is ahead of Luck right now for best QB in the Pac-12)? USC's OL is very good...one of the best in the conference. However, Oregon harassed Luck, so we will see. The one BIG advantage, is that USC has two VERY good WR's, where as Stanford had NO outside threat. Expect Woods and Lee to work the Oregon CB's. The key is the DL getting up field to disrupt Barkley.
Oregon 35
USC 28
Oregon 35
USC 28
The big advantage here, is that it's in Autzen and it's going to be very cold and wet (Low of 28 expected and rain/snow showers in the forecast). I expect that to effect the passing game and have both teams rely more on the ground game, which heavily favors the Ducks.
Oh, and more more thing:
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USC receiver Robert Woods has missed practice to rest injuries that might keep him out of the 18th-ranked Trojans' visit to No. 4 Oregon on Saturday.
Woods skipped the Trojans' morning workout Wednesday to rest unspecified problems with his ankle and shoulder.
Coach Lane Kiffin says it's possible Woods could miss the Trojans' visit to the Ducks, but hopes the extra rest will allow his top receiver to suit up.
Woods is fourth in the FBS with 92 receptions and 11 touchdown catches. He's also seventh with 1,126 yards receiving despite making just two catches for 5 yards - both season lows - against Washington last weekend.
Kiffin says Woods probably shouldn't have played against the Huskies, but insisted on staying in the lineup.
____________________________________________
THAT'S HUGE!
Ducks 41
USC 28
Oh, and more more thing:
_____________________________________
USC receiver Robert Woods has missed practice to rest injuries that might keep him out of the 18th-ranked Trojans' visit to No. 4 Oregon on Saturday.
Woods skipped the Trojans' morning workout Wednesday to rest unspecified problems with his ankle and shoulder.
Coach Lane Kiffin says it's possible Woods could miss the Trojans' visit to the Ducks, but hopes the extra rest will allow his top receiver to suit up.
Woods is fourth in the FBS with 92 receptions and 11 touchdown catches. He's also seventh with 1,126 yards receiving despite making just two catches for 5 yards - both season lows - against Washington last weekend.
Kiffin says Woods probably shouldn't have played against the Huskies, but insisted on staying in the lineup.
____________________________________________
THAT'S HUGE!
Ducks 41
USC 28
Good read....
De'Anthony Thomas has been faster than everyone else since he was 5 years old.
That was clear from his first carry in a Pop Warner scrimmage, when he took the ball and raced to the end zone.
He hasn't spent much time on the bench since, whether in Moreno Valley, Calif., where he spent part of his childhood, or Los Angeles, where he became one of the nation's top high school recruits.
This year that has carried on to Eugene, where Thomas' game-changing ways have become a familiar sight in a once-unlikely place. And this week, as No. 4 Oregon (9-1, 7-0) prepares to host USC (8-2, 5-2), the questions of how and why Thomas wound up in Eugene add new drama to the rivalry. On one side are Ducks fans, still somewhat in disbelief he's here. On the other are Trojans fans, still trying to figure out how the five-star running back got away.
Thomas -- the Crenshaw High School product and longtime USC commit who flipped to Oregon days before signing last February -- shrugs off questions about how hard it was to leave home.
But Robert Garrett, Thomas' coach at Crenshaw, knows differently.
"There are haters in town because he left," Garrett says. "You know how that is -- it's a hometown hero leaving the establishment. He felt a lot of pressure to play at home, whether it was at USC or UCLA.
"That kid was a nervous wreck when he called (USC coach Lane) Kiffin. He don't like to let anybody down. It's hard for him to say no to anyone. You cannot prepare a kid for that.
"He had some real emotional times after that conversation."
Now 18, Thomas says he chose Oregon partially because he felt it was time to leave his comfort zone and get away from the influence of overzealous family and friends.
His old coach is more direct.
"He wanted to start a new life," Garrett said. "I thought that was big for a youngster to say. I thought it was courageous to hear him say he wanted to branch away, to find himself, to learn who he was."
That drive comes from being the oldest of Gaylian Dupree's five boys. Thomas understands that as a star athlete, he is idolized by some. At home, he says, it's his job to set the bar for his brothers.
"My mom relied on me to take care of my brothers," says Thomas, who has scored a Ducks-freshman record 13 touchdowns 10 games into his college career. "I'm the man of the family. I feel like I need to make them want to succeed. ... A lot of kids look up to me now because I play a big part of my life in the spotlight. I feel like I can't let kids down."
But in choosing the Ducks, he let down thousands of USC fans -- many of whom won't let him forget it.
Thomas came of age as a football superstar smack in the middle of USC's heyday, a period when the Trojans won or shared seven consecutive conference titles. Celebrities stalked the sidelines, Pete Carroll and his "Win Forever" mantra epitomized cool and 90,000-plus routinely packed the Coliseum.
It was a natural fit for Thomas, who was a celebrity in his own right around Crenshaw. The rapper Snoop Dogg, who Thomas got to know while playing in his youth football league, dubbed Thomas "the Black Mamba," a nickname formerly reserved for Los Angeles's biggest sports star, Kobe Bryant.
From the outside, Thomas and the Trojans seemed like a no-brainer. Ducks coach Chip Kelly says Oregon never discussed Thomas because he was considered such a firm commit.
"I had always wanted to go to USC, everyone did," Thomas says. "I felt like I could be the next big running back to come out of USC."
But then, everything changed. Carroll fled for the NFL, the NCAA hammered USC for improper benefits and the Trojans dismissed Todd McNair, the running backs coach who had recruited Thomas.
The teen started to have second thoughts.
"I think it's courageous to understand, 'If Pete can leave, why should I stay?'" Garrett says. "Loyalty wasn't there."
Thomas scheduled a visit to Eugene the weekend before signing day, surprising Ducks running backs coach Gary Campbell, who was recruiting on the East Coast but flew back immediately. After Thomas arrived, Kelly, instead of hyping his offense that seems tailor-made for such an electric player, spent two days just getting to know the kid he knew little about beyond video highlights.
Days later, Thomas officially signed as a Duck.
The decision came with some heartache, though. Rumors swirled about why he had spurned the Trojans: He didn't want to play defensive back. He didn't have the grades to get into USC. He witnessed a shooting and his life was in danger.
All false, Thomas says.
Once Thomas brushed aside outsiders' frustrations he had to deal with family disappointment.
"I've been a mama's boy all my life," Thomas says. "She was really hurt when I told her."
Gaylian Dupree eventually softened, agreeing that Oregon was the best place for her son. Though it's hard to be away, Thomas says he knows "what it takes to take care of business."
In just four months, Thomas has blossomed into one of college football's most exciting players. Analysts rave about his speed and vision and his 1,497 all-purpose yards rank 13th in the nation. It all confirms what fellow running back Kenjon Barner thought after watching Thomas in fall practice: "There's no way that kid is redshirting."
Still, there are times that Thomas looks the part of a freshman, like when he fumbled twice in Oregon's season-opening loss to LSU or once in last week's win at Stanford. But he also continually delights fans and bewilders coaches with highlight reel moves such as turning a Washington State defender back and forth until he was dizzy last month on a 45-yard touchdown reception.
For all this, Thomas just shrugs.
"I'm still developing," says the player who grew up surrounded by hype but doesn't watch his own highlights.
"I think sometimes a lot of those kids can get caught up in their own press clippings," says Kelly, who has taken Thomas under his wing at times to teach him the intracacies of Oregon's offense. "It's tough for a 17- or 18-year-old young man, when everyone tells you you're the greatest, to be a team guy. ... There's kind of a naiveté to the kid. He's really refreshing to be around."
Humility aside, opponents would be wise to not let Thomas fool them. He still has big plans for himself, in Eugene and beyond.
"I'm just trying," he says as he ducks his head shyly, "to be on top of the world."
____________________
De'Anthony Thomas has been faster than everyone else since he was 5 years old.
That was clear from his first carry in a Pop Warner scrimmage, when he took the ball and raced to the end zone.
He hasn't spent much time on the bench since, whether in Moreno Valley, Calif., where he spent part of his childhood, or Los Angeles, where he became one of the nation's top high school recruits.
This year that has carried on to Eugene, where Thomas' game-changing ways have become a familiar sight in a once-unlikely place. And this week, as No. 4 Oregon (9-1, 7-0) prepares to host USC (8-2, 5-2), the questions of how and why Thomas wound up in Eugene add new drama to the rivalry. On one side are Ducks fans, still somewhat in disbelief he's here. On the other are Trojans fans, still trying to figure out how the five-star running back got away.
Thomas -- the Crenshaw High School product and longtime USC commit who flipped to Oregon days before signing last February -- shrugs off questions about how hard it was to leave home.
But Robert Garrett, Thomas' coach at Crenshaw, knows differently.
"There are haters in town because he left," Garrett says. "You know how that is -- it's a hometown hero leaving the establishment. He felt a lot of pressure to play at home, whether it was at USC or UCLA.
"That kid was a nervous wreck when he called (USC coach Lane) Kiffin. He don't like to let anybody down. It's hard for him to say no to anyone. You cannot prepare a kid for that.
"He had some real emotional times after that conversation."
Now 18, Thomas says he chose Oregon partially because he felt it was time to leave his comfort zone and get away from the influence of overzealous family and friends.
His old coach is more direct.
"He wanted to start a new life," Garrett said. "I thought that was big for a youngster to say. I thought it was courageous to hear him say he wanted to branch away, to find himself, to learn who he was."
That drive comes from being the oldest of Gaylian Dupree's five boys. Thomas understands that as a star athlete, he is idolized by some. At home, he says, it's his job to set the bar for his brothers.
"My mom relied on me to take care of my brothers," says Thomas, who has scored a Ducks-freshman record 13 touchdowns 10 games into his college career. "I'm the man of the family. I feel like I need to make them want to succeed. ... A lot of kids look up to me now because I play a big part of my life in the spotlight. I feel like I can't let kids down."
But in choosing the Ducks, he let down thousands of USC fans -- many of whom won't let him forget it.
Thomas came of age as a football superstar smack in the middle of USC's heyday, a period when the Trojans won or shared seven consecutive conference titles. Celebrities stalked the sidelines, Pete Carroll and his "Win Forever" mantra epitomized cool and 90,000-plus routinely packed the Coliseum.
It was a natural fit for Thomas, who was a celebrity in his own right around Crenshaw. The rapper Snoop Dogg, who Thomas got to know while playing in his youth football league, dubbed Thomas "the Black Mamba," a nickname formerly reserved for Los Angeles's biggest sports star, Kobe Bryant.
From the outside, Thomas and the Trojans seemed like a no-brainer. Ducks coach Chip Kelly says Oregon never discussed Thomas because he was considered such a firm commit.
"I had always wanted to go to USC, everyone did," Thomas says. "I felt like I could be the next big running back to come out of USC."
But then, everything changed. Carroll fled for the NFL, the NCAA hammered USC for improper benefits and the Trojans dismissed Todd McNair, the running backs coach who had recruited Thomas.
The teen started to have second thoughts.
"I think it's courageous to understand, 'If Pete can leave, why should I stay?'" Garrett says. "Loyalty wasn't there."
Thomas scheduled a visit to Eugene the weekend before signing day, surprising Ducks running backs coach Gary Campbell, who was recruiting on the East Coast but flew back immediately. After Thomas arrived, Kelly, instead of hyping his offense that seems tailor-made for such an electric player, spent two days just getting to know the kid he knew little about beyond video highlights.
Days later, Thomas officially signed as a Duck.
The decision came with some heartache, though. Rumors swirled about why he had spurned the Trojans: He didn't want to play defensive back. He didn't have the grades to get into USC. He witnessed a shooting and his life was in danger.
All false, Thomas says.
Once Thomas brushed aside outsiders' frustrations he had to deal with family disappointment.
"I've been a mama's boy all my life," Thomas says. "She was really hurt when I told her."
Gaylian Dupree eventually softened, agreeing that Oregon was the best place for her son. Though it's hard to be away, Thomas says he knows "what it takes to take care of business."
In just four months, Thomas has blossomed into one of college football's most exciting players. Analysts rave about his speed and vision and his 1,497 all-purpose yards rank 13th in the nation. It all confirms what fellow running back Kenjon Barner thought after watching Thomas in fall practice: "There's no way that kid is redshirting."
Still, there are times that Thomas looks the part of a freshman, like when he fumbled twice in Oregon's season-opening loss to LSU or once in last week's win at Stanford. But he also continually delights fans and bewilders coaches with highlight reel moves such as turning a Washington State defender back and forth until he was dizzy last month on a 45-yard touchdown reception.
For all this, Thomas just shrugs.
"I'm still developing," says the player who grew up surrounded by hype but doesn't watch his own highlights.
"I think sometimes a lot of those kids can get caught up in their own press clippings," says Kelly, who has taken Thomas under his wing at times to teach him the intracacies of Oregon's offense. "It's tough for a 17- or 18-year-old young man, when everyone tells you you're the greatest, to be a team guy. ... There's kind of a naiveté to the kid. He's really refreshing to be around."
Humility aside, opponents would be wise to not let Thomas fool them. He still has big plans for himself, in Eugene and beyond.
"I'm just trying," he says as he ducks his head shyly, "to be on top of the world."
____________________
