Even when disaster struck for the Oregon Ducks, the USC Trojans still let this game fall right out of their hands. Last week's game against Rutgers was very concerning, especially for the defense. The Trojans did not put any of those concerns to bed. If anything, they proved all of the doubters right and showed they are the same exact football team.
On the offensive side, Jayden Maiava made some elite throws, and he looked every bit the part of a high-level quarterback. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt had 88 yards in the first half alone. The Trojans' depth in their receiver room was up to the challenge this game. King Miller and Waymond Jordan both had their moments. King Miller's physicality helped get the Trojans out of a lot of tough situations. The Trojans' offense
did enough to win this game.
Unfortunately for USC, its defense made an Oregon Ducks offense led by Dylan Raiola look like the best offensive unit on the field. The Ducks drove down the field with ease consistently. Dylan Raiola even at times looked better as the starting quarterback than Dante Moore. The Trojans allowed that. It was explosive play given up after explosive play. Then a handful of penalties mixed into the pile of mistakes. USC's defense could not hang with the Ducks' playmakers. Jamari Johnson's draft stock definitely skyrocketed.
Both the Ducks and the Trojans made too many mistakes to count. The Ducks, however, made more winning plays, and they capitalized on the mistakes that the Trojans made. USC could not get out of its own way. The Trojans revealed, for another game, that they are not a winning football team yet. The Ducks are a winning football team. Even without their star quarterback, they can go out there and dominate a team and not miss a beat.
The Trojans had this game in the bank, and they had an Oregon Ducks team that was a shell of last year's team. Still, they know how to beat the USC Trojans. Some things just don't change.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC let another game against Oregon slip away, a familiar feeling
