It was bad enough that the USC Trojans got embarrassed by the Oregon Ducks in the LA Coliseum. That defeat marked five straight losses to Oregon for the Men of Troy. A former Trojan quarterback and his NFL team lost to a former Oregon Ducks quarterback on Sunday. Sam Darnold returned from injury for the Seattle Seahawks
, but Marcus Mariota got his chance as the starting quarterback with the Washington Commanders and led them to an upset.Marcus Mariota got the start due to Jayden Daniels being sidelined, and he was a star. Just like Mariota used to terrorize the Trojans during his tenure at Oregon, he terrorized the elite Seattle Seahawks defense. That defense featured some USC Trojans as well, as Leonard Williams and Uchenna Nwosu had no answer
for stopping Mariota.
Mariota finished the day with 3 passing touchdowns and 183 yards. The Commanders put up the most points Seattle has given up this season, by a wide margin, with Mariota. It was a special moment for the former Duck.
Sam Darnold, on the other hand, in his return, lit it up production-wise as he threw for 379 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, Mariota was able to get the best out of him due to his 2 crucial interceptions. In the 4th quarter, late in the game, Darnold threw a pick-six. That further extended the lead for the Commanders.
Down the stretch, Sam Darnold got outplayed by Marcus Mariota. When it was time to put the game on ice, Mariota picked up a 9-yard first down to give Washington the victory. That has been the exact trend that has haunted USC football when it comes to matching up against Oregon. That trend bled into the NFL this week after the embarrassing defeat in college football this past week.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football lost to Oregon in the NFL this past weekend
