Week 4 is here, and so is the Oregon Ducks' toughest defensive task yet. The Boise State Broncos presented a pro-style offense with an extensive running and play-action scheme. The Oklahoma State Cowboys operated out of the air-raid, slicing up the Ducks' defense through the air and on the ground.
The USC Trojans do a little bit of both, combining pro-style running schemes with a wide-open, spread passing attack with the playmakers to produce one of the top offenses in college football through their first four games.
Meanwhile, Oregon's defense has sputtered out of the gates, clearly not playing up to their potential leading to questions surrounding defensive coordinator Chris Hampton's ability to fill the departed Tosh Lupoi's shoes. That question remains
as the Ducks head to LA to face the Trojans, and, while still early in the year, could lead to an extinguishment of questions, or much more speculation regarding the in-house hiring.
It won't be an easy task in stopping this high-powered USC offense. We broke down the Trojans' offense, including answering whether or not Oregon is built to stop them.
What do the USC Trojans do well on offense?
USC head coach Lincoln Riley is one of the more innovative offensive minds in college football, orchestrating explosive offenses during his time at Oklahoma and now with the Trojans. During his time with the Sooners, his offensive scheme was much more simple than it is now.
Through four games, we've seen a variety of formations for from USC, including some under center and a lot of spread-out, four wide receiver sets that open up the field for the running game to exploit. The Trojans also have a supremely talented quarterback who can make plays happen both on time in the passing game with his precision throwing, and with off schedule plays that will test the Ducks' discipline.
Full stop, the Trojans have one of the top offenses in college football that has been hard to solve over the past two seasons especially.
Who are the top players to know?
QB Jayden Maiava
First starting for the Trojans at the end of the 2023 season, Jayden Maiava has steadily improved to the point where he's now one of the most precise passers in all of college football. The Ducks know that well, as he passed for 306 yards and three touchdowns in Oregon's win over USC last season, though he did throw two interceptions. But through four games in 2026, Maiava has been as good as it gets. The 6-foot-4, 230 pound passer has both pushed the ball down the field and taken care of it, throwing 12 touchdowns to just one interception on 10.2 yards per attempt. If the Ducks aren't at the top of their game, Maiava has the talent and ability to shred them.
RB King Miller
The bell-cow in backfield also with Waymond Jordan (188 yards, one touchdown), King Miller emerged as a freshman last season and finished the year with 972 yards and eight touchdowns. He's picked right back up in 2026, carrying the ball 64 times for 338 yards and three touchdowns. He's a tremendous all-around back at 6-foot and 225 pounds, possessing the ability to both run past and through defenders. Miller is undoubtedly one of the top backs in the Big Ten.
WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt
A 6-foot-2, 200-pound freshman, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt has grown to be Maiava's favorite target early in the season. Four games in, and he leads the team in receptions (18) and yards (258) while scoring two touchdowns. With fellow freshman standout Trent Mosley set to miss multiple games, Dixon-Wyatt's role is likely to grow even more. Not the fastest, the Hayward, CA, native has a propensity for making contested catches and showing a fearlessness of running across the middle.
Are the Oregon Ducks built to stop USC?
Roster-wise, they should be. But from what we've seen from the Ducks' defensive unit through three games, it wouldn't be a complete surprise to see the Trojans walk up and down the field much like they have in each of their four games this season.
But if the Ducks play to their full potential, they should be able to limit what is now a depleted wide receiving unit for USC with true freshman star Trent Mosley sidelined with an injury. The Trojans have Dixon-Wyatt and other talented players waiting in the wings, but Oregon's star-studded secondary should be able to contain them.
Where USC may find their most success is on the ground, where the Ducks have had some trouble defending this season. Boise State's two-headed backfield churned up a solid amount of yards on the ground and in the receiving game combined, and Oklahoma State pushed the Ducks around at the line of scrimmage in Stillwater.
At the end of the day, this is a simple question to answer if Oregon is firing on all cylinders, but we simply haven't seen that yet from this group.
What should we expect on Saturday?
I'd expect that we see something in the middle from USC's offense and Oregon's defense based on what they've shown early this season. I don't think the Trojans will look unstoppable as they have, but it wouldn't be a surprise if they score over 30 points. That should be considered a success for them.
It's likely to be a back-and-forth heavyweight fight, with talent versus talent at almost every position on both sides. The Trojans will make some impressive plays, following by the Ducks punching back. That is, if they have the fight that has alluded them thus far this season that they should regain from Oregon defensive units in years past. This won't be a low scoring affair, but I don't think it'll be as high-scoring as some are predicting.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: What should Oregon expect from USC's offense?
