Wherever you look on offense and defense, the Oregon Ducks have blue-chippers lining the field in 2026. The USC Trojans, Oregon's Week 4 opponent, are very similar with the abundance of talent that they will have on the field come Saturday. They're much more talented than both the Boise State Broncos and Oklahoma State Cowboys, who sliced up the Ducks in different ways in Week 1 and 2.
The Ducks have a highly-rated quarterback in Dante Moore; the Trojans have a talented quarterback of their own commanding 2027 NFL draft attention. The Ducks have a pair of talented running backs who compliment each other well; the Trojans have that too. The Ducks have a well-rounded receiving core; yep, the Trojans do as well.
Defensively is where the overall talent
of USC drops off a bit compared to Oregon, but there are still players more than capable of making game-changing plays if given the opportunity.
Saturday will be the Ducks' stiffest test of the season, when they take on the Trojans at LA Memorial Coliseum. Ahead of that matchup, here are the five players that Oregon fans will want 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.
LB Deven Bryant
USC leading tackler with 20 tackles, Deven Bryant has made an immediate impact since transferring over from Washington this offseason. He doesn't have prototypical linebacker size at just 5-foot-11 and 230 pounds, but he makes up for it with his tenacity chasing the ball and ability to takedown ball-carriers. Bryant isn't the splashiest defender, but he's a sure tackler and will pose a viable opponent to the Ducks' running backs.
S Christian Pierce
Christian Pierce got off to a slow start to the year, totaling just eight tackles through three games, but exploded against Rutgers in notching a game-high 11 tackles. the 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior started last season for the Trojans and amassed 64 fumbles, an interception and a sack and is stepping into a more prominent role in 2026. Primarily deployed on the back end of the defense, Pierce doesn't have the playmaking stats but has the talent to make things happen when challenged in the pass game down the field.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Five USC Trojans for Ducks fans to know heading into Week 4
