Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks are cruising with a 9-1 record, sitting firmly at No.4 in the Big Ten race. Now the Ducks, who have delivered an astonishing offensive performance through twelve weeks, will face their offensive match, the USC Trojans. Lincoln Riley’s side is on a good run of form of their own. Hence, Lanning sounded a bit cautious during Oregon’s recent press conference.

“Looking at what USC does, obviously, Makai Lemon is as good as Ja’Kobi Lane does a great job outside. You know, I think this is one of the best receiving corps we’ve seen since we’ve been here, and their quarterbacks are playing really, really high level as well,” Lanning told the media.

“And they have, they have schemes that challenge you. They do a good job moving the guys around, making it tough to be able to figure out where they’re at. So it’s a real challenge for us.” That’s some high-level respect coming from the Ducks, who are literally alive on their offense.

The Ducks just dropped 42 points and piled up over 500 total yards on Minnesota, even with top wideouts sidelined. It’s a classic example of their depth and playmaking. But with the WR room stinking with injuries of Dakorin Moore, Kenyon Sadiqe, and Gray Bryant Jr, has been limited. So, Lincoln Riley’s squad might just get a real advantage on them. Backup players like Malik Benson and Jeremiah McClellan stepped up well, increasing opportunities. Benson came up big against Iowa, snagging a clutch 24-yard catch on the game-winning drive.

But the problem with this group is that there is no single dominant performance. No single receiver has surpassed 100 yards in a single game so far this season. This indicates a balanced offensive attack where the ball is spread among multiple targets rather than relying on one primary receiver. No receiver has hit 100 yards in a game this season, which pretty much shows how balanced the offense is. They’re spreading the ball around instead of leaning on one go-to guy. On the other hand, the Trojans still have a heap of weapons helping out Jayden Maiava.

The Trojans have been rolling this season, showing a nice mix of passing and a strong run game. Quarterback Jayden Maiava has been rock-solid, leading the Big Ten in passing yards and averaging somewhere between 290.4 and 317.4 a game. Makai Lemon, like Dan Lanning pointed out, is having an insane season. He leads the team with 71 catches for 1,090 yards and eight touchdowns. And against Iowa, he was huge in the comeback by pulling in 10 grabs for 153 yards and a score. And then there’s Ja’Kobi Lane. 

Lane’s a nightmare matchup for defenses with his 6’4″ frame and legit speed. In the Nov. 15 win over Iowa, he grabbed 7 passes for 65 yards and kept bailing out Jayden Maiava with some tough, clutch catches. That said, there is a reason why Dan Lanning is sounding so alarmed for this weekend. He sincerely has gaps in his wide receiver room that Lincoln Riley will surely exploit.

The Trojans don’t even stop running

Dan Lanning even touched upon their ground attack, which can be lethal for Oregon. “With the passing attack that they have, you know, the combination of both,” Lanning said during the press conference. “You can’t steal one and do a really good job against one and not be good against the other. And they do a great job of. They’re one of the few teams in college football that do a great job of running the ball out of spread formations as well.”

The Trojans have already had two games with over 280 rushing yards, including a huge 309-yard day against Georgia Southern. However, it hasn’t been without health scares. Eli Sanders and Wayman Jordan, the initial starting duo, both suffered season-ending injuries in a win against Michigan.

That’s when walk-on running back King Miller finished as the leading rusher in the win against Michigan, completing 18 carries for 156 yards. Miller leads the team with 719 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 7.3 yards per carry.

On the other hand, Jayden Maiava, who is also a dual-threat quarterback, has made a significant contribution in the run game. In USC’s 45-31 victory against the Spartans, Maiava had his best performance of the season on his feet, scrambling for 31 yards and scoring two rushing touchdowns. That said, Oregon is in for a major battle against the Trojans, and Dan Lanning needs to be very cautious in containing both the air and run attack.