Oregon’s playoff dream stays alive after a signature 42-27 win over USC. The Ducks dominated their guests on both sides of the ball at Autzen Stadium. It was particularly impressive on offense, as Dan Lanning had his two main WRs (Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr.) sidelined for the game. That proved to be a blessing for tight end Kenyon Sadiq. 

“But the blessing in disguise with the receiver injuries is that you’ve had to force-feed [Kenyon] Sadiq, and you’ve had to use him in wide receiver roles and force-feed him targets, and granted,” said CFB analyst Brent Rollins on the Nov. 23 episode of See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack. “He’s getting healthy, but still, with him being the focal point of their offense, with 14 catches, 168 yards, and three touchdowns in the last two weeks. That’s a good thing for them, because it was kind of hit and miss with him early in the season. He’s more like blocking. And they’re trying to get everybody else involved. But when he’s the focal point, that makes them very scary.”

WRs Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr. have been the stars of Oregon’s offense. The receiving duo totalled 53 catches for 741 yards and 7 TDs this season before being sidelined. However, Kenyon Sadiq not only replaced them but also carried the passing game. He totalled 6 receptions for 72 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game against the Trojans. He was a reliable target for the QB Dante Moore, who had 257 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception on 22-for-30 completions.

Apart from Kenyon Sadiq’s performance, Oregon as a team looked way stronger on Saturday against USC, with a few issues that need fixing.

“Let’s give credit to Oregon and who they are and what they are,” David Pollack said. “Oregon, they’ve got some issues that we have to get solved. Because if you look at Oregon, the offensive line is beat to crap. The receiving core is beat to crap, but they just continued to line up. They rushed for over 200 yards against USC. They didn’t really need a lot of balance. They were just, they’re the more physical team.”

The Ducks posted 436 total yards in offense, restricting USC to 382 yards. The rushing defense stood solid, allowing only 52 yards against the team that’s known to have a more balanced side in college football.

Dan Lanning’s Oregon should not take Washington lightly

Brent Rollins, on the same show, warned Dan Lanning about next week’s game against the Washington Huskies. The CFB analyst revealed that the Washington game should not be taken lightly, reminding fans about the playoff hurdles that await if they become a two-loss team.

“If you’re an Oregon fan, you’re like, ‘Okay, hey, we’ve got to this point, and you got one more week,’ like Washington’s not going to be any sort of thing,” said Rollins. “I don’t know if they can even survive a loss to Washington, be 10-2, and still get in. I don’t know. Who knows?”

The Huskies are 8-3, but they have been dominant at home, with a 5-1 record. Their only loss came against No. 1 Ohio State in Week 5. Besides this season, the Ducks’ last win in Seattle came in 2021. The Huskies won the last four matchups 3-1, while the Ducks ended their three-game losing streak to Washington with a 49-21 victory at Autzen Stadium last season.