The Ducks beat Stanford (55-31) and Washington (55-34) on the road and Washington State (53-7)  at home. The Trojans also won in Seattle (27-24) and beat WSU (47-14) at home, but lost to not-so-lowly Stanford (24-23) in their own L.A. Coliseum.

Going into this week’s UO-USC contest, looking at win-loss records and comparative scores would be too simplistic. One critical statistic illuminates a major advantage for the Trojans: total yards given up on defense.

This graph shows that USC held each opponent to fewer defensive yards than Oregon did with an average difference of 155 yards! This translates roughly to two extra possessions for the opponent, and a minimum of six more points (two field goals), barring turnovers and forced punts.

If the Duck defense gives up 155 more yards than the Trojan defense does, victory in the game will obviously depend on outscoring USC on offense and special teams. This may be the week that the Oregon defense will be asked to win the game. Otherwise, a few USC explosion plays will bring back memories of the Ducks’ heartbreaking loss to Cal a few weeks ago.

The nationally-known noise at Autzen will be helpful, but even the loudest fan in Row 46 will not be responsible for covering deep or making a tackle. Will the Duck D deliver?