Lanning, players preview USC Game

 

The lights are coming back to Autzen — and so is the microscope.

With ESPN’s College GameDay setting up in Eugene for the second time this season and USC rolling in with one of the most explosive passing attacks Oregon has seen, Saturday isn’t just another November home game. It’s Senior Night, a likely final Autzen chapter for key veterans, and the start of a two-week stretch that will decide whether the Ducks’ playoff hopes stay alive.

“They are really talented and well-coached,” Dan Lanning said of USC. “They will present a great challenge for us. Obviously an exciting weekend for us as well with Game Day coming in. Our crowd always does an unbelievable job showing up there and showing up to the stadium as well for our game. Excited to see that all come to fruition and for us to get to enjoy some of those moments.”

Those moments will be emotional, especially for players who have spent years growing up inside this program.

Senior Night and November football

Running back Noah Whittington didn’t need long to describe what Saturday will feel like.

“Yeah, it's going to be a real sad day, man, 'cause I'm going to enter a new chapter in my life,” he said. “I feel like I haven't really thought much about my time outside of Oregon because I've been here for so long. It's kind of felt like home. So, I really don't even know what's to come. It's going to be a sad day, you know, but life goes on. It's my time. I'm getting old, so can't stay in college forever. So, yeah.”

Linebacker Bryce Boettcher, the green dot at the heart of the Ducks’ defense, called this stretch exactly what he dreamed of.

“You know, it’s what you live for, man,” Boettcher said. “Starts getting cold, leaves start falling off the trees. Obviously big games like this, especially senior night and the magnitude of it — it’s what you play for.”

Cornerback Theran Johnson may be finishing his Oregon career after just one year in Eugene, but he said the connection feels deeper than the calendar suggests.

“Yeah, it's going to be a little different, but I mean I built good roots here,” Johnson said. “Got a bunch of friends and stuff, know a bunch of people on staff. So for me it's really not about how long I've been here. It's just that everybody here accepted me, they took me in, and I'm a part of the family now. So just going to go out there and represent Oregon the best I can on senior day.”

Boettcher knows the emotions will be high but short-lived once toe meets leather.

“Yeah, they’ll definitely be high,” he said. “Got a lot of family and friends coming, so I’ll take my moment to enjoy it there. But then obviously come the first snap, kickoff, it’s game time.”

Inside the building, Lanning insists the standard doesn’t change just because the stakes do.

“I mean here I would say that they say they operate to a standard — and that's pretty true,” Johnson said of Oregon’s November approach. “On our end, nothing's really changed from our prep. It's all been the same. We've been attacking game one like we're going to attack game 12 and hopefully postseason play. So yeah, we've just been going at it and we're about two months into going hard.”

Lanning echoed that mindset when asked if this feels like the start of a de facto playoff.

“The only thing that matters for us this week is USC,” he said. “If we continue to do our job, the rest of it takes care of itself.”

Respecting USC — from brand to ball

For players in their early 20s, USC’s old Matt Leinart–Reggie Bush heyday exists more as YouTube clips than living memory. Still, the Trojans’ logo carries weight.

“Just kind of like a finesse, skill school,” Johnson said of how he saw USC growing up. “Like if you're a receiver or DB, you know that’s somewhere you'd want to be — but not necessarily as hard-nosed or smash-mouth as a Big Ten team. But, I mean, that's years past. They've changed, they've grown, developed into like a true Big Ten team. They can run the ball, you know, they have a good running attack. So, years past is years past.”

On paper, this might be the toughest passing game Oregon has seen all year.

“Statistically, this is the best passing attack you guys have gone up against this season,” Johnson was told. He didn’t argue.

“I would say it's his ability to like extend the plays,” Johnson said of USC quarterback Jayden Maiava. “He'll scramble around back there, extend a play like five extra seconds and throw a bomb to one of the receivers. So just staying attached and never giving up on a play. You may have good coverage on the initial route, but after he scrambles out you have to stay attached to the receiver. That's a big part of their passing game and that's how they get a lot of yards, I feel.”

Lanning called Maiava “not given enough credit” nationally.

“He's more athletic than people realize. He throws the ball well,” Lanning said. “I think he keeps his eyes downfield even when the rush is imminent and coming close, and does a really good job. He can certainly beat you with his legs in the run game. He's a complete quarterback, plays with toughness. He's a wants-to-go-get-it guy, he wants to compete until the end and shows up consistently for them.”

And he’s throwing to a receiver corps the Ducks have circled since the film first went on.

“I thought we played a complete game in a lot of ways,” Lanning said of the win over Minnesota. “Looking at what USC does, Makai Lemon is as good as they come, Ja'Kobi Lane does a nice job outside. I think this is one of the best receiving cores we've seen since we've been here. Their quarterback is playing at a really high level as well. They have schemes that challenge you. They do a good job moving guys around and make it tough to figure out where they're at. It's a real challenge for us but one we'll embrace.”

Johnson, who may spend large chunks of Saturday dealing with those matchups, didn’t disagree.

“Uh, I mean they just, they catch the ball really well, like contested,” he said. “They do a good job of getting open, run nice routes. So, I mean, it's a talented group. Yeah, they do a good job all around in all phases, all aspects at receiver. So it's going to be a challenge.”

Lemon in particular has their full attention.

“Just he brings like a certain type of physicality and like run after the catch,” Johnson said. “Usually slot guys kind of softer, don’t really want to run after the catch. You know, you get hands-on, they kind of just are avoidant of that. But he kind of accepts it, and he does a good job at contested catches. Even at his stature, his size — he's like 5'11 — but they throw him jump balls and stuff like he’s 6'3, and he does a good job, he goes up and gets it. Just got to do a good job man-to-man going up and playing through hands.”

Lanning added that defending a player like Lemon starts long before kickoff.

“Lots of preparation and film study, recognizing what he's good at, and being aware of where guys like that are on the field at all times,” he said. “I think you always have to have an awareness of where he's at.”

And it isn’t just the passing game. USC, Lanning said, is one of the rare teams that can run it efficiently out of spread looks, especially with King Miller in the backfield.

“With the passing attack that they have, the combination of both, you feel like you're robbing Peter to pay Paul,” he said. “You can't steal one and do a really good job against one and not be good against the other. They are one of the few teams in college football that do a good job of running the ball out of spread formations. It's not always spread to throw it and condense to run it - they do a good job of both. They get guys on different levels and ultimately they do a good job of hitting seams and getting vertical.”

Boettcher boiled it down to the basics.

“Challenge is stopping their offense,” he said. “We got to knock out their run game first. I think it starts up front obviously and then they got a good quarterback and a good couple receivers, so we got to knock out their pass game. But yeah, I think it starts up front.”

No. 1 pass defense vs. elite attack

If USC’s strength is through the air, Oregon’s statistical calling card is stopping it. The Ducks enter the week as the nation’s top-ranked pass defense, something both Lanning and his players are quick to credit to everyone involved.

“I think growth just overall as a program,” Lanning said of the improvement. “Certainly personnel is a big piece of that. We have good players. I think schematically we've gotten better as coaches too of putting guys in good situations. We have to be aware that we've played in some rain games too where it's difficult to pass the ball. I think all those things contribute. But our players certainly take pride in it and that's a big piece of it.”

Johnson said the formula is simple but not easy.

“It's just the combination of us playing good man-to-man defense in the back end and then just the rush,” he said. “The combination of us, you know, latching on the receivers with the rush just makes it hard on QBs out there.”

For Boettcher, being the “green dot” in the middle of that improvement has been rewarding — but not surprising.

“Yeah, obviously it feels good,” he said. “I’m going to give credit to those guys that came before me and helped lay the foundation. I’ve been a part of it the past four years, but there have been a lot of pieces to this defense and a lot of good culture guys who have laid that foundation. And as time goes on, guys that have stuck in the program — like Tatum, Matteo, Devin Jackson, Big Amari up front — that foundation continues to grow. So it’s cool to be a part of it, but it’s way greater than me.”

And if USC wants to test that secondary vertically, Johnson knows they’ll have to deal with more than just length.

“He's tall and athletic,” Johnson said of Lane. “Usually taller receivers, they're not as athletic and explosive as him, but with his frame he can still jump and he might out-jump you. Like if he was 5'11, he still might out-jump you. So just really staying on top of him is really important — making sure that it's not like a 50/50 ball, making sure we're on top.”

Ducks’ offense, balance, and red zone stakes

On the other side of the ball, Oregon is coming off one of Dante Moore’s sharpest outings and a red-zone performance that turned drives into touchdowns against Minnesota. Lanning said it was about more than just the quarterback.

“It's certainly a huge benefit,” he said. “I said it Friday but I'll say it again, that Dante had a great game but there were some unbelievable catches and great pass protection and a lot of pieces that go into that. When all those things click, when your quarterback plays like he did in that game, I think that's a great representation of the entire product of the offense. Guys making unbelievable catches, quarterback putting the ball in the right spots, guys protecting the quarterback - all those things have to take place. Great schemes from the coaches. It's awesome when you have those things rolling.”

Against USC, the Ducks will need that same efficiency inside the 20 against a defense that has thrived on red-zone stops and takeaways.

“I think it starts with protecting the ball,” Lanning said. “That's an important place that this team is advantageous when it comes to creating takeaways. That's something we have to do a great job of. And ultimately focus on our assignments. USC does a great job there, obviously we have to do a great job there. It's really more worrying about us than them.”

Whittington and the running back room have quietly become one of Oregon’s most effective groups down the stretch, with production up even as carries are spread around.

“I feel like it's not about how much you get the ball, it's about what you do when you get it,” Whittington said. “We have a room full of explosive playmakers. We all go in with the mindset: when it's my opportunity, when I get that chance to help my team, that's what I’m going to do.”

That depth is part of why Oregon has leaned so heavily on 21 personnel this season.

“Like I said, we have a room full of playmakers — talent you haven't even seen yet,” Whittington said. “We’ve got players who don’t even play much but have unique skill sets. Our room can produce. You want to put 21 on the field because you want playmakers out there. Offense is about getting the ball to the guys who will make plays.”

USC’s front, Whittington said, will test that philosophy.

“They’re a good front, a great defense,” he said. “They’re finesse players — quick, twitchy, get off the ball. They do a lot of movements. But our O-line is going to hold it down. I'm not really worried about that.”

Lanning sees the matchup as anything but a seven-on-seven game.

“Yeah, we're playing an offense that throws for 300 and rushes for 200, so it all matters,” he said. “But this will still be a physical football game. I think physical football teams win. That's certainly gonna matter in this game. But they challenge you in all ways with what they're able to do offensively.”

Embracing the stage

For all the playoff chatter outside the building, Lanning keeps returning to the same theme: enjoy the challenge, then go meet it.

“The challenge is always fun,” he said. “This is certainly a team that is a challenge. They play really good football. These moments are fun. Obviously when College Game Day is coming to come see you twice, there's a reason. It speaks volumes about our fan base, it speaks volumes about our program and their program as well. When you get opportunities like that, that's something you want to take advantage of.”

Saturday night, under the lights, with GameDay in town and USC on the opposite sideline, Oregon gets that chance — to send off a senior class, to defend its home field one more time, and to prove again why its standard hasn’t changed even as the stakes have.