The trip to get there was extremely unconventional, but Oregon won the second consecutive Pac-12 championship on Friday night, resisting another late USC rally to win 31-24. USC went 5-0 up with a last-minute winning trio, but the Trojans could never get out of an early 14-0 hole, despite another late comeback effort.
USC watched football until seven at the end of the fourth quarter, but Kedon Slovis’ third interception of the night proved costly. While the USC defender came out of his pocket to escape the pressure with less than three minutes left, he made an inappropriate throw on the sideline in Oregon instead of just throwing football. The heroic attempts failed when Oregon’s Jamal Hill managed to control the ball and touch his toes for an interception after struggling the original football.
Then, with the transfer from Boston College Anthony Brown to the quarterback, Oregon got a first down, which allowed the Ducks to run the clock in less than a minute before returning it to USC. But the Trojans’ last effort, without expiration, was unsuccessful.
This was the conference title match that was predicted in the pre-season league media poll. But Oregon didn’t have to be here. Rather, Washington (3-1) was to represent Pac-12 North in the title game. However, Oregon, in second place, got the nod when the Huskies encountered COVID-19 problems that prevented them from playing.
The Ducks rose to 9th place in the AP Top 25 poll during a 3-0 start, before consecutive losses to Oregon State and Cal in recent weeks ended their chances of making noise on the national stage. However, Oregon seemed to have put the problems of those defeats far into the past as it came out in flames on Friday. The Ducks took Slovis twice in the first quarter to set up a pair of touchdowns as the Ducks took the lead 14-0.
Although USC fought back in a touchdown three times, the Trojans could never get close. After a season shortened by the heroes at the end of the game, their clutch magic is finally exhausted.
The depth of the ducks at QB is a factor
Brown did not play in the first five duck games that came in on Friday night, but he came in and tried his first pass at an important time in the first quarter. Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir established Oregon inside the 10 courts of USC, with an interception in the first series of USC. The Ducks faced a third and goal when Brown checked in for starting quarterback Tyler Shough and hit Jaylon Redd for a touchdown to put Oregon 7-0. Brown also threw a short touchdown pass in the third quarter to bring Oregon 28-14, capping a 14-game lead. Although Brown tried only four passes compared to Shough’s 15, his presence as the second defender in the game was effective and something the Trojans had not seen on the tape.
It wasn’t the only time an Oregon backup had an impact. Cale Millen, a redhead, who is not listed as one of the Ducks’ top three defenders, played on special teams and made an attack in the cover of the second quarter.
Thibodeaux shines
Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon’s second defensive end, won the game’s MVP award. He came huge at the end of the third quarter, after USC recovered a blow while watching 28-17. It seems that the Trojans stole the momentum of the game with the bold game of special teams. But then Thibodeaux fired Slovis for a loss of nine yards and a third down, to force a USC shot and control the game in favor of Oregon. Thibodeaux finished with five total attacks and also had a break, while getting pressure on Slovis. It will be a major factor in 2021 and among the most important defensive players in the country.