Times' columnist Gary Klein discusses USC football with CineSport's Brian Clark, looking back on Saturday's 40-17 victory over Washington and ahead to next week's showdown with Oregon.
The Trojans played their most impressive defensive game of the season against the Huskies, Klein says, which is a good thing considering the team that awaits them.
As Klein wrote for Sunday's Times:
The Trojans, who improved to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Pac-12 Conference, head to Autzen Stadium next week to play sixth-ranked Oregon, a 53-30 winner over third-ranked Stanford on Saturday.
"It gives us a big boost," junior defensive end Nick Perry said of the Trojans' performance. "We're going to be ready to go."
That might not be enough against the Ducks.
The last time the Trojans traveled to Eugene, they were all but massacred on Halloween Night in 2009, 47-20.
USC players are confident it will be different this time, mainly because the defense appears to be much improved.
The Trojans recorded a season-high seven sacks against Washington. They also got a game-turning play from Kyle Negrete on a fake punt and a kickoff return for a touchdown by Marqise Lee.
That helped complement an offensive performance that included Curtis McNeal's career-best 148 rushing yards, but only one touchdown pass by Matt Barkley and two receptions by Robert Woods.
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