Oregon headed down to Los Angeles Saturday to play a "home" game (for a large portion of their team). Oregon has around 46 California players on the roster, many from the LA area. The Ducks were facing a team that was a mess on the road (1-3) and a force at home (4-0). Despite being the #7 team in the nation, the Ducks ended up being less than a touchdown favorite. With so many family and friends on hand, the Ducks came out way too amped up, but settled down and went on a run (56-7) that almost landed their largest margin of victory against USC.

Oregon headed into this game so amped up. I'm sure the coaches did what they could to try to get the players focused, but it was of little help over the first 15 minutes. Above is the hype video, which shows a few clips from prior success at the Coliseum, but Oregon's last trip down to LA in 2016 ended in a lopsided victory for USC. For seniors like Troy Dye, the memories of that last game, and the struggles of a 4-8 season lead to a delayed set of fireworks in 2019 (after the first quarter).

After a forgettable first quarter, the Duck offense finally got rolling, scoring on a Justin Herbert scramble. Over the course of the first quarter, the game had the feeling of almost getting out of control for Oregon. Despite all the miscues, being down by only 10 at the first break, the Ducks likely felt fortunate. Oregon was set up with great field position by an interception, and Herbert made a great run, sparking the Oregon offense to life.

A big factor in Oregon's success this season has been the ability to be positive in the turnover battle. Prior to this fumble, the Ducks were even in the game, thanks to a rare Justin Herbert interception followed by a defensive interception by Verone McKinley III.

At risk to go down 17-7, Carlberg made a huge play to knock the ball loose, and Brady Breeze made the recovery. Had it not been for a "tackle" by Mase Funa, also going after the fumble, Breeze might have made a great return. Little did Breeze know, that his chance for a big return wouldn't have to wait long.

Oregon marched down the field, in commanding fashion to take their first lead of the game. At this point, Oregon probably would have loved to go into the half up 14-10. Jaylon Redd took the sweep, should have been tackled behind the line, but broke free and added to his impressive season touchdown total.

Now down by 4, USC felt they needed to they needed a response, and boy did it end up costing them. Brady Breeze was in the exact right place, at the exact right time. Brady ran untouched to put the Ducks up 21-10. This could have been a back breaking play, but thanks to a few defensive mistakes (Oregon had an amazing number of penalties in the first half), USC was able to come back and make it a 21-17 game. With little time left in the half, it looked like this one might turn out to be a back-and-forth affair.

With only 20 seconds left in the half, Mykael Wright had other things in mind. Wright took the kickoff and thanks to a combination of his elite speed and some great blocking by his teammates, gave Oregon a 28-17 lead heading into the half. A right hook to the chin of USC, especially given that Oregon would be receiving the ball following the break.

Getting the ball back after the half, the Ducks probably felt like this was their opportunity to put this game out of reach. Things were going great, until Justin Herbert went down on a low hit. A scary moment for Herbert brought a great contribution by Tyler Shough to pick up a first down, followed by Justin returning to the game. A few plays later, Herbert nailed Juwan Johnson for his first touchdown as a Duck. Johnson was far from finished on the night.

Deommodore Lenoir got picked on a little bit at the start of the game, and including getting TD saving DPI, but later he got his revenge with this spectacular one handed interception. This put the Ducks +3 in the turnover category and gave the Oregon offense the ball back in wonderful position. Following the pick, Lenoir returned the ball 45 yards.

Smelling blood in the water, Oregon went 34 yards in 6 plays, capped off by Juwan Johnson's second touchdown of the night on a pretty fade pattern. This is exactly what Oregon was expecting Johnson could be, but due to his fall camp injury, potential wasn't fully realized until tonight. Last week against WSU was a soft opening, but the grand opening was tonight, as Johnson couldn't be stopped.

USC had mostly given up at this point, but wow, what a play by Johnson. Having already scored twice, he slice through the SC defense like a hot knife through butter. At this point, it wasn't a matter of whether the Ducks would win, but rather a question of "by how much?". Oregon as on the cusp of history, but thanks to a garbage touchdown by USC would have to settle for second biggest victory of all-time.

This drive was preceded by a virtual waiving of the white flag, as USC elected to punt the ball in Oregon territory, on 4th down with three minutes remaining and a 25 point deficit in the third quarter. The only option at that point is to try, but USC wasn't up for it tonight.

This would be the cherry on top of the sundae for the Ducks. With Herbert done for the night Shough came in and lead a 9 play 91 yard drive, capped off by a huge TD run after catch by Mycah Pittman. This Thanksgiving will be a rough one for older brother Michael, but I'm sure he'll get over it quickly, as he is destine to be a first round draft pick next April.

This touchdown capped off a 56-7 run by the Ducks. Without the 10-0 first quarter by USC, this game would have been an utter massacre. Thanks to a late TD by USC, the Ducks failed to set a new record in margin of victory, falling two-point short of their 34-0 victory in the first match-up ever between USC and Oregon in 1915, 104 years ago.

This game was a measure of not only how far the program has come, but also what it is capable of reaching in the future. Mario Cristobal may be learning to be an elite coach still, but the progression forward is visible. Beyond the elite level of recruiting, he's built a culture that isn't willing to quit.

The Ducks will lose some serious talent on the offensive line and at QB, but you can't help but be excited on the long-term prospect of the young offensive line talent, incoming recruits, and of course, Tyler Shough's early quality moments.

Is Cristobal going to make mistakes? Sure. Is there any denying that this thing is going in the right direction? Nope.

Getting through to college aged kids can be tough sometimes, and this game was especially tough due to the California connection with many Duck players. Not only were these guys playing in front of their families, they were also going up against teammates and foes of their high school careers.

Despite going down 10-0, this team had no intention to quit. The inability to quit has been evident all season. Even in the game against Auburn, the defense played their hearts out to the end, and just came up short against a quality opponent due to an offense that was missing key pieces. Oregon is a different team with their receiver today, and if Oregon keeps winning, the Playoff committee should have no problem looking at this factor.

Oregon of course will keep their eye on the next game, but for fans, the probability of a playoff spot is worlds closer than any fan could have imagined following that touchdown catch by Auburn with 9 seconds remaining. With a tougher schedule this season, many thought Oregon capable of around nine wins, but few would have predicted the season to play out as it has now.