About 20 minutes into No. 19 USC football’s bout with No. 5 Oregon on Saturday — a pivotal matchup likely to determine which of the schools would earn an at-large playoff bid — things seemed to be going according to plan.

Following a trick play that saw freshman wide receiver Tanook Hines catch a 24-yard touchdown pass from junior wide receiver Makai Lemon to tie the game at 14-14, the Trojans (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten) forced a punt from the Ducks’ (10-1, 7-1) potent offensive attack, putting them in a position to take the lead midway through the second quarter.

Then, USC unraveled.

After redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava couldn’t get anything going on the next drive, the Trojans punted the ball to Oregon’s 15-yard line, where senior wide receiver Malik Benson proceeded to take it 85 yards for a touchdown — the first USC has allowed on a punt return since 2018.

Just two minutes later, a Maiava interception gave possession right back to the Ducks, setting up an eventual score to put them ahead 28-14. In the final seconds of the half, the Trojans made it as close as Oregon’s 8-yard line but, facing fourth-and-goal, settled for a field goal attempt — which redshirt freshman kicker Ryon Sayeri promptly missed.

The trainwreck sequence gave USC a 14-point halftime deficit that would prove to be insurmountable; when the dust had settled, the Trojans trudged out of Eugene, Oregon, with a 42-27 loss and squandered hopes of competing in the College Football Playoff.

“That sequence, to me, was the one where the real separation of the game occurred,” Head Coach Lincoln Riley said in a postgame news conference. “They’re a good offense, good team. You definitely don’t want to give them something like that.”

A win would have nearly guaranteed USC its first CFP appearance since the format was introduced in 2014, provided it took care of business in next week’s regular-season finale against UCLA (3-8, 3-5). With three losses, however, the Trojans are all but certain to miss the 12-team field.

Trojan WRs overpower Duck defense

Much of the discussion entering Saturday’s game revolved around the meeting between an unstoppable force — USC’s pass game — and an immovable object — Oregon’s pass defense. Among Big Ten teams in 2025, the Trojans were averaging the most receiving yards per game, while the Ducks were averaging the fewest receiving yards allowed.

Though Oregon won the game, in the end, USC’s aerial attack won out: Maiava threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-43 passing, all three of which bested the previous season-highs given up by Oregon.

Leading the attack was Hines, who enjoyed the best performance of his young collegiate career with 141 yards on six catches. Right before his game-tying touchdown in the second quarter, Hines broke out for a 40-yard reception to put the Trojans in Oregon territory, and followed it up a few drives later with a 51-yard play before the eventual missed field goal.

“He’s a young guy that’s got a bright future,” Riley said of Hines. “[He’s] going to keep getting better and better for us.”

USC’s star junior wide receiver duo of Ja’Kobi Lane and Lemon showed out as well, though in different ways. Lane reached triple-digit yardage for the third time this season, racking up 108 yards on six receptions — two of which combined for 43 yards in the Trojans’ opening drive to set up a score by Lemon.

Meanwhile, Lemon, who comfortably leads the Big Ten with 1,124 receiving yards, recorded just 34 yards on seven catches for a season-low 4.9-yard average. However, he came up when it mattered most: Lemon hauled in two of USC’s touchdowns on the day and added another with his arm, making a successful throw to Hines on the trick play in the second quarter.

Run game, defense hurt by injuries

Though the Trojans managed to overcome Oregon’s dominant pass defense, they were completely stifled on the ground; USC failed to record a rushing touchdown for just the second time all season, and its 52 total rushing yards were its lowest in a single game since 2023.

In the absence of several of their top running backs, the Trojans have consistently relied on redshirt freshman King Miller, who entered Saturday averaging more than 110 yards in his last five games. However, Miller seemed highly disoriented by the Ducks’ defense, as he mustered just 30 yards on 15 carries for a season-low 2-yard average.

“We didn’t run the ball nearly as well as we have and nearly as well as we expected to,” Riley said. “Their D-line is good, their D-tackles did a nice job against us, and we didn’t help the fact by missing a couple of assignments that hurt us.”

USC’s run-game struggles weren’t helped by further injuries to an offensive line that has already been battered throughout the season. After redshirt sophomore left tackle Elijah Paige was ruled out before the game due to injury, redshirt junior center Kilian O’Connor hurt his knee in the first quarter and was taken out, leaving redshirt sophomore J’Onre Reed — who missed last week’s win over Iowa (7-4, 5-3) with an injury of his own — to take over at center.

“Reed went in there and gutted it out for us,” Riley said. “Kilian going down was a factor, there’s no question about that, and obviously not having Paige.”

In addition to the offensive line, the Trojan defense was hurt by injuries as well: Redshirt senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald — who is tied for the most interceptions in the Big Ten — and redshirt junior safety Kamari Ramsey were both absent Saturday, heavily contributing to a defensive disaster that saw USC give up its most points in a game this season.

The Trojans had little answer for redshirt sophomore quarterback Dante Moore, who completed 22 of his 30 passes and connected with five different receivers for more than 20 total yards each. Junior tight end Kenyon Sadiq led the way with 72 yards and two touchdowns, including a 28-yard catch late in the third quarter that put the Ducks up 35-21.

USC couldn’t control the ground either, allowing multiple rushing scores for the second time this season. Redshirt senior running back Noah Whittington and freshman running back Jordon Davison each picked up a touchdown on a combined 154 yards, with Whittington delivering the death blow on a 9-yard run to give Oregon a 15-point lead with five minutes left in the game.

Penalties plague both sides

After struggling to avoid penalties in several of their early-season games, the Trojans’ foul troubles reemerged Saturday — though the Ducks weren’t exempt either. The two teams combined for a loss of 233 yards on 19 penalties, several of which derailed USC’s chances at staking a comeback late in the game.

With just over two minutes remaining in the first half, Oregon missed a field goal attempt with a 21-14 lead, seemingly giving the Trojans an opportunity to tie the game heading into halftime. However, sophomore linebacker Desman Stephens II was called for leaping over a lineman on the kick, gifting the Ducks a first down — setting the stage for 7 points moments later.

In the fourth quarter, redshirt senior cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson was called for pass interference to bring Oregon to the Trojans’ 9-yard line, from which it would immediately score its sixth touchdown of the game and seal the win.

“[We] didn’t play our best,” Riley said. “We had some of the penalties that we haven’t been having that obviously showed up, and [they] definitely hurt us.”

The Trojans’ playoff hopes may be shattered, but they still have one more regular-season game to get through: a crosstown showdown with UCLA that could end an up-and-down season on a high note. 

“The season’s not over. We’ve got a game next week,” Riley said. “We got a great opportunity to go get win No. 9 this week, and that’s what we’re going to put our focus towards.”

The rivalry game will kick off at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.