USC routed by Oregon State 45-27

USC fans had a serious case of déjà vu as some of them made the trek up the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum steps toward the exits midway through the third quarter. By the end of the game, the Trojans suffered a 45-27 loss to Oregon State University, two weeks after the blowout defeat to Stanford. Oregon State’s win marked USC’s first home loss to the Beavers since 1960.

Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s unit had no answer for the Beavers’ offense for most of the game, whether it was on the ground or in the air. At one point in the game, USC’s defense gave up five-straight drives for a touchdown, as Oregon State went on a 35-3 run from the end of the second quarter to the end of the third. 

“I think Oregon State just had a good game plan for us,” said redshirt senior safety Isaiah Pola-Mao in a press conference after the game. “We didn’t make the adjustments. Our defense relies on making our plays. We put people in one-on-one positions. They just made their plays better than us.”

Oregon State’s running game was the team’s driving offensive force early on. The Beavers had 319 rushing yards, mixing in traditional handoffs with jet sweeps and read options that kept USC off balance. Seven Oregon State players reached double-digits in rushing yards, and redshirt junior running back B.J. Baylor led the way with 158 yards on 23 attempts. 

“[Their] offensive coordinator was great schematically,” interim head coach Donte Williams said in a press conference after the game. “Their [offensive] line was able to double team, chip away and get up front, and their running back was a great player. They made some plays and stuck with it.”

In the second half, the Beavers’ passing attack came alive. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Chance Nolan played the finisher role for Oregon State — he had the first four Beaver touchdowns. Nolan threw for 213 yards on 15 of 19 passing with 4 touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Redshirt junior wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey torched the USC secondary with 102 yards on five receptions with 2 touchdown catches.  

“The work’s not done,” Pola-Mao said. “We’re not a finished product right now. We still have a lot of season left, so we’re just gonna go back to work.”

Junior quarterback Kedon Slovis returned to his starting position after missing most of last week’s game against Washington State because of a neck injury. USC’s lead man looked fresh to start the game, orchestrating the quick-tempoed air raid offense. The Trojans couldn’t keep up with the deficit as the game went on. Slovis finished with 355 yards on 31 of 49 passing with 1 touchdown and three interceptions.

“I thought the ball was coming out of [Slovis’] hand well,” said offensive coordinator Graham Harrell after the game. “He’s gotta find a way to finish drives. When adversity hit, the energy got sucked out of it. That just can’t happen.”

Unsurprisingly, one of the few bright spots for the USC offense was junior receiver Drake London. He ended the game with 165 yards on 10 receptions. 

Senior running back Keaontay Ingram started the game for USC and had his most productive outing yet. His first touchdown was his highlight of the night, making multiple defenders miss after a bobbled snap and handoff on his way into the end zone. By the end of the game, Ingram tallied 79 yards on 14 attempts with 2 touchdowns. 

“He did a heck of a job,” Harrell said. “[We were] still trying to sneak a couple runs in just to get him touches … If we weren’t in such a big hole, we would’ve kept feeding him because I do think he had a hot hand.”  

The result was a rude introduction for Williams in his first game in charge at the Coliseum. 

“Tonight just wasn’t our night,” Williams said. “They outcoached us and outplayed us. It will all get fixed, I promise you that … We have to make sure that we learn from this, and we come back tomorrow and keep building.”

USC will look ahead to University of Colorado Boulder on the road Oct. 2.