| Oregon’s running game could trouble USC |
Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers ran, spun and twisted his way to 186 yards against USC.
Next up for the ninth-ranked Trojans: an Oregon team averaging 309 rushing yards a game.
"In areas we need to shore up, they are extremely capable and strong," USC Coach Pete Carroll said today during his weekly news conference.
Oregon, 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference, is coming off a 63-14 victory at Washington State, a game in which the No. 23 Ducks rushed for 346 yards.
Jeremiah Johnson, a senior who played at Dorsey High, is averaging 88 yards a game. The Ducks also have been bolstered by the addition of junior college transfer LeGarrette Blount, a 6-foot-2, 229-pound junior who replaced Jonathan Stewart and is averaging 96 yards a game.
"This guy runs maybe more physical" than Stewart, Carroll said. "He comes at you breaks tackles and makes you miss."
The duo operates out of an offense that averages 47.4 points and 531.6 yards a game despite a revolving door at quarterback because of injuries.
"It’s the epitome of the spread offense," Carroll said.
Beavers blueprint
With his team visiting the Coliseum on Saturday, Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti has been watching videotape of USC’s upset loss to Oregon State and likes what he sees.
Especially the performances of the Beavers’ offensive and defensive linemen, who dominated in the trenches for much of the game, and diminutive running back Rodgers.
"I thought Oregon State attacked them pretty well," Bellotti said. " ‘Quizz Rodgers, in all honesty, it was unbelievable how he got through some of those holes."
The Ducks don’t employ the same schemes as Oregon State and don’t have a 5-foot-7 starting back who can sneak through narrow spaces. Still, Bellotti expressed interest in the way Oregon State used straight-ahead running, quick passes and judicious blitzing on defense.
"Obviously," he said, "we’re looking at that as a blueprint for success."
| " | Trojans couldn't stop the Beavers' rush; Ducks' ground game might even be better. |
