USC vs Oregon State prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, September 25
USC vs Oregon State How To Watch
Date: Saturday, September 25
Game Time: 10:30 ET
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
How To Watch: FS1
Record: USC (2-1), Oregon State (2-1)
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USC vs Oregon State Game Preview
Why Oregon State Will Win
Just how healthy are the USC quarterbacks?
Kedon Slovis was back at practice – and, apparently, just fine – but he suffered a neck injury in the win over Washington State. In stepped Jaxson Dart, who ripped it up to crank up the production, but he suffered a knee injury and hasn’t been able to do much this week.
Oregon State has the running game in place after getting stronger over the last two games – wins over Hawaii and Idaho – for an offense that leads all Pac-12 teams in third down conversions.
The offensive line has been solid, the defense is generating a ton of plays in the backfield, and the run D has been statistically strong. It’s getting the job done, and USC isn’t running well enough to overcome the quarterback injuries – if that’s a problem.
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Why USC Will Win
It almost seemed like USC became what it’s supposed to be as the Washington State game went on.
It’s been a weird run so far with the loss to Stanford and the firing of Clay Helton, but interim head coach Donte Williams might have relaxed things a little bit. The O turned it up several notches in the second half, the passing game rolled for close to 400 yards, and Oregon State has to be ready the explosiveness.
The Beaver secondary got hit by Hawaii for 366 yards and by Purdue for well over 300 yards – it’s going to get bombed on from the start, likely from a fired up Slovis who knows he needs a big performance with Dart looking so strong.
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What’s Going To Happen
It’s not a question of talent. Oregon is the one team in the Pac-12 that can match USC athletically. Now it’s just about the consistency, and the team might have turned a corner.
Oregon State is sneaky good – it could pull this off if the USC pass rush doesn’t show up and the D can’t come up with third down stops. That was the problem against Stanford, and the Beavers know how to move the chains.
It’s USC. It’ll start slow, come back in the second half, and it’ll make this more interesting than it needs to be.
USC vs Oregon State Prediction, Line
USC 38, Oregon State 24
Line: USC -11, o/u: 62.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
Must See Rating: 3
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