Oregon State at Oregon
The rest of the team might have had next week’s white out game at Penn State on their mind, but Oregon Sophomore QB Dante Moore had no problem staying laser focused on a game he’s been waiting two years for. As reported by the AP for ESPN; “For Moore it was a bit of revenge. In 2023 he started for UCLA as a true freshman and the Bruins fell 36-24 to Oregon State in Corvallis. Moore threw three interceptions. After the season he transferred to Oregon.” And this past Saturday he wasted no time getting that bad taste out of his mouth.
In less than three minutes after the game started Moore threw his first TD of the game to Freshman WR Dakorien Moore and he would keep throwing them—one a quarter—until he had thrown a career high 305 yards, 4 TD’s all to different receivers, and no interceptions while also rushing 7 times for 53 more yards en route to a blowout victory over their in-state rival. With Oregon State tying the score up before the end of the 1st Qtr it wasn’t a complete shut-out. But they wouldn’t score another point after that as the Ducks would roll to a 41-7 victory at home in Eugene. On the ground Oregon rushed seven different players 46 times for 280 yards and one rushing TD by Freshman RB Jordon Davison.
For Oregon State, Junior QB Maalik Murphy and Sophomore Gabarri Johnson completed just over 30% of their passes for only 80 yards without ever finding the end zone. On the ground they would actually fare worse regarding yards gained—just 67—but did have that one rushing TD at the beginning of the game by Moore. The Ducks dominated the game stats leading in first downs 29-8; total yards of offense, 585-147; had no turnovers and led in time of possession by 14 minutes.
Michigan State at USC
With Jonathan Smith only in his second year as head coach of Michigan State I expect that, just like at Oregon State, his defenses will improve each year. In the mean time, much like the Beavers were early in his tenure, the Spartans are capable of putting points up on the board and even though trailing for all but a brief few minutes early seemed to hang with the Trojans for most of the game. And with USC helping keep their opponent’s drives alive with their continuing problem of committing mind numbing penalties, the Spartans were only down by a single score at the end of the 3rd Qtr, 31-24. But just like they had all game long anytime Michigan State got within shouting distance, USC would outscore them two-to-one in the fourth to pull away for good 45-31.
There was no slowing down the Trojan Junior QB Jayden Maiava in this one who connected on 20-of-26 for 234 yards, 3 TD’s, and no interceptions while also rushing four times for two more scores. Junior WR Makai Lemon led the way in the air with 8 receptions for 127 of those yards and a TD. Maiava also connected with Sophomore Tight End Walker Lyons and Freshman WR Tanook Hines. On the ground, USC Junior RB Waymond Jordan and Senior Eli Sanders led the way collectively picking up 247 of the team’s 289 yards on 34 attempts. Besides Maiava’s rushing TD, Junior Makai Lemon also picked one up.
For Michigan State, Junior QB Aidan Chiles was 12-of-21 for 212 yards, 3 TD’s, and no picks while also rushing 10 times for 35 yards and their only score on the ground. Senior WR Omari Kelly led the way with six receptions for 1 TD and 133 of the Spartan’s total 225 yards in the air with Junior WR Chrishon McCray and Senior TE Jack Velling bringing in the other two. Late in the 2nd Qtr, with USC up 17-10 and driving in the red zone, Spartan LB Wayne Matthews III was rushed by ambulance to LA General Hospital, a Level 1 Trauma Center, after attempting to tackle USC RB Waymond Jordan on an option run. He remained on the ground and cared for by the Michigan State medical staff who stabilized his head and neck and called for a backboard and cart. The concern of all the players and fans for Matthews was obvious during some very tense minutes and it was heart-warming to see that there are still some situations in this country where we stand unified. According to the Detroit Free Press, “Matthews flew back with the rest of the Michigan State football team after being cleared by doctors at the hospital.”
The Trojans led in first downs, 27-to-20; total yards of offense, 523-337; averaged 7.2 yards per rush compared to 3.5; completed 66% of their third down conversions and 50% of their 4th down attempts compared to 45% and 0% for the Spartans; had a couple of extra minutes time of possession and also led in the category you don’t want to lead in—penalties—11 for 82 yards. But all-in-all a great start to the season for the Trojans who now play three Top-25 ranked teams in a row starting on the road this coming Saturday at No. 23 Illinois. They’ll have a week off after that while getting ready to host No. 19 Michigan in the Coliseum before hitting the road the next week to take on No. 22 Notre Dame. Having grown up with USC being known at Tailback U I have to say that one of the things I’m really enjoying about watching USC play this year is their vastly improved ground game—100+ yards more per game than 2024—which is in the Top 15 teams of the FBS compared to being in the bottom third last year.