The Trojan Game Plan and How Oregon will Beat USC in 2012

The Trojan Game Plan and How Oregon will Beat USC in 2012

Reported by Charles Fischer on August 21, 2012
In Fish Reports | 27 Comments

One of the most highly anticipated games in all of college football will be the Epic matchup of Oregon at USC on November 3rd. The vast majority of expert commentary about last year’s game has been mostly accurate, but highly incomplete from a Trojan perspective. We will look at what Oregon can do to win this year, but of more importance examine the Game Plan that Lane Kiffin devised in 2011 as we can expect to see it again from the Trojans and a few other opponents that might have the personnel to implement their plan.

Categories: Fish Reports Tags: 2012 Fish Reports

Charles FischerCharles Fischer has been an intense fan of the Ducks for thirty years and has written reports on football boards for over a dozen years. Known as “FishDuck” on those boards, he is acknowledged for providing intense detail in his scrimmage reports and in his Xs and Os play analyses. He and his wife Lois, a daughter, Christine, and their dog (Abbie) reside in Eugene, Oregon, where he has been a financial advisor for 27 years serving clients in seven different states. He does not profess to be a coach or analyst, but simply a “hack” that enjoys sharing what he has learned and invites others to correct or add to this body of Oregon Football! See More...View all posts by Charles Fischer →

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Will

As an SC fan, I enjoyed the video. However, the result of last year’s game was framed around the idea that Oregon was the only team to make mistakes. You tack on 3-4 TD’s assuming Oregon should’ve been perfect, but how about the two turnovers SC had in the 4th quarter while gashing Oregon’s defense down the field. Surely they should’ve had another two TD’s right? Plus you factor in more time off the clock and Oregon has less time to score. Thinking about it that way, it should’ve been 52-28 SC, right? No, I don’t actually believe that because I know mistakes happen. You can say Marc Tyler was a Senior and should’ve known he was getting the ball, or you can say the referee should’ve easily seen the blatant holding on Robert Woods. That would be an excuse. Those things happen. SC dominated many areas of this game, period. Oregon made some explosive plays to keep them in it. A great game between two great teams.
- SwanDuckLen
  
  Sure, mistakes happen in college football. No one expects to have a perfect game, and that’s what makes it fun. What Charles was saying was that Oregon’s mistakes were directly connected to TD scores, making them more significant than your average holding penalty. Because USC was relying heavily on the short-passing game, their mistakes (albiet few) had more to do with field position than TDs. Charles is right on with his hangover theory; we oregon fans were way more pumped for Stanford than USC. No way Oregon makes those mental errors against the same opponent two years in a row, especially with all this hype.
  - Will
    
    Sure, maybe you fans weren’t as pumped for that game, but I find it hard to believe that your team was somehow not ready to go against SC. We had just crushed Washington in really impressive fashion. Chip Kelly is a really good coach and I’m sure he had those guys on high upset alert. In fact, I remember Oregon’s defense coming out and playing with great fire on the first series to get a 3 and out.
    Anyways, this could be the most exciting and interesting year between Oregon and SC. We all know the Nov 3 matchup is going to be one of the best games in all of college football, but it seems highly likely that a rematch will be in store for the Pac 12 title. It’s going to be tough for either team to win both of those games.
    - http://twitter.com/SwanduckLen SwanDuck
      
      Yeah, the ironic thing is that the hyped up Nov. 3rd game could just be diminished to a homefield advantage battle for the pac12 title game. We all know about late season victories mattering most these days…
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ethan-Elson/690535036 Ethan Elson

i really enjoyed this one, and i feel like we have a great shot this year! but yeah i agree with will. im a huge duck fan, but we cant go off of what ifs. the fact is those what ifs didnt come to pass. and our ducks lost. i will give you the point about injuries. if we had our starters, that would have been a different game. but i guess thats a what if too.
http://www.FiShDuck.com Kurt Liedtke

History can’t be changed, USC played hard and won, and deservedly so. Oregon made some bad mental errors and misfires and lost. The game came down to the final second with swings back and forth, bad luck or bad calls or what-ifs not withstanding, and USC came out victorious.

The same can be said for many games played both by USC and Oregon. Certainly it is interesting to look back and see where mistakes were made or where things may have changed the outcome had this or that happened, but the video isn’t about making excuses. Oregon came out flat and shot themselves in the foot, USC came out and executed a great game plan.

The rematch on November 3rd will certainly be a lot of fun.
jlake

Kurt—I think Charles is agreeing with you that Oregon shot themselves in the foot. The point he was making is that with some better focus and execution, the Ducks have an excellent chance to beat USC this year—even with it being a Trojan home game.
It’s always fun to watch a new year unfold and I am looking forward to at least two “surprises” from Chip in the first 3 games.
November 3rd is gonna be a war and I can’t wait for that game! Go Ducks
not sour grapes again

Are you kidding me with your green tinted observation of why Oregon lost??? USC beat the quacks with the flavor and nuances that it takes to win, it’s that’s simple…and it’s what EVERYONE else saw BUT you quacks…with your excuse riddled discourse on why your quacks lost, it just sound petty — heck, with your logic there’s a MILLION reasons why USC lost some of THEIR games in the past…funny!
Peter

Thanks for the fascinating commentary. As a USC fan, I think you forgot to consider the superior linebacker play by the Trojans. USC retooled its linebacker corps especially to play fast spread teams like the Ducks. USC’s linebackers are much faster and more mobile than before. In this game, you could see them playing the option and tackling in space much better than in past years. I am excited by how good the Pac 12 is and root for Oregon except when they are playing the Trojans. Good luck to your team next year and I look forward to seeing some great football from the Ducks. Chip Kelly is a genius master mad scientist!
Canon

Wow, This was an unreal breakdown. He completely ignored all of the nonsense that went in the ducks favor. How about the INT that Barkley threw. Woods was 1 on 1 over the middle and was tackled by the DB and the ball flew right over him for a game changing INT. How about the final drive for USC. We marched it 55+ yards with first down after first down just pounding it on the ground, and threw the ball at will, killing clock, until a 1st down and 10 at the Oregon 15 with 2 minutes left, we fumble on an easy hand off and Marc Tyler misplayed it.
Obviously USC had their breaks and Oregon had theirs…bottom line is, oregon was at home and had more to play for and still lost. Try looking at it through USC eyes. You will see all the missed opportunities for USC as well. USC ended up with more turnovers, and Oregon didn’t even force any of them (at least legally).
- deadduck
  
  Thank you! Great post. The mistakes go both ways, Ducks, especially in this one.
- rcs410
  
  oregon had a lot more to play for the week before. sorry, dude. it’s hard to overlook how important the stanford game was. it was a far more important game from literally any perspective.
marty

What game were you watching?….So many excuses why Oregon didn’t win the game and yet no mention of several instances where uncalled blatant pass interference calls (esp. on Robert Woods) and the fact Marc Tyler fumbled the ball inside the Oregon five-yard line would have put the Trojans up at least 38 points…….this year will be more of the same.
- http://www.facebook.com/gina.rogers.589 Gina Rogers
  
  marty u are forgettin the called back TD”S of Oregon and FG.So lets see that would add ………17 pts ….plus 35….addin up to 52 pts…..that should have been up on the Jumbotron
rcs410

although i’ve no idea if oregon wins away in the coliseum, watching this video i’m not getting ANYTHING from the emotional posts below. sounds like fish duck is giving all the credit in the world to USC.
- http://www.facebook.com/ted.venegas Ted Venegas
  
  He is giving them all the credit by blaming an “emotional game” against Stanford, the lack of being mentally prepared, then pointing out Duck mistakes while ignoring Trojan ones (turnovers, giving up a kickoff return for TD), questioning why SC is ranked in the top five, and then saying to expect SC cheap shots because of “their sense of entitlement?” What video did you watch?
  
  Oh, how we love to make excuses for our beloved Ducks!
  - rcs410
    
    dude, why would he point out the trojans’ flaws? the trojans played out of their skulls, and deserve a lot of the credit. as for the sense of entitlement…which team gets five star athletes across the board? you sound incredibly confused.
usc555

So what you’re saying is if Oregon doesn’t make any mistakes, and USC makes a ton of mistakes, USC will lose. Gotcha.
http://www.facebook.com/ted.venegas Ted Venegas

If my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle.
Quack Smack

USC fans forget that the Ducks were playing without Dion Jordan, Kiko and Cliff Harris for the entire second half and yet the Ducks shut you down for the whole 4th quarter, with an almost freshman secondary. For the USC fans who don’t know those names that’s our starting DE, LB and best secondary player…. Kind of important on defense… What USC fans aren’t also saying is their entire team had their heads hanging in the second half as the Ducks put a point clinic on your “oh so fast” and improved defense. This year our WHOLE team will be there and so will a little guy named Arik Armstead. Throw in that USC is without Kalil and USC is thin at most of their line positions and I think Oregon will give Barkley a proper send off!
- Quack Quack!
  
  I see SC with better open field tackling capacity this season but…it’s very true all their QB did last year was pick on our freshman corners with Cliff Harris (in the NFL now) out… mind you it’s Cliff’s own fault he was out in the SC and LSU games but Barkley would never torn it up in the first half the way he did had Harris been in the game and the Ducks would’ve won easily…hopefully those young corners are better this season and the Ducks aren’t sleepwalking after a throttling a team like Stanford…
http://www.facebook.com/gina.rogers.589 Gina Rogers

WHAT……REALLY…..THIS GUY ….COMMENTATOR OF PREDICTIONS IS PICKING STANFORD TO FINISH 1st ABOVE OREGON THIS YEAR..? ARE YOU KIDDING ME………..GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE…YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU”RE TALKIN ABOUT DUDE……THEYVE LOST THEIR QTRBACK LUCK SO THERE IS SOME POINTS LOST..PLUS FLEENER…AND OWUSU……SO I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT WE BEAT THEM EVEN WITH THEIR LAST YR PLAYERS…..SO TO CORRECT THIS IDIOT”S PREDICTIONS ……..EVERYTHING LOOKED OK UNTIL HE SAID OREGON FINISHIN #2 IN PAC 12 NORTH.THE REAL PREDICTION I SEE IS DUCKS FINISHING #1 AGAIN FOR THE 4th TIME GOING AND WINNING ANOTHER PAC 12 TITLE AND GO BCS BOWLING.AFTER WE BEAT USC NOT JUST ONCE BUT TWICE. The 1st time for PAYBACK and then The Pac12 Chmpnshp……..Just to Show em Who”S Better….GO DUCKS ……..WTD.,,,,,,,RETURN OF THE QUACK 2012/ 2013 ..!!!
http://www.facebook.com/gina.rogers.589 Gina Rogers

wow …………..tired of gettin their butts kicked …..Wash St and Arizona …..with new coaches …decided to change things up and go to more of a spread offense with a pass opening to open up the running game. Just a quick word of advice…..if you are going to try to run the option ….thru a runnin game to open up the pass…..There have been many teams who tried to run our own oregon ducks plays against us…..and have failed every time…..don”t do it …..you will not suceed……By the way i disagree with the prediction that USC will beat Oregon 2 times. Oh ……I don’t think so.Couple of our key defense guys were not playin in that game(dion jordan,Kiko Alonso,and one other defender) least not forget BIG Hitters…….Micheal Clay,Dewhit Stuckey,and some new defensive players lookin to knock some one into next week and make a name for themselves….Arik Armstead………Lookout Matt barkley……the pressure will be on…….3 or 4 sacks each qtr at least..Oh yeah I have to let you know …..
http://www.facebook.com/gina.rogers.589 Gina Rogers

that we have quicker faster stonger and taller pass defense, so I am sorry to say that Trojan passes will be swatted, smashed, toppled, pounded,and out right hit to the ground every down….So sorry to spoil your perfect storm Marquise Lee but it”s RETURN OF THE QUACK…….BACK IN BLACK ……WATCH OUT FOR THE SACK…….WERE COMIN BACK….WE PLAY TO WIN …..AND YO FOOTBALL IS JUST WACK…….
- Gb
  
  USC is going to smash y’all count the nation championships we got more of those then y’all got rose bowls hhhmmmm doesn’t that say something USC is better
Gb

Oregon still sucks quit crying about last year y’all still lost so suck it up because USC is going to own it again not even all that Nike stuff can win y’all a nc yet y’all forget USC didn’t have torrin Harris and also remeber all the players that had left the program from the sanctions just imagine what USC would of really done to y’all So quack away
- MAITAIDUCK
  
  1st of all can anybody answer me this perplexing question I am about to ask? OK here it goes why if your so confident and this is all past accomplishment’s not lately and the cheating year taken away, why on earth are you on a DUCK site and talking smack, here let me tell you why your on here cause it bug’s the hell out of you that we have the best alumni in Uncle Phil and were doing it with innovation and we are pretty Damn good, and Chip Kelly is a lot better Coach than Lame Kiffen and if you really must know we are a better Team than Stanford that your a great No.1 Team in the nation got stomped by and here let me say one more thing has got to be the most over hyped over rated Team in America that I have to admit this Team is not concerned about your Team, cause we have to focus on 1 Team right now and that’s Arizona, so just bite the big one and go back to your site cause you need to come visit us after the November 3rd Game when we will probably have moved to No.1 or No.2 in the polls especially after we BEAT the BLOJANS because that’s all you people do is blow smoke up everybody’s you know what and will be No.3 in the Pac 12 after the season and honestly after everyone saw what Stanford did to you guy’s I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Cal and Ucla beat you also, so good luck with all that JEALOUSY and you can say what you wan’t but the Duck’s were not focused against Sc last year cause you could definitely see it and when the duck’s scored 20 plus point’s on them in a little over what a Qtr and kept Sc out of the end zone, well COME ON MAN what else could you call it than what it was period a very unfocussed Team.