In what is evidently now a weekly feature here at FootballScoop, last week we studied the behind the scenes video of Kentucky's upset of Texas A&M. This week we're doing Oregon-USC.
On the FootballScoop Podcast on Tuesday, we talked about how the Ducks didn't just beat the Trojans, they emasculated them. See: Dan Lanning's pitch to West Coast recruits from inside the bowels of the LA Coliseum (at one time, the epicenter of college football on the West Coast).
But as Oregon's video -- titled "For Your Brother" -- makes clear, Lanning respected USC, but in no way does he fear them. He opened the Ducks' work week by showing the juice boxes USC carries to the sideline to create "fake energy," as Lanning called it. The video also showed how hard USC's players worked to gain Oregon's attention in their shared tunnel, and how little Oregon cared. The shots of Trojans hooting and hollering while Ducks actively ignored them were remarkable, to say the least.
"I anticipate bull(expletive) from them. I anticipate warrior focus from us. Going to be a separator in this game," Lanning said Monday.
Little did he know at the time, the bull(expletive) came when Desman Stephens II struck Dante Moore in the head on a slide late in the first half. USC led 7-3 at the time. Dylan Raiola entered the game, finished off the drive with a touchdown, and produced points on five of his six possessions while the outcome was still in doubt. In his first real action as a Duck, Raiola went 19-of-25 for 289 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Raiola played well, but everyone else around Raiola had to play well, too, for him to produce those numbers. Oregon outscored USC 28-17 in the second half, and 14-0 after USC tied the game at 27 with 12:41 to play, with its starting quarterback in the hospital.
Warrior focus, indeed.
What's the separator between college football's premier West Coast programs? Everything you see in this video. Bark and bite.
Does Lincoln Riley prepare his team to play like this? If he does, do his players believe it? If they do, are they tough enough to go do something about it against a team like Oregon? Somewhere along the line, the answer is no.
And until that changes, nothing is going to change in this series.