EUGENE - The No. 7 Oregon Ducks’ defense entered Saturday’s 42-27 win over No. 15 USC at Autzen Stadium expecting the Trojans to generate big plays in the passing game.

And they did.

“We knew they were going to throw some punches,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “That’s an explosive offense. They hit some big plays on us.”

However, the Ducks didn’t believe USC quarterback Jayden Maiava and wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane could do enough damage to defeat them if UO shut down the Trojans’ running game.

That proved prophetic. Maiava passed for 306 yards and three touchdowns, but the Ducks (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) held USC to 52 yards on the ground. That enabled Oregon to force Maiava into throwing two interceptions and get enough stops to win.

One interception came on third-and-

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