USC Defense Faces Critical Test Against Oregon's Dante Moore

USC's defense faces a pivotal challenge Saturday against Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, whose history of struggling under relentless pressure will be put to the test at the Coliseum. In a recent game against Oklahoma State, Moore's tendencies were reportedly decipherable, leading to his worst performance since his freshman year at UCLA. The Cowboys sacked him four times, contributing to a completion percentage of 48.3%, his lowest since midway through the 2023 season.

Oregon secured an 84-0 victory over Portland State last week, but the Trojans' defense has shown inconsistency, managing only one sack in each of their last two games against lesser opponents. This follows a performance against Rutgers that evoked concerns about recent USC defenses.

"We’ve obviously worked hard to build this defensive line to be able to make life tough on opposing quarterbacks," USC coach Lincoln Riley stated. "So it’s certainly a big part of the game."

Last season, Moore was sacked a combined nine times by Indiana in Oregon's two losses to the Hoosiers, a stark contrast to the eight sacks he absorbed in the other 13 games, all of which were Oregon victories. While USC has recorded eight sacks this season, five came against Fresno State, and only four have been credited to defensive linemen.

Defensive end Jadyn Ramos leads the Trojans with two sacks, while defensive end Zuriah Fisher and defensive tackle Jide Abasiri each have one. Freshman defensive end Luke Wafle is still seeking his first sack, though he has 1.5 tackles for loss.

The Trojans' defensive line could receive a boost if defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart, a former freshman All-American, returns from a foot injury. Stewart, who missed the first four games, was listed as questionable on the Big Ten's midweek availability report. Safety Alex Graham is also questionable after sustaining an unspecified injury during the Rutgers game.

Regardless of personnel availability, USC must increase its pressure to support a secondary that allowed 292 passing yards against Rutgers. The run defense also struggled, surrendering 168 yards on the ground in that same contest.

Riley emphasized the importance of affecting the opposing quarterback. "Having a chance to affect the opposing quarterback is always important, especially when you’re playing a really good quarterback like Dante is," he said, "and so it’ll definitely be critical."