GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oregon State has beaten Southern California three times in the schools’ last six meetings, including two victories over Trojans teams with top-three rankings.
Coach Steve Sarkisian knows all about the Beavers’ history of bedeviling the Trojans, and he realizes No. 18 USC can’t think about the past if it hopes to have much of a future in what’s already been a wacky season.
USC (2-1, 1-0 Pac-12) returns to the Coliseum for a visit from Oregon State (3-0, 0-0) on Saturday night, and the Trojans are still healing from their upset loss at Boston College two weeks ago.
USC’s defense was exposed as porous, tackling-deficient and unequipped to deal with the Eagles’ complex offense — all of which could be disastrous against the superior Beavers, who are looking for another landmark win with quarterback Sean Mannion.
Sarkisian is confident his Trojans will bounce back from their first loss of his tenure.
“Although we’ve been through a lot, they have a unique ability to keep their spirits high,” Sarkisian said. “They work extremely hard. It’s a process, and we’re in the middle of the process. We’re in the middle of the journey. Our guys recognize that. But the goal is to continue to get better every time we come out here, and I believe they work at that.”
Despite its impressive recent history against the touted Trojans, Oregon State hasn’t won at the Coliseum since 1960, losing 22 straight. Coach Mike Riley, the former USC assistant, has a team that appears capable of breaking the streak if its relatively untested defense can shut down the Trojans’ ample offensive talent.
“I told our team, ‘You don’t have to bear that burden,'” Riley said of the Beavers’ losing streak in Los Angeles. “‘This is our team, this year, and you don’t have to bear that burden of all that history.'”
Here are some more things to watch when Oregon State visits the Coliseum for its Pac-12 opener:
MANNION’S MOMENT: Mannion is among the most accomplished quarterbacks in Oregon State history and a likely NFL prospect, but the Bay Area product has never beaten USC. The schools didn’t meet in 2011 or 2012, and Mannion threw three interceptions in Oregon State’s loss to an Ed Orgeron-led Trojans team last season in Corvallis. The senior passer certainly had USC’s attention this week. “He’s a great quarterback,” USC linebacker Su’a Cravens said. “He can sling that thing. I’ve seen a play on film where he threw the ball about 70 yards down the field, so we’ve got to be ready for him. He is going to make the long throws that we’ve got to try to force him to make. It’s going to be a good game.”
HOW QUICKLY THEY FORGET: The goodwill from USC’s upset victory at Stanford quickly dissipated with the loss to Boston College, and Sarkisian is aware of the grumbling that already started with his defense’s flat performance. Those grumbles would amplify with a home loss to the Beavers, but the first-year coach of a probation-hampered program doesn’t mind. “I chose to come to USC to be the best, to win championships,” Sarkisian said. “Expectations are extremely high. When we don’t perform to our abilities, we need to fix it.”
RUNNING THE BUCK: USC tailback Javorius Allen scored three touchdowns in the Trojans’ win in Corvallis last season, and he is eager to get the running game going after it struggled in Boston. USC’s offensive line is a patchwork affair, with three potential freshmen starters and position switches abounding. “We just have to trust the coaching staff and believe in each other,” Allen said. “I know they can do it. I’ve seen them.”
UNTESTED BEAVERS: While USC opened its season with three potentially difficult games against Fresno State, Stanford and Boston College, Oregon State steamrolled through Portland State, Hawaii and San Diego State — three teams without an FBS victory among them. Riley is confident his club can ramp up its speed and smarts to meet the Trojans’ challenge.
CONFLICTED COACH: Jack Del Rio, the former USC linebacker and Jacksonville Jaguars coach, will be introduced during the game as an inductee to USC’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Trouble is, Del Rio’s son Luke is a backup quarterback at Oregon State. Jack Del Rio interviewed for the USC coaching job that went to Sarkisian.
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