Here’s How Dan Lanning Plans To Use Oregon’s Extra Day Before USC

The No. 8 Oregon Ducks handled business on a record-setting night for quarterback Dante Moore. The Ducks cruised to a 42-13 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday night at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

The Ducks have faced a tough Big Ten conference schedule this season. Oregon will travel 15,000 miles and play seven teams who are fresh off an extended rest period. Oregon coach Dan Lanning has expressed some frustration with the schedulers over the disadvantages.

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But finally in week 13, Oregon gets a break. The Ducks have one more day of prep time than their next opponent, the No. 17 USC Trojans. While the Ducks are enjoying the home win, USC is hosting No. 21 Iowa in Memorial Coliseum... A must-win game for the Trojans' chances at making the College Football Playoff.

How Dan Lanning Plans To Use Oregon’s Extra Day Before USC

Oregon's extra day comes at a great time for the depleted Ducks. In the win over Minnesota, Oregon starting receivers Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr. were out with injuries. Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, linebacker Devon Jackson, offensive lineman Alex Harkey and defensive lineman Tionne Gray were all "questionable" as they utilized warm ups to see if they could give it a go.

“Yeah, a little recovery time for us tomorrow gives the coaches a chance to get a little bit of a jump ahead, look ahead. Obviously we’ll be able to watch their game tomorrow and see what that looks like, but we primarily use tomorrow as recovery day and opportunity for coaches to get an advanced look at USC,” Lanning said on Friday night.

Safe to say, the Ducks extra day of recovery for the banged up players will be put to good use. The team will watch USC vs. Iowa at 12:30 p.m. PT and the coaches will get a jump start on finding an edge for USC.

With all the injuries, Oregon saw both tight ends step up to lead the Ducks in receiving on Friday night. The Ducks totaled 510 yards of total offense (331 passing, 179 rushing)... the fifth time this season surpassing 500 total yards. Sadiq set career highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (96) with one touchdown. Jamari Johnson tied his career high with four catches and produced a career-best 57 yards.

“Yeah, we've said strength in numbers all season, and you know, these last couple games, it's really starting to show up where, you know, we need other guys to step up and create opportunities, and they've done a great job of that,” Lanning said.

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Moore set a program record by completing 90 percent of his passes, surpassing Marcus Mariota’s 87 percent at USC on Nov. 3. Moore finished 27-of-30 passes for a career-high 306 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon vs. USC Schedule, Time, TV

The kickoff time for Oregon vs. USC in Week 13 on Nov. 22 has been placed on a six-day hold. The exact start time and TV channel won’t be announced until Sunday, Nov. 16. Current possibilities include a 12:30 p.m. PT kickoff on CBS or a 4:30 p.m. PT start on NBC.

MORE: Biggest Winners And Losers From Oregon’s Win Over Minnesota

MORE: What Oregon Coach Dan Lanning Said About Dante Moore's Record-Setting Night

MORE: Oregon Tight End Kenyon Sadiq Came Back From Injury And Delivered Wild Plays

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The former Pac-12 rivalry turned Big Ten showdown could be one of the biggest games of week 13 if USC beats Iowa. In that case, the winner of USC-Oregon would likely be the third Big Ten team to get a College Football Playoff berth.

If USC beats Iowa, the Trojans would likely move into the top 15 of the CFP rankings, setting the stage for a possible ESPN College GameDay to visit Eugene, Oregon. College GameDay also visited Eugene in week 7 when the Duck were defeated by No. 2 Indiana. In Week 13, the only other matchup between ranked teams is No. 24 Pittsburgh facing No. 17 Georgia Tech.

If USC loses to Iowa, the Trojans could still spoil Oregon's chance at the CFP.