USC Coach Lincoln Riley Drops Underrated Key to Beating Oregon Ducks

Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are set to hit the road for their Big Ten opener to play Lincoln Riley's USC Trojans.

Sep 19, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the field during warm ups before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With a top-25 matchup between the No. 20 Oregon Ducks and No. 12 USC Trojans on the horizon, a lot of fans might immediately think about the quarterback battle or the battle in the trenches as being key position matchups to watch.

But USC coach Lincoln Riley spoke in depth on Monday about how special teams could be where the game between two longtime West Coast foes is won.

Lincoln Riley Speaks on the Importance of Special Teams

Oregon kicker Gage Hurych kicks a point-after as the Oregon Ducks host the Portland State Vikings on Sept. 18, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Riley joined Trojans Live on Monday night and answered how important special teams will be in the Week 4 matchup.

“Huge. Huge. These big games, it feels like there's a couple of special teams plays that just become really, really impactful,” Riley said. “Well, then a lot of times what the kind of average fan doesn’t see is just the amount of field position that is exchanged play to play in these special teams.”

“When you have two good teams going at it, a lot of the time this can be the differentiator,” he added.

The Ducks are set to head down to Los Angeles to play the Trojans at the LA Memorial Coliseum to open Big Ten play. USC kicked of Big Ten action on the road at Rutgers in Week 3 and look to remain undefeated.

Sep 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans place kicker Caden Chittenden (45) kicks an extra point out of the hold of punter Lachlan Carrigan (35) against the Fresno State Bulldogs in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Both teams underwent big changes to their special teams units in the offseason. On the Oregon side, placekicker Atticus Sappington exercised his remaining eligibility, and Gage Hurych stepped into the starting role.

Hurych is 3-for-3 on field goals and 14-for-14 on extra points to begin 2026. Additionally, the program has seen changes at punter, long snapper and returner.

For the Trojans, Miker Ekeler stepped in as the new special teams coordinator in the offseason. The first four games of the season have brought up and downs in Ekeler’s unit, but USC comes off a performance vs. Rutgers that crowned kicker Caden Chittenden Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week.

The Week 4 battle goes further than just Hurych and Chittenden drilling critical kicks under pressure. As Riley pointed out, how special teams impact field positioning might influence what the offense and defense are able to accomplish.

Intensity Fuels Oregon vs. USC

Nov 11, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley signals to the offense during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Ducks and the Trojans have brought fire to their matchups dating back to their Pac-12 days. Even though Oregon has controlled the last four meetings (including a win at Autzen Stadium in 2025), a high-stakes meeting with College Football Playoff aspirations on the line continues to keep that game full of intensity.

“There's no hiding around the fact this is one of those games that everybody looks forward to,” USC safety Prophet Brown said on Trojans Live. “This is one of those games why you come to USC, to play in a top-ranked matchup on national television in front of a sold-out crowd in the Coliseum.”

Oregon coach Dan Lanning echoed this sentiment when discussing the upcoming game during his Monday press conference.

“Yeah, it's as intense as it gets, right? When you talk about two teams that are competitive, that want to be really good, that have great talent, it means a ton to the fan base,” Lanning said. “I think it's only grown, like you said, in my time since I've been here, that it means a lot our team.”

Dan Lanning on Traveling to USC

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, left, and USC head coach Lincoln Riley shake hands before the game as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on Nov. 22, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oregon’s early season loss to an unranked Oklahoma State Cowboys team only adds more motivation to the program’s trip to Southern California. Not only have the Ducks lost their only other road game so far, but the Game 2 upset leaves little to no room for error.

For a fanbase that had preseason ambitions of winning the National Championship, CFP hopes being squandered already before the month of October would be devastating. Even worse would be allowing those postseason hopes to come to an end against the Trojans.

But while USC is undefeated, it experienced its own troubles on the road in Piscataway. The Trojans only defeated Rutgers 42-35 – with the latter number coming as a concern against a struggling Scarlet Knights offense.

Nov 11, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, left, and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning talk before a game at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The pressure continues to mount for both programs ahead of the matchup. Lanning added during his presser what makes Riley’s side a challenge as the Ducks travel to California – and he seems to agree about the looming test in the special teams unit.

“Coach Riley's teams are always really hard to stop offensively. I think they've become pretty dynamic when it comes to special teams,” Lanning said. “Obviously, I know they had the fake against them in the last game, but they're doing some stuff different there.”

“That's a challenge. New coordinator on defense as well with Coach Patterson, who provides a myriad of looks that are challenging to prepare for, and then they have a team that has a lot of talent as well,” he continued. “So, the environment, I'm sure, is going to be unbelievable there at the Coliseum. My first time getting to play down there since we've been at Oregon.”

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