OREGON COORDINATORS QUICKLY FLIP THE SWITCH TO USC – “The coaches did a tremendous job yesterday transitioning and getting us ready to practice last night, and the players did an unbelievable job handling it” – Andy Avalos

Early Monday morning the Oregon football team was doing their normal game install walk-through in preparation for Colorado.

By Monday evening, they were back on the field with an entirely new game plan focused solely on the USC Trojans and winning the Pac-12 title.

It’s been that kind of hectic, turn-on-a-dime type of year thank you to the Covid-19 virus.

“We literally had a walk-through for Colorado in the morning,” explained Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead when asked how he and his fellow coaches quickly flipped the switch to USC.

“So, we were in the midst of that, and I think towards the tail end we kinda got the word and sent the kids back home for a little bit and then we went into the office and started putting a game plan together, whatever that was, two, three or four hours. Got the kids back, installed the game plan, and went out and practiced it last night.”

LOS ANGELES, CA – Oregon Ducks wide receiver Jaylon Redd (30) runs the ball for a touchdown during the Oregon – USC game on November 02, 2019, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. ( Photo by Tom Corno )

JOE MOORHEAD DISCUSSES THE CHALLENGE OF FACING USC

On the defensive side of the ball, it was much of the same for coordinator Andy Avalos.

Although, the primary difference is the Trojans are so explosive offensively and loaded with talent at every position. That talent has allowed USC and quarterback Kedon Slovis to manufacture impressive fourth-quarter comebacks to keep the Trojans undefeated.

“That’s kind of ironic,” said Avalos on Tuesday. “We’ve been in a lot of those situations as well. It’s kind of come down to this year. And we’ve spoken about it as a program. Everybody’s on a pretty level playing field in terms of everything that everyone has to go through. Everyone has all the same issues that everyone’s dealing with.

“Whether it be the number of players, the practice time, the adjustments to how you practice, and all of those things. So, it comes down to really, how you focus through the course of the week. How you focus through the course of a game, and how you’re able to finish more importantly.”

In the 2019 Oregon – USC game in Los Angeles, the Duck defense continuously put pressure on then-freshman QB Kedon Slovis. ( Photo courtesy of Tom Corno )

ANDY AVALOS DISCUSSES THE USC OFFENSE

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