The USC Trojans look for their third straight win on Saturday night as they travel to Corvallis to take on the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. The game is the final USC contest to be played outside of Los Angeles this season, as the Trojans end their schedule with a home game against Notre Dame, followed by a trip to the Rose Bowl to face crosstown rival UCLA.
USC has lost its last two trips to Corvallis, and have lost three of their last four road games to Oregon State. The last loss came in 2008, when the No. 1 Trojans fell to the Beavers, 27-21. USC leads the all-time series against Oregon State, 59-10-4. Even with those three recent road losses to the Beavers, the Trojans have won 32 of their last 35 games against Oregon State.
The Trojans moved back into the Associated Press poll top 25 this week after two weeks on the outside looking in. USC has been ranked in the AP top 25 for 109 of their last 114 games.
Marc Tyler has asserted himself at tailback in the last month. He has led the Trojans in rushing yards in each of the last four weeks, including a career-high 160 yards on 31 carries in last week's win against Arizona. Tyler leads USC on the season with 786 rushing yards. Oregon State's rush defense is seventh in the Pac-10, allowing 169.2 yards per game this season.
Oregon State is still in the running for bowl eligibility, but has the toughest road to hoe with their remaining schedule. The Beavers (4-5, 3-3 in the Pac-10) have to win two of their final three games, but face the top three teams in the conference in USC, Oregon, and Stanford. Running back Jacquizz Rodgers is third in the Pac-10 in both rushing yards (893) and rushing touchdowns (13).
The 5 p.m. PST game will be broadcast regionally on ABC. Mark Neely, Mike Bellotti, and Brock Huard are on the call.
For more USC football news and analysis, be sure to read the SB Nation blog Conquest Chronicles.