The USC Trojans are getting ready to take the Oregon Ducks, a Pac-12 powerhouse, this weekend when they travel to Eugene. The Ducks, fresh off of defeating the previously undefeated Stanford Cardinal 53-30 on the road, are soaring high and seem to be clicking offensively. USC head coach Lane Kiffin and his Trjoans know that they will be in for a tough game on Saturday.
In an interview with ESPN LA's Pedro Mora, Kiffin emphasized the need to keep his defense fresh against the speedy Ducks:
"We gotta rotate more guys in. You know, we've done that throughout the year, we've started to play more players and that's helped us. It's helped us because guys have gotten more experience and guys stay fresher later in the games."
The importance of rotating defensive players into the game will be more important against Oregon than arguably any other team that the Trojans have faced this year. The Ducks rushed to the tune of 232 rushing yards against Stanford's third-ranked run defense last weekend, piling up yards in the second half behind the quickness of LaMichael James as the contest worn on.
The Trojans cannot let that happen if they hope to pull off the upset at Autzen Stadium this weekend. USC will need to contain Oregon's many speedy options in order to avoiding falling victim to the Ducks as many other teams already have this season. Kiffin and his players know what the need to do, and the level of execution exercised by USC's defense could go a long way in determining the winner of Saturday's game.
Following is the full video of Kiffin's interview with Pedro Mora: