A huge reason why the USC Trojans were able to pull off their 38-35 upset over the No. 4 Oregon Ducks on Saturday night was the continued stellar play of wide receivers Marqise Lee and Robert Woods. The duo just might go down as the best wide receiver tandem in USC school history.
Woods is having an All-American type season, but the freshman Lee has emerged as a weapon of equal potency in the second half of the season. The pair combined for 15 catches, 240 yards, and three touchdowns on Saturday night, with 187 yards coming from Lee.
With one game left in the season, Woods is closing in on some school records, and needs three catches to surpass Keyshawn Johnson for the most catches in a single season in school history.
| USC Single Season Pass Catching Leaders | |||||
| Player | Year | Games | Catches | Yards | TD |
| Keyshawn Johnson | 1995 | 12 | 102 | 1,434 | 7 |
| Robert Woods | 2011 | 11 | 99 | 1,179 | 13 |
| Mike Williams | 2003 | 13 | 95 | 1,314 | 16 |
| Dwayne Jarrett | 2005 | 13 | 91 | 1,274 | 16 |
| Johnnie Morton | 1993 | 13 | 88 | 1,520 | 14 |
Lee meanwhile has caught 60 balls for 919 yards and nine touchdowns, looking to have just the 14th season in USC school history with 1,000 yards receiving. There have only been three pairs of Trojans receivers to reach 1,000 yards in the same season: Mike Williams and Keary Colbert in both 2002 and 2003, and Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett in 2006. Here are the top pass catching duos in USC history:
- Williams & Colbert (2003): 164 catches, 2,327 yards, 25 TD
- Williams & Colbert (2002): 152 catches, 2,294 yards, 19 TD
- Smith & Jarrett (2005): 151 catches, 2,231 yards, 21 TD
- Smith & Jarrett (2006): 141 catches, 2,098 yards, 21 TD
- Woods & Lee (2011): 159 catches, 2,098 yards, 22 TD
- Johnnie Morton & Deon Strother (1993): 145 catches, 2,083 yards, 15 TD
Even with one fewer game this year than everyone else on the list, Woods and Lee have a chance to set school records for most catches, yards, and touchdowns by a duo. They just need a big game against the UCLA Bruins on Saturday night. To set a new record Woods and Lee need 230 combined yards receiving against the Bruins, something they have done three times this season.
For more on the Trojans, head over to Conquest Chronicles.