Six points.
That’s all USC’s offense could muster in the second half against a subpar Stanford defense. The Trojans’ run game only put up 42 yards after the break.
Yet, the lead rusher of that running back group commended the team after the game.
“I’ve been on some really good teams, and this is the best team I’ve ever been on. And that’s no disrespect to my past teams. It’s just the truth.”
That was redshirt senior running back Travis Dye, a transfer from Oregon. Dye was with the Ducks since 2018 and made his mark in the Oregon backfield.
But how much of a compliment did Dye give the Trojans?
To answer that question, we have to go through Dye’s four seasons at Oregon. Four seasons of Ducks football that can be perfectly summarized as inconsistent.
Two of Dye’s Oregon teams fall well below the rest. The Ducks went 9-4 in Dye’s freshman season and 4-3 in the COVID year. Compared to USC’s 4-8 record last year, either of those results would be a resounding improvement for the Trojans. But new head coach Lincoln Riley brings different expectations.
Oregon went 10-4 last season, but Dye’s sophomore season is the best team he’s been on. By far.
Dye’s quarterback was then-senior Justin Herbert. Herbert had a lot of success during the aforementioned 9-4 season, but in 2019 he really put together a complete campaign.
The season started with a disappointing loss to No. 16 Auburn 21-17 on a late touchdown drive orchestrated by now-Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. The Ducks were written off after the loss, but the team rebounded with five straight wins and allowed an average of five points per game during that stretch.
Then came Oregon’s signature win of the regular season. The Ducks traveled to Seattle to take on the No. 25 Washington Huskies and Oregon scampered away with a tight 35-31 victory. Herbert threw for four touchdowns and Dye averaged 6.4 yards per carry. Oregon’s defense allowed the Huskies to convert on just 3-of-13 third down attempts.
It was a complete performance.
The Ducks won four of their final five games of the regular season, highlighted by a 56-24 win over USC at the Coliseum. The lone loss came against Arizona State in the desert where the Ducks had no answer for the Sun Devils’ passing attack that went for 408 yards.
That loss ended Oregon’s College Football Playoff hopes, but not all hope of a successful season was lost. Not even close.
The Ducks faced Playoff-hopeful No. 5 Utah in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game. Oregon was counted out because Utah was one of the top defenses in the entire country — but lo and behold, the Ducks were ready. Oregon crushed the Utes 37-15 and snatched the Pac-12 Championship right out from under them.
The Ducks booked a Rose Bowl berth with the win and took on the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers. Both offenses were held in check, but that was more of a testament to Oregon’s defense than Wisconsin’s. Oregon had to hold down running back Jonathan Taylor, the two-time Doak Walker Award winner and player with the most rushing yards through their junior season in all of college football history.
The Ducks slowed Taylor to just 94 rushing yards and, with that feat, Oregon sealed the close victory 28-27.
The Ducks finished that season ranked at No. 2 in the Pac-12 in scoring offense, No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 2 in total defense.
So that’s the best team Dye has played for and, supposedly, this USC team is better.
So far, the Trojans are not. Granted, USC was No. 1 in the Pac-12 in scoring offense heading into Week 2 (and tied for No. 1 in the nation), but the defensive metrics are where the 2019 Oregon squad looks significantly better. The Trojans are No. 7 in the Pac-12 in scoring defense and No. 8 in total defense. There is plenty of time for USC to improve its ranks but the team has shown very little to be deserving of being in the same conversation as that Duck team.
Still, by Dye’s metrics, a Pac-12 Championship, a 10-2 regular season and a Rose Bowl victory is the floor for the Trojans. There’s not much higher to go from there.
When Dye says he’s played for “some really good teams,” he’s right. But he hasn’t played for a great team that will be remembered for generations.
That might change this season if Dye’s judgment is correct.