THE LOCALS

By DAVID WHARTON

Oct. 13, 2000 12 AM PT

No. 9 Oregon (4-1) at USC (3-2)

* Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Coliseum, Channel 7.

* Story line: Oregon is in the driver’s seat in the Pacific 10 and wants to steamroller USC on the way to the Rose Bowl. The Trojans, meanwhile, need to regroup after consecutive losses have left them at the back of the pack for the conference championship.

* USC update: An injury to center Eric Denmon has forced the Trojans to shuffle their offensive line. Coach Paul Hackett said left guard Lenny Vandermade will snap the ball and senior Trevor Roberts, who missed the early season because of an injury, takes his spot.

* Oregon update: Tailback Maurice Morris ranks second in the Pac-10 with an average of 125 yards, including a big game against Washington two weeks ago. The scary thing is, he did all that with a nagging foot injury. The USC defense will not be glad to know the junior college transfer used a bye last week to get healthy.

* Edge to Oregon: The Ducks are almost as bad as USC when it comes to kicking field goals, but they lead the conference in rushing and scoring and have the top-ranked defense. In other words, they are doing a lot of things right. The Trojans must hope for their first all-around consistent game.

* Line: Oregon by 2.

USC Sports

David Wharton

David Wharton has filled an array of roles – covering the courts, entertainment, sports and the second Persian Gulf War – since starting as a Los Angeles Times intern in 1982. His work has been honored by organizations such as the Society for Features Journalism and Associated Press Sports Editors and has been anthologized in “Best American Sports Writing.” He has also been nominated for an Emmy and has written two books, including “Conquest,” an inside look at USC football during the Pete Carroll era.

THE LOCALS

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