Micah's takeaways from USC's disappointing showing against Oregon

The USC Trojans suffered a discouraging loss to the Oregon Ducks. It definitely was not the result many wanted to see for USC, and it slams the door shut on the Trojans' opportunity to make the College Football Playoff. However, this will not be the game that stains this season, nor will Notre Dame. It will be the Illinois game that sticks out like a sore thumb on the schedule.

Here are my takeaways for the Trojans after their tough loss in Week 13 versus Oregon:

Without a run game the offense is tough to watch

The Trojans only managed to get 52 total yards on the ground versus Oregon. King Miller alone had himself at least 70 yards rushing in the last 5 games. Not having this run game, put it all on Jayden Maiava, while he is up for that in this game, with the lights being bright, he forced some throws that ended up being costly interceptions. The Trojans have a passing attack that is good enough to be the highlight of the offense on a consistent basis, but when the defense knows you can't run, that makes the whole offensive operation complicated. The Trojans lost the battle in the trenches and were not the physical team, leading to the abysmal running performance.

Special teams cost the Trojans big time

There were way too many blunders and mistakes for the Trojans to overcome on special teams to win this football game. There were 4 penalties totaling from the Trojans' special teams unit, and they allowed a punt return for a touchdown.  Trojans kicker Ryon Sayeri missed a field goal that should have been automatic. All of these mistakes tie into the fact that the Trojans are an undisciplined football team. Oregon made more mistakes than usual, and there was an opportunity for USC to win this football game, but they got in the way consistently on special teams. Special teams are called special for a reason, and that is a unit that can make or break the game for your team. In this one, unfortunately, for the Trojans, it broke them.

Trojans need to improve the trenches in the offseason

Time and time again, against the elite-tier teams, USC is no match for them in the trenches. The Trojans' defensive line did not touch a hair on Dante Moore Jr. The Trojans were only able to produce two tackles for a loss in this game. Running lanes were wide open, and the Ducks' great run game had its usual dominant running performance with almost 200 yards on the ground. The Trojans, on the other hand, only had 52 yards on the ground; the run game was nonexistent. The Ducks brought down Jayden Maiava once in this game, but he felt this defense a lot in this game. Bear Alexander had 4 pressures and multiple defensive stops. The Trojans do not have a Bear Alexander. This team needs to put more emphasis on getting the big uglies up front on both sides of the ball. If they are better on both units, they beat Illinois, and they have a shot in the playoffs. The game versus Notre Dame is closer. Lincoln Riley won't have real success until this team improves the trenches.

USC has young, exciting players to mix with next year's recruiting class

The Trojans have the number one recruiting class next offseason, but still have some very talented freshmen and young players on the team currently. King Miller, as a walk-on freshman, has been fantastic this season in relief of the Trojans losing their top two backs. Miller has 749 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season. Freshman Tanook Hines had his best game from a receiving standpoint versus Oregon, with 6 catches and 141 yards with a touchdown. Hines has 367 yards on the season and could be molding into the next great USC receiver. Husan Longstreet is the quarterback of the future, and he is a superbly talented dual-threat quarterback who could take the Trojans' offense to the next level next season. On defense, freshman Marcelles Williams has made multiple winning plays this season. Freshman Jahkeem Stewart has also shown great promise, and both should be even better next season. Nice to see Kennedy Urlacher get an opportunity Saturday with a big interception on Dante Moore. The Trojans have a nice foundation laid out, and with the players they have coming in next season, Lincoln Riley should be able to build off of this year's improvements.

2025 is still a step in the right direction

The Trojans last season finished the year 7-6 and 4-5 in the Big Ten. Assuming this team finishes the year beating the Bruins on Saturday, the Trojans will be sitting at 9-3 and 5th in the Big Ten. The Trojans will then have a 7-2 record in conference with wins over Iowa, Michigan, and a good Nebraska team at the time. That is a huge improvement; obviously, the Trojans had their sights set on the College Football Playoff. A loss like Illinois will haunt this season more than the Oregon loss. Lincoln Riley produced one of the most explosive offenses in the country; injuries hindered the success of the team just a tad, but this year by no means is a failure. The saving grace for Riley will be the next season, when the Trojans have the best of the best coming to their program. This year, the Trojans proved they belong in the Big Ten, and next year it will be their time to be right there at the top with Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana. Hard to look at the bright side, especially given Riley's past and his consistent mistakes, but this USC football team is headed in the right direction.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lincoln Riley and USC football bring doubters back to the party