USC commit shouts out Oregon QB Anthony Brown after win at Ohio State
After Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown led his team to a 35-28 win at Ohio State on Saturday, you would expect Ducks commits to be thrilled. But Brown received a compliment from an unlikely high schooler currently committed to a conference rival.
Jaedan Gould, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound cornerback out of New Jersey’s Bergen Catholic High School, committed to the Trojans earlier this summer on June 20. The four-star recruit had offers from many of the nation’s best college football schools including Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma, but Gould did not have an Oregon offer.
What do Gould and Brown have in common that may have led to the seemingly unlikely shoutout? Brown is also a New Jersey native. The Boston College transfer is from Holmdel, just 57 miles from Gould’s hometown of Oradell.
USC and Oregon do not play each other in this year’s regular season, but they could meet up in December to play for a Pac-12 title. After everyone in the Pac-12 North except for Oregon lost last weekend, and the Ducks showed the ability to hang with one of the country’s better teams in Ohio State, Oregon is the clear favorite to win the North. USC opened the season as a favorite to win the Pac-12 South, but Arizona State and UCLA could challenge them.
The Ducks and the Trojans met in last year’s Pac-12 Championship Game after Washington could not play due to COVID-19 issues. Oregon won the contest 31-24.
Brown, Oregon offense shine in Columbus
Brown had a very good day on his first trip to Ohio State. He went 17-for-35 with 236 yards and two touchdowns passes. Eleven receivers recorded a catch, and each of them had a catch for at least 10 yards. Running back CJ Verdell had 20 carries for 161 yards and two scores as well, including a 77-yard touchdown run.
Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal is now 7-4 against ranked opponents as the head coach of the Ducks. His last win against a non-conference ranked team was a 28-27 victory over No. 11 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl after the 2019 season. Today was the first time the Ducks have ever beaten Ohio State. Previously, the Buckeyes were 9-0.
Oregon’s next three games before their bye week should be relatively easy victories. They host Stony Brook and Arizona before traveling to Palo Alto to take on a struggling Stanford team. They hope to get two of their defensive stars who missed today’s game, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Justin Flowe, back very soon.