Travis Dye explains how he's pulling from past experience for Fresno State

Ahead of USC’s game against Fresno State on Saturday, running back and Oregon transfer Travis Dye shared how he’s leaning on past playing experience against the Bulldogs. They’re not a team to be taken lightly.

Last year, Fresno State went in to Autzen Stadium and almost beat Oregon. Dye saw firsthand the type of effort that USC will be going up against this Saturday.

“They’re a good team,” Dye said. “And they were good. We only beat ’em by what, three points or whatever it was. They fought really, really hard. And they will fight hard against us, too. So, having that kind of experience and making sure guys know that, you know, not to take this game lightly at all. This will be one of the hardest games on our schedule, for sure.”

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At Autzen last season — ultimately a 31-24 win for the Ducks — Fresno State took Oregon to the brink. A banged-up Jake Haener went 30-for-43 for 298 yards and a touchdown to keep the Bulldogs in it. He’s back for the Bulldogs this year.

The Trojans recent played Fresno State — a 31-23 win in 2019 — but the bulk of the player on the roster for USC are either too young to have played in that game or transferred in this offseason. With a relative ignorance of what the Bulldogs will be like on the field, Dye is trying to keep his teammates on their toes.

“Yeah, every chance I get. Every little chance I get,” Dye said. “Because we have to know that these guys are going to come to play. And they’re going to come to play hard. And we have to be ready to play and play our game and not scoot down to anybody’s level. We have to raise the level how we always do every week.