• Game of the Week Preview: Stanford vs. Oregon

    Our latest Game of the Week finds us in Eugene for a battle between Top Ten teams - Stanford vs. Oregon.

    Stanford is led by Andrew Luck, considered by many (outside of Bristol, CT) to be the top QB prospect in the country. The Cardinal have rolled through the season with impressive wins versus UCLA, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame. Balance has been the key for Jim Harbaugh's team as they average 223 yards per game on the ground and 234 yards through the air.

    The Ducks enter this match-up as one of the top offenses in the country. With their dangerous spread attack, Oregon ranks 3rd nationally in rushing (321 YPG), 3rd in total offense (560 YPG), and first in scoring offense (58 PPG). They have been aided by an opportunistic defense that leads the nation in turnover margin and a pass efficiency defense that ranks second nationally. The defense has been aided by three big wins, but in their last game versus Arizona State, ASU racked up 597 yards of total offense only to be undone by four interceptions.

    Who will win this Top Ten showdown? Will the winner go on to win the Pac-10 and contend for the National Championship? Will there even be a punt in this game?

    Click Read More to see the video preview for Stanford vs. Oregon.


    Spoiler: show
    Stanford 42, Oregon 37

    Player of the Game:
    Stanford: WR Ryan Whalen – 6 rec., 143 yards, 2 TD

    Leaders:

    Passing
    Stanford: QB Andrew Luck – 18 of 27, 307 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
    Oregon: QB Nate Costa – 7 of 14, 133 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

    Rushing
    Stanford: HB Stepfan Taylor – 24 attempts, 141 yards, 1 TD
    Oregon: HB LaMichael James – 12 attempts, 51 yards, 1 TD

    Receiving
    Stanford: WR Ryan Whalen – 6 rec., 143 yards, 2 TD
    Oregon: WR DJ Davis – 8 rec., 143 yards, 2 TD

    Scoring Summary

    1st Quarter
    5:36 TD Oreg: L. James, 6 yard run (R. Beard kick)
    4:50 TD Stan: S. Taylor, 49 yard run (N. Whitaker kick)
    3:01 FG Oreg: R. Beard, 41 yard FG
    0:48 Safety Stan: Team Safety

    2nd Quarter
    6:52 TD Stan: R. Whalen, 51 yard pass from A. Luck (N. Whitaker kick)
    5:16 TD Oreg: D. Davis, 11 yard pass from N. Costa (R. Beard kick)
    3:59 TD Oreg: C. Matthews, returned fumble 47 yards: Score Overturned
    1:18 TD Stan: C. Owusu, 47 yard pass from A. Luck (N. Whitaker kick)

    3rd Quarter
    5:01 TD Oreg: D. Davis, 53 yard pass from N. Costa (2-pt)
    3:48 TD Stan: O. Marecic, returned interception 41 yards (N. Whitaker kick)
    2:46 TD Stan: R. Whalen, 2 yard pass from A. Luck (N. Whitaker kick)
    1:10 FG Oreg: R. Beard, 38 yard FG
    0:00 TD Stan: D. Baldwin, 17 yard pass from A. Luck (N. Whitaker kick)

    4th Quarter
    5:20 TD Oreg: J. Huff, 26 yard pass from N. Costa (R. Beard kick)
    Comments 9 Comments
    1. cdj's Avatar
      cdj -
      Poll added.

      Who will win?

      - Stanford
      - Oregon
    1. morsdraconis's Avatar
      morsdraconis -
      Stanford never wins these games so I gotta go with the Ducks. Think it's going to be a wild game though.
    1. CLW's Avatar
      CLW -
      I'm high on the Cardinal. I think Luck may be one of if not the best QB in college football right now.
    1. steelerfan's Avatar
      steelerfan -
      Nice job, as always, Chris.

      I'm leaning toward Stanford as well. I don't have a rooting interest, but this is a game I will not miss!
    1. Rudy's Avatar
      Rudy -
      Did Darron Thomas get hurt early? I saw him early in the video but then it was all Costa. What were the Costa's rushing numbers?

      There was a crazy amount of turnovers in the game and points off turnovers. This should be a good game Saturday night.
    1. cdj's Avatar
      cdj -
      Thomas got hurt, but IIRC he had similar (though slightly lower) numbers than Costa.
    1. JeffHCross's Avatar
      JeffHCross -
      Oregon's numbers are good, but they didn't look so dominant against Arizona State. I think the Cardinal are the better team, though Autzen might make up the difference.
    1. JBHuskers's Avatar
      JBHuskers -
      To me even though Stanford never wins these big games....I think Luck does.
    1. JeffHCross's Avatar
      JeffHCross -
      I nominate Winless New Mexico at winless New Mexico State for the next Game of the Week.