No Secrets Between These Two Teams

Josh Huff last year at Stanford.

It's no secret to Stanford or Oregon what the Ducks must do to control this game: Score early and often, as said in this Oregonian article:

Oregon's best defense against a team with a tough running game is to score plenty of points and make the opponent one-dimensional. The Ducks accomplished that against Cal. It might not come so easily against Stanford.

Stanford ranks first in the conference in rushing defense, allowing just 58.6 yards per game. Next in line is Oregon State, which has allowed 99.7 per game. The Cardinal also rank first in total defense (320.7) and scoring defense (17.2).

"I think it's a huge challenge for us offensively getting matched up against the best defense we've faced so far," Kelly said.

If Oregon can get up two or three scores in the first half, Stanford will no longer be able to grind out a slow and low, SEC or Notre Dame type of game. They'll be forced to catch up, pass, talk faster in their huddles -- things they don't like to do.

The closest offense to Oregon's that Stanford has played so far is Arizona. Good news for Stanford, they won that game 54-48 in OT. Bad news: Oregon is universally better than the Wildcats who were able to score 48 on the Cardinal defense.

Below is a good article from the San Jose Merc. I particularly love the first paragraph with another eyewitness account of what visitors experience at Autzen:

Multiple challenges await No. 14 Stanford football team at No. 1 Oregon

By Jon Wilner
jwilner@mercurynews.commercurynews.com

STANFORD -- When Autzen Stadium was loudest during Stanford's visit two years ago, the field shook. The Cardinal watched in amazement as the rubber pellets mixed into the artificial turf vibrated beneath their feet.

"No talking," said center Sam Schwartzstein, who communicates blocking schemes to his linemates. "All screaming."

Executing amid the bedlam is just one challenge facing Stanford on Saturday when it visits top-ranked Oregon. The No. 14 Cardinal also must slow the most potent offense in the country, repel a havoc-causing defense and deal with inclement weather (the forecast: 50 degrees and rain).

But Stanford's great challenge is psychological.

The players must have the poise to handle rapid changes in momentum (everything happens quickly when the Ducks are involved).



"Another freshman QB at Autzen?
Excellent!"

 The coaches must have the discipline to stick with their game plan if the deficit mounts.

 And from freshman quarterback Kevin Hogan on down, everyone on the Stanford sideline must believe they can beat the three-time defending conference champions on their turf with the Pac-12 North title on the line.

"They've got the ingredients for handling the elements of what they'll be playing in," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said of the Cardinal. "But it's a big, big chore."
Belief is not normally an issue for Stanford, a smart, savvy, experienced team that has compiled a 31-5 record the past three years.

But Oregon is not a normal opponent. [If by that you mean Oregon is "abnormal", you better be smilin' when you say that.]

The core of this Stanford team has lost decisively to the Ducks the past two seasons.

Both times, the stakes were enormous. Both times, Stanford held its own -- for a half. The combined second-half score: Oregon 59, Stanford 14.

The Cardinal's wobbly performance last year prompted quarterback Andrew Luck to admit to espn.com that Stanford had "an Oregon problem."

When told of Luck's comment, Stanford senior linebacker Chase Thomas expressed full confidence in his team.

"There's no question we believe we can win," Thomas said. "We don't fear any team. We know what they do."

Knowing what the Ducks do is one thing, stopping it another. Their relentless pressure in all facets means a single breakdown can turn a close game into a blowout faster than you can say Quack Attack. The latest example came Saturday in Berkeley, when Oregon scored three touchdowns in six minutes to overwhelm Cal.

Only once this season has Stanford come close to executing at a high level on every unit for four quarters. That was against Colorado, one of the worst teams in Pac-12 history.

Against the best teams on its schedule -- USC, Notre Dame and Oregon State -- Stanford played well for a quarter here, a quarter there.

"That's a negative to a certain degree, but it's also a positive," coach David Shaw said. "It's great for the coaches, because we can point to countless things that are correctable, countless things that will help us play better. [Well now THAT'S a sunny disposition. Way to make lemonade out of lemons, Coach! I love how twice he said "COUNTLESS things".]

"Our rallying cry the whole year is that if we play our best for 60 minutes, we'll always give ourselves a chance to win. We need to do it this week." [Meanwhile, the Duck starters' rallying cry is if they play their best for 30 minutes, they get to sit down and text their buddies for the rest of the game.]

Seriously, all those blowouts at the beginning of the season are paying off now. With all the injuries on the defense, the Ducks need their backups to step up. And they are. Here's the latest on how Oregon's depth is showing in the Oregonian article: "Oregon Ducks' rapid development of depth paying off".


And if the D still needs more help . . . .

Who DAT on Defense?
You may have heard the talk about the possibility of DeAnthony Thomas and/or QB Brian Bennet helping out on the defensive side of the ball this Saturday. Both have reportedly practiced this week on the D side. Here is one of the Oregonian stories talking about it.

Coach Kelly has made no wrong decisions so far this year. So who can say it's not a good idea? The defense is literally hurting. He already had at least one backup tight end play D. last week.

Here's what excites me about the prospect. In DAT's two seasons, he has scored TD's via rushing, receiveing, punt returns, and kickoff returns. He could add a pick-six to his resume'. Should DAT play cornerback and intercept a pass, he becomes an instant scoring threat from anywhere on the field.

He may not know the routes too well, but like brainless Cliff Harris from last year, he can overcome that with his speed and atleticism. That's why Nick Aliotti likes the idea.

The only issue with that is Oregon very well might need his speed as a receiver to best overcome Stanford's defense and get the Ducks that early lead.

Offense, defense, punt returns, kick returns . . . I think DAT is going to be a mighty busy boy Saturday night.


Oh BTW
ESPN College Game Day will make their seventh visit to an Oregon game this Saturday.
6 am Pacific on ESPNU, 7 am on ESPN.

Stanford at Oregon. Saturday night, 5 pm on ABC.