Oregon at Stanford – How the Cardinal Won

ESPN’s play-by-play man Rece Davis said it best in the third quarter. He told viewers that Oregon were being “punched in the gut” by Stanford. Perfect words, because that was exactly what the Cardinal had done to that point, and would continue to do – aside from a few anxious moments late, where the Ducks came storming back – as they stormed back into BCS National Championship contention with a gritty victory that will long be remembered in Palo Alto and Eugene, though for different reasons.

But how did the Cardinal win?

Simply, by playing simple football. Whatever football regimen these players, from peewee all the way up, are a part of during preseason conditioning – be it early morning or late afternoon practices during the spring or hellishly long and demanding two-a-days during the heat of summer – there’s one thing that’s preached again and again by coaches: fundamentals. Football is a simple game. If you maintain composure and make sure you’re in the right place on every play, you’ll win more games than you lose. 

Tonight, defensively, Stanford were the perfect example, living proof of what so many coaches the length and the breadth of the nation preach day in and day out. Assignment football leaves little room for the opposition to prosper, either offensively or defensively, but particularly defensively, and the Cardinal were outstanding. They were rarely out of position on any play, and their discipline led to Oregon’s inability to bust open big plays, which has, of course, been the team’s trademark for years. 

On the flip side, the times the Cardinal defenders didn’t get it right, Ducks QB Marcus Mariota was able to exploit them, but those moments for a well-drilled outfit were few and far between, and the final score, Oregon’s cause aided by the blocked field goal, returned for six, and given another offensive life thanks to the fluky bounce of the football on an onside kick, did not properly illustrate just how well contained Oregon were. No, perhaps ‘contained’ is not a strong enough word. They were dominated.

The other difference was penalties. Oregon had 81 yards assessed and Stanford only 10, most of which game late in the game. The first half was perfect. The Cardinal did everything they had to do to give themselves a chance: their defense, led by imposing linebacker Shayne Skov, tackled everything that moved, completely shutting down the high-powered Oregon offense – no mean feat, as the box scores from earlier Ducks games this year will attest – and did it with a sort of hard-nosed meanness that was as impressive to the observing eye as it was doubtless hard for the Ducks to combat.

On the other side of the football, Stanford’s offense flourished. Under sure-handed QB Kevin Hogan, they possessed the ball for what seemed like an age, converting third down after third down, always the same play, an inside run – a play that the Ducks, try as they might, could not stop. Indeed, Stanford had the football for just a few ticks shy of 21 minutes in the first half. That’s energy and morale sapping for Oregon, and a wonderful shot of momentum for the Cardinal. 

Stanford’s offensive line owned a pretty good Oregon defensive line, which, some say, is the best the Ducks have put on the field in recent memory. The Ducks got no traction, leading to 274 rushing yards, 157 of which came from hard-running Tyler Gaffney. The back is by no means a flashy player, but then, Stanford is by no means a flashy team. They play a tough brand of football, perfectly suited to this game, where the goal was to keep Mariota and the Ducks offense on the sidelines, from where they can’t do any damage. Mission, accomplished – and accomplished in the most impressive manner possible.

Whereas the Cardinal took full advantage of their opportunities, the Ducks did not. Their two turnovers were momentum killers of the worst kind. Red zone turnovers are tough to come back from. Oregon had trouble moving the football and generating offense at the best of times, and turning it over only put more pressure on their beleaguered defense. Yet, it was the Cardinal’s intense play that forced these turnovers. Rarely did the Ducks get into their familiar rhythm. Stanford took it away, and that in itself was an impressive victory.

I wrote earlier in the week of Stanford’s need to harass Mariota. They did that last year to great effect, and their second bite at the cherry was just as impressive. A Heisman Trophy front-runner – if not the outright favourite coming in – Mariota had a case of the drops at times, and just didn’t look like his usual self. Yes, his streak of not having thrown an interception since the corresponding game last year continues, but that’s small solace for the Ducks quarterback, whose game was subpar. The loss probably knocks him out of contention, for he wasn’t impressive enough in a losing effort like, say, Johnny Manziel was for Texas A&M against Alabama.

Stanford picked a perfect week to play their best game of the season. In the loss against Utah, I thought they got away from pounding the football as has been their way in recent years, and it cost them a win – though it doesn’t seem so big a loss now that they have the inside track to, at least, the Pac-12 Championship Game – but there was no such mistake this week, and the result, of course, was a momentous win for the program, for Head Coach David Shaw, for all who thought that Oregon would be far too strong for the one-loss Cardinal and for everyone who enjoys a bit of late-season college football drama.

Congratulations, Stanford. That was a win for the ages.