OGS Spotlight Game Of The Week: Stanford At Oregon

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

For those who might not follow PAC-10 football all too closely, it's important to note that Stanford can follow a very simple formula to win at Oregon Saturday night.

The Cardinal can neutralize the Ducks' defensive speed by, not running around them or away from them, but running right at them. Maintaining possession and keeping the ball away from Oregon's big-play, quick-strike offense will be critical, especially at hostile Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

Stanford's offense hasn't only avoided a drop-off since the departure of 2009 Heisman Trophy finalist Toby Gerhart. It's gotten better. Much better.

Jim Harbaugh's bunch is actually averaging more rushing yards, more total yards and more points in 2010.

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Quarterback Andrew Luck is now the team's Heisman candidate and undisputed leader this year. The funny thing is that if Luck has to have a great game with his arm, a task for which he's certainly more than qualified, that probably won't be good news. Look for the visitors to try to chew up the clock and win on the ground, with Stepfan Taylor leading a stable of capable backs.

Easier written than done, right? It surely seems possible on paper, but I don't know if Stanford will be able to stay disciplined to run the ball 50 times. And when Luck takes to the air, that opportunistic Duck defense should be able to force a couple of turnovers. Oregon leads the country in turnover margin (+2.75 per game).

Keep in mind before UO gave up 31 points at Arizona State last weekend, it led the country in total defense and scoring defense. And depite that effort last week, the Ducks are still tied for third nationally, allowing only 11 points per game. Something tells me Chip Kelly did a little work on defense this week.

We're eight paragraphs in and we haven't even talked about Oregon's offense yet. Let's just say it's fairly decent. Averaging 321 yards rushing per game (3rd in FBS), 560 yards total offense (3rd) and 58 points per game (1st), the Ducks boast simply the most dangerous attack in the land.

Quarterback Darron Thomas is quickly making UO fans forget about Jeremiah Masoli. And being surrounded by weapons LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner and Jeff Maehl doesn't hurt either.

The last time the Ducks welcomed a highly ranked PAC-10 rival with conference championship implications at stake, they crushed USC last Halloween. Crushed them. I can't imagine the crowd at Autzen being any less a factor tonight than it was in that game last year. I look for Oregon to win a high-scoring game, something on the order of 38-28.