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Stanford beats Oregon 51-42
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Stanford football fans stormed the field to celebrate the biggest home win in at least a decade. Stanford beat up on Oregon to the tune of a 51-42 upset win over the 7th ranked Ducks.
This was no Trojan hangover for Oregon. The Ducks defense had been one of the unsung heroes in Oregon’s rise to the top of the Pac Ten. But Stanford sliced and diced through the defense the way most expected the Ducks to do to Stanford.
It was more than just the big play. It was a pounding. Toby Gerhart rushed for a school record 223 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries. Andrew Luck threw the ball for 251 yards on 12-for-20 passing and two touchdowns.
Whether through the air or pounding it on the ground, the Ducks defense had no answer for Stanford. The only real mistakes by the Cardinal were a second quarter fumble by Toby Gerhart and a 4th quarter missed field goal by Nate Whitaker.
Other than that, it was just about a perfect day on offense. Stanford was forced to punt twice. They just methodically marched up and down the field.
On defense, how does a unit give up 570 yards but still play okay? That was Stanford. Everyone knew that the Cardinal defense would be out matched by the Oregon offense. The defense did give up some very big plays and at times struggled to stop the Ducks offense. But what will go unnoticed is the defense made a couple of huge stops.
The first was in the opening series. After a huge kickoff return by Chris Owusu, Stanford’s offense went three and out and settled for a field goal. There was a let down in the Stadium. If the Ducks go the length of the field on that first drive, it may have been a different outcome. But the defense came up with its own three and out and forced the Ducks to punt. Stanford scored a touchdown and would never lead by less than three the rest of the way.
Stanford’s defense made a number of other stops in the first half only allowing 14 points, while Stanford built a big lead. Again, they played just well enough within the game plan.
Then the biggest stop came right at the end of the 3rd quarter. On fourth and short up by only 10, Michael Thomas on a run blitz sacked Jason Masoli for a loss and a huge stop. Stanford took over and added to the lead again.
They gave up yards, they gave up big plays, at times they made big mistakes, but they did just enough to allow Stanford’s offense to build a big lead.
A number of Stanford players had great games. On a team that scored 51 points, the entire offense deserves game balls. Gerhart and Luck are obvious choices for their play. The offense line gets huge props for the way they played. Right tackle Chris Marinelli was huge, if you want to create a video on text book blocking by a right tackle, you may want to use Marinelli from this game. David DeCastro at right guard also helped to shut down the right side. After watching the game a second time, Andrew Phillips the left guard stood out making some great blocks as a pulling guard. Tight ends Coby Fleener and Jim Dray were also huge with big plays catching the ball and great blocks for the run game. And then of course there is Chris Owusu who had 308 total yards between his receiving and his kickoff returns.
On Defense, the list of standouts is not as long. Again, they did give up 570 yards, but there were a number of players who played very well. Delano Howell led the team in tackles at safety. True freshman Shayne Skov for the most part played very well although he let his emotions get the best of him for a 15-yard taunting penalty. In the defensive line Chase Thomas was a big factor with one sack and playing his gaps perfectly. Ekom Udofia also had a huge game in the middle of the line.
A shout out to two gentlemen that were not on the field a lot, but played big rolls out there. Linebacker Chike Amojoyi lost his job earlier in the season, but he was a big contributor in the second half make a couple of big tackles. And Michal Thomas was very good in the nickel make the huge stop on 4th down at the end of the third quarter along with a couple of other very nice unassisted tackles.
Stanford again proved its dominance on special teams as well. Oregon is one of the top kickoff returning units in the nation. Yet the Cardinal would not let them pasts the 20-yard line on most of their kickoffs. Owusu as mentioned earlier was huge with his returns. And the game ball goes to Nate Whitaker. Sure he missed another important fourth quarter field goal, but he did get the game winner at the end. Overall he was 3-for-4 on his field goals. His kickoffs were outstanding, placing each kick to the corner of the field between the end zone and the 10-yard line allowing the coverage team to make some great plays.
The win makes Stanford bowl eligible. It was a big win against a highly ranked opponent. After years of disappointment and frustration, this was clearly the biggest home win in nearly a decade. The final destination for this Stanford team is far from determined. The goal is certainly more than just bowl eligibility. But for this one week, Stanford will celebrate its 6th win.
Coach Harbaugh tweeted after the game, “At home watching the DVD of today's game. What a thrill to relive. I am so proud of our team. We are over the hump.”
Stanford football is back!
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