Oregon Demolishes Stanford 45-16: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks proved on Saturday night that they are the class of the PAC 12 North with their dominating victory over the Stanford Cardinal 45-16.

The Oregon Ducks just dominated from the opening whistle as they scored on their first four possessions of the game, and never looked back.

Heisman Trophy candidate Marcus Mariota was as precise as a brain surgeon on Saturday, as he led the Ducks with 258 yards passing and 85 yards on the ground.  Oregon rushed for 268 yards, and increased their record to 59-0 when rushing for over 240 yards.

Stanford came into the season as a contender for another PAC 12 title, but after suffering another devastating loss, they will be fighting just to become bowl eligible this season.

Here was the good, bad, and ugly from the game:

Good

Marcus Mariota – Oregon Ducks Quarterback Marcus Mariota was phenomenal on Saturday night as he led the Ducks offense up and down the field against the vaunted Stanford Cardinal defense.  Mariota put on a dazzling display with his ability to escape pressure, and drive the “Quack Attack” for multiple scores.  Mariota’s performance vaulted him to the top of many Heisman voter ballots as he has shown that the not only is he an athletic specimen, but also a great leader.

Oregon Offensive Line – The Ducks this season have been much maligned along the offensive line; but tonight they showed that when healthy, they are a talented group.  Stanford has been known to terrorize opposing offensive lines, and during the game barely could get any pressure on the Ducks.  Oregon will need the line to continue this outstanding play when the post season rolls around. 

Oregon Rush Attack – The statistics don’t lie, if the Ducks rush for over 240 yards as a team, they win.  Stanford was unable to bring down the Ducks top-flight runners as Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner had fantastic games.  Freeman and Tyner are bruising, straight ahead rushers that just bowled over the Cardinal.  Quarterback Marcus Mariota added another fine rushing performance with 85 yards and two touchdowns.

Devon Cajuste – One of the few bright spots for the Cardinal was the play of Wide Receiver Devon Cajuste.  The senior receiver had 5 receptions for 116 yards.  Cajuste was able to take advantage of the focus being placed on Ty Montgomery, and was able to keep the Cardinal in the game until the 4^th quarter.   

Bad

Stanford Tackling – Stanford came into the game with one of best defenses in all of college football, and left Autzen stadium a bruised and battered bunch.  Several times, Stanford had chances at the initial point of contact, but the Ducks were able to bounce off and gain more yards on every play.  Stanford was missing a few key pieces due to injury, but they were just unable to make any stops on Saturday night.

Kevin Hogan – Stanford Quarterback Kevin Hogan had a few bright spots, but his continued issues with taking care of the ball came back to bite the Cardinal on Saturday night.  Before this season, Hogan was 10-1 against top ranked opponents.   This year he is 0-3, and has not been able to lead his team at all against top opposition.  Stanford had several chances to get back into the game, but again, Hogan caused two turnovers deep in the offensive zone, and the Cardinal were unable to keep up with the Ducks.  Hogan has been highly erratic this season, and many are calling to see if Coach David Shaw will go with another man under center soon. 

Ugly

Stanford Red Zone Offense - The biggest Achilles heel for the Cardinal this season has been their conversions in the Red Zone.  The description of their Red Zone offense has gone from “ugly” to downright “atrocious”.  There is no way that a team can keep up with the likes of an Oregon offense when they trade field goals for touchdowns.  Stanford has now lost another game where they may have had a better chance if they were able to convert in the zone.