On Saturday at 12:30 PM PST on ABC, Stanford football will take on the #3 Oregon Ducks on The Farm at Stanford Stadium. Oregon comes in at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-12 while Stanford comes in at 2-2 and 1-1 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: Last weekend, Stanford lost to #24 UCLA 35-24 at home. UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson led the way for the Bruins going 19-30 for 212 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions while Stanford wide receiver Bryce Farrell had a breakout game with 3 receptions for 106 yards and 1 touchdown.
RECAP: Stanford falls to #24 UCLA in home opener
Key Stanford notes: The big news for Stanford is that running back Austin Jones, running back Casey Filkins, linebacker Ricky Miezan, tight end Ben Yurosek, and safety Noah Williams will all be back. Possibility of cornerback Zahran Manley coming back as well.
Cornerback Ethan Bonner, running back E.J. Smith, and guard Branson Bragg will all be out.
Getting Jones, Filkins, and Yurosek back will be huge for the offense. It was clear that without those guys, the offense didn’t have the same pop. And then with Miezan and Williams, both guys bring a lot to their respective rooms as well. Both being experienced veterans on defense. Stanford will have more depth this week as a whole and that certainly is better than what things looked like a week ago.
Stanford will also be going throwback in this game, paying homage to the 1970-71 teams of the Jim Plunkett era by wearing some vintage jerseys and helmets.
On Oregon: The Ducks come in as one of the top programs in the country ranked #3. They’re undefeated and looking to stay that way. They opened up their season with a close 31-24 victory over Fresno State and followed that up with another close 35-28 victory over Ohio State, who was #3 at the time. In their last two games, they blew the doors off Stony Brook 48-7 and then took care of business 41-19 against Arizona, outscoring the Wildcats 17-0 in the 4th quarter.
Oregon senior quarterback Anthony Brown is completing 57.8% of passes on the year and has thrown for 773 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. He has also rushed for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s a very talented and dangerous dual threat quarterback that will command the respect of Stanford’s defense.
Junior running back CJ Verdell has rushed for 334 yards on the year and 6 touchdowns on 60 attempts while junior running back Travis Dye has rushed for 286 yards and 3 touchdowns on 41 attempts. So in addition to Brown, the Ducks have a pair of really good running backs who know how to run all over opposing defenses.
Senior Johnny Johnson III leads the Ducks’ receiving corps with 10 receptions for 148 yards and 1 touchdown in three games played while freshman tight end Terrance Ferguson has been the second most popular target of Brown with 7 receptions for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns.
On the Oregon defense, sophomore defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is back from injury and looking to wreak havoc in the Stanford backfield. He’s put up monster numbers in his career so far and is definitely the star of the Oregon front seven.
In the Oregon secondary, sophomore defensive back Verone McKinley III and junior defensive back Bennett Williams each have 3 interceptions, so they’ll be chomping at the bit to be the first guys to get pick off Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee.
As a whole, Oregon has it all. A running quarterback that can throw, a dynamic running back group, talented receivers and tight ends, and playmakers on defense: both up front and in the secondary. They’re a very complete team that will require Stanford to play their best football.
Keys to the game: If Stanford is going to beat Oregon, the first thing they have to do is make sure Tanner McKee has time in the pocket to work his magic. Thibodeaux will be looking to put pressure on McKee and disrupt his rhythm. If Stanford is able to give McKee the time he needs, offensively they should be in a good spot. Especially with all those reinforcements coming back.
Secondly, Stanford’s defense needs to force a turnover. It doesn’t matter how or in what form, but somebody needs to either get an interception or force a fumble. Kyu Blu Kelly getting an interception might be Stanford’s best bet, but regardless, a turnover needs to be forced by Stanford’s defense.
Third, Stanford needs to contain the run. They can’t let the Ducks go wild in the backfield and run all over them. Stanford has to force things into the middle and do a good job of preventing big runs. The Ducks have a lot of weapons, so doing this will be no easy task.
Finally, special teams needs to do their job. Stanford cannot win this game if there are break downs on kickoffs and punts. They can’t allow big returns. And then of course, Ryan Sanborn needs to pin Oregon deep when he punts and Josh Karty needs to punch his kicks through when he steps up to the plate. If Stanford is going to win, they’re going to need the special teams to be flawless.
Prediction: Ducks by 9.5 was my forecast a couple weeks back and that feels right to me. Oregon 37 Stanford 27 is how I would hedge things at the moment. But, the opportunity for Stanford to win is definitely there. They just need to follow through on the keys to the game outlined above. While all of those keys are vital, I do feel like a forced turnover on defense could be the difference between a Stanford victory and an Oregon victory provided Stanford’s offense is able to capitalize if given the opportunity. Should be a fun and exciting game on The Farm.
