Tonight at 8:00 PM PT on FS1 and KNBR 1050 radio, Stanford take on #13 Oregon on the road in Eugene. Stanford comes in at 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the Pac-12 while Oregon comes in at 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: Stanford fell to Washington on the road last week by a final score of 40-22.
RECAP: Stanford goes sleepy in Seattle against #18 Washington
On Oregon: The Ducks are one of the top teams in the country. They have an explosive offense averaging 39.5 points per game while giving up 31.0 points per game, so offense is definitely their calling card. They are led by Auburn transfer Bo Nix at quarterback, who has a 162.42 passer rating on 10 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and 1100 yards. Nix has completed 71.97% of his passes this season. Nix also has 3 rushing touchdowns, rushing for a total of 120 yards on the year for a 4.6 yards per carry average.
Sophomore running back Bucky Irving is the top running back with 265 yards on the year and 1 touchdown, averaging 7.0 yards per carry. He has been really difficult for opposing defenses to contain. As for receivers, sophomore wide receiver Troy Franklin has 339 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns for an average of 16.65 yards per reception. Sophomore tight end Terrance Ferguson leads the team with 4 touchdown receptions on 118 yards for a 9.83 yards per reception average.
On defense, senior outside linebacker DJ Johnson leads the team with 3.0 sacks and 3.0 tackles for a loss. He has 13.0 total tackles on the year, doing a great job of helping to anchor the Ducks’ defense. The Ducks defense has four interceptions on the season, which is one interception per game. Two of those interceptions have come from sophomore defensive back Trikweze Bridges, who has been an excellent ball hawk this season.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is contain Nix. If he has a big night, it’s game over. Stanford has to contain him and not allow him to go off in front of the home fans.
Secondly, Stanford needs to take care of the ball. Turnovers have been an issue for Stanford this season. They have to make sure that isn’t an issue to night. If Stanford takes care of the ball, they’ll have a chance to win this game.
Finally, Stanford needs to make sure Tanner McKee has the protection he needs. If he has time to make the throws he needs to make, the offense should put up enough points to win. If he doesn’t, it’ll be another long night in the Pacific Northwest.
Prediction: Stanford has shown they can beat Oregon and that they are capable of surprise upsets. Odds are good they’ll have a surprise upset at least once this season, but I don’t think it’ll be tonight. I got Oregon winning 42-27.
To connect with CardinalSportsReport.com on Facebook and Twitter, click here.
To connect with Ben Parker on Facebook and Twitter, click here.
