Oregon 53 Stanford 30 – Rewind
Well, the big game is over and Oregon beat Stanford 53-30, which puts the Ducks in the driver’s seat for the Pac 12 title and a BCS bowl berth, and handed the Cardinal their first loss of the 2011 season.
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The game was almost a replay of last season’s match up between these 2 teams in Eugene with the same amount of points being scored with Oregon winning 52-31 and the Ducks dominating the rushing game.
Here are 5 reasons why Oregon beat Stanford.
1. The Ducks won the BIG match up
The big match up in this game was Oregon and their 5th ranked rushing offense facing Stanford and their 3rd ranked rushing defense.
Well, the Ducks won that battle, as the Ducks rushed for 232 yards in the game with star RB LaMichael James blowing up for 146 yards with 3 TD.
2. Luck’s turnovers
Luck did have 271 passing yards with 3 TD, but he also had 2 INT and a fumble.
Stanford was down 16 points with 4 1/2 minutes left in the game and had the ball and had to score 2 TD’s and covert on a couple of 2-point conversions, but there was still a chance.
Hopes were dashed when Oregon’s Boseko Lokombo picked off Luck and ran it back for a TD to ice the game giving the Ducks a 53-30 lead.
3. Oregon’s D came up big when it counted
The Ducks are not known for their D, but they came up big on that side of the ball in the clutch.
The Clincher! Boseko Lokombo picked off Luck and ran it back for a TD
They held the Cardinal to only 1/9 on 3rd down conversions and in the 3rd quarter they scored a TD after Isaac Remington forced Luck to fumble deep in Stanford territory.
On top of that I already mentioned the late Oregon INT that put the game away.
4. Oregon’s gambles paid off
Oregon head coach Chip Kelly made some gutsy calls in the game and they paid off.
On 4th-and-7 from the Stanford 41-yard line Ducks’ WR De’Anthony Thomas took a short pass and galloped down the sideline for a TD that gave Oregon a 22-9 lead with a little less than 3 minutes left in the first half.
After Luck’s fumble in the 3rd quarter James scored on a 4th and 2 from 4 yards out to give Oregon a 36-16 lead. The Ducks scored 2 TD’s on 2 of their 3 4th down tries.
5. Oregon’s offense really came alive in the 2nd half
Taking the field in the 3rd quarter Oregon was only up 22-16, but in the 2nd half they scored 4 TD’s and a FG with James scoring on 2 TD runs.
Next Up: Oregon does not have much time to enjoy this HUGE win, as they face a very tough USC squad at home in their next game before their season finale facing Oregon State in the Civil War Game.
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