The win last Saturday was anything but easy for the Ducks. They took their only lead late in the fourth quarter after trailing the entire game. That's when things really changed as the Oregon offense was finally able to finish off drives while the defense made some timely stops.
Even as tense as it was, though, that 44-41 come-from-behind win at Washington State kept the Ducks' momentum rolling with three straight victories.
Next up is Stanford, which on paper is not as threatening as the Cougars.
The Cardinal is 1-2 (0-2 Pac-12) with not many bright spots to point out. Oregon (3-1,0) will also be returning to Autzen Stadium for this game and have all the confidence in the world sitting at No. 13 in the AP poll.
What makes this game dangerous for the Ducks is the history between the two teams. Stanford had the early-season upset in the matchup last year and also defeated Oregon in 2018 at Autzen Stadium (with both of those losses coming in overtime).
That was the last time fans in Eugene witnessed a loss at home.
The Cardinal is nowhere near the level it once wa. Then again, last year's Stanford team wasn’t either and still prevailed.
Oregon will surely be on its toes during the late-night contest as it the Ducks and Cardinal kick it off at 8 p.m. PT on FS1.
In the meantime, let's take a closer look at the matchup ...
Stanford Cardinal (1-2, 0-2 Pac-12)
Coach: David Shaw (12th year, 94-47)
2022 Stanford stats (where it ranks nationally)
Scoring offense: 30.3 PPG (74th)
Scoring defense: 30.33 PPG (92nd)
Total offense: 436.7 YPG (53rd)
Total defense: 400.3 YPG (89th)
Five Players to Know:
QB Tanner McKee (No. 18): Other than the interception total, McKee is off to a better start in his second year as a starter. McKee led the Cardinal to a disappointing 3-9 record in 2021 with the Oregon upset being the highlight of the year. His 4 interceptions in just three games have been the biggest problem for McKee this season while he's passed for 814 yards and 6 touchdowns with a 67% completion rate helping out his stat line. Prior to the year, McKee was regarded as one of the most intriguing quarterback prospects with 2023 draft eligibility. His slow start may have led those conversations to simmer down, but with the signs of improvement from last year, I expect McKee to finish out the season strong.
TE Benjamin Yurosek (No. 84): It hasn’t been the same start to the season for Benjamin Yurosek as it was last year. In 2021, he led the Cardinal in receiving yards with 653. He hasn’t hit the century mark yet through three 2022 games (just 7 catches for 62 yards), but he still remains the most dangerous receiving threat on the Stanford roster. The leading pass catcher this season has been Michael Wilson, who will be seeing a lot of matchups with Christian Gonzalez on Saturday night. Yurosek will be working against Oregon’s safeties and linebackers for a majority of the game, and so far containing tight ends has been a positive for the new defense. Georgia's Brock Bowers was held to 2 catches in Week 1 and no other tight end has made much of an impact against the Ducks this year. To avoid another upset loss to this Cardinal team, they must continue with the tight end containment and keep Yurosek from returning to his 2021 form.
LB Levani Damuni (No. 3): Run or pass, there will be a good chance that Levani Damuni will be around the ball when the tackle is made. The senior led Stanford in tackles a year ago and continues to be the category leader in 2022. As a unit, the team has allowed 40+ point performance in back-to-back games. In those games, Damuni was not much of a factor. He had only 9 tackles in those losses to USC and Washington, who are looking like two of the top teams in the Pac-12. Oregon’s offense is finally clicking and will be another tough challenge for Cardinal defensive leader.
