Stanford Knocks Oregon Out of BCS Title Contention
For the second straight year, the Oregon Ducks had their sights set on a return trip to the BCS National Championship game, but for the second straight year, one Pac-12 rival managed to stand in their way.
The Stanford Cardinal did what no team had since they last accomplished the feat themselves last season and defeated the third-ranked Ducks on Thursday night, fighting off a late rally to cross the finish line with a 26-20 home victory.
How did Stanford do it? By winning the war in the trenches and playing keep away from one of the nation’s most prolific offenses.
“If you control the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball, you can beat these guys,” Stanford coach David Shaw said, according to ESPN.com. “We’re a big, physical football team that plays well together.”
The Cardinal were physical all right, as they pounded Oregon’s front with 66 rushing plays for 274 yards – 157 of which belonged to tailback Tyler Gaffney, who set a school record with 45 carries. The powerful running game aided in keeping Oregon off the scoreboard too, as Stanford dominated time of possession, holding the ball for more than 42 minutes.
When he was on the field, Heisman frontrunner Marcus Mariota was largely ineffective for the first three quarters. He finished the night with solid numbers (20-of-34, 250 yards, 2 TDs), but the loss will surely negatively impact his hopes of winning the individual award.
As a whole, Oregon’s high-flying offense – which came in averaging more than 55 points per game – came out of the gate sloppy and missed out on several scoring chances in the red zone, helping Stanford build a 17-0 halftime lead. From there, the Cardinal leaned on Oregon with their power run game and extended their margin to 26-0 with three second-half field goals, before the Ducks made it interesting in the final minutes.
After blocking Jordan Williamson’s fourth field goal attempt of the night and returning it for a touchdown, the Ducks recovered an onside kick and scored again with just over two minutes to play. However, their ensuing onside try was unsuccessful and all Stanford had to do was kill the clock to earn the momentous win, which places it on the inside track for a second straight Pac-12 North title and a berth to the Pac-12 Championship game.
For the Ducks, the loss dashes their BCS title aspirations, but if Stanford drops one of its last three games, Oregon could climb back into the Rose Bowl picture. However, with the way Stanford executed its gameplan on Thursday night, a loss in its remaining three games doesn’t appear very likely.
Meanwhile, Florida State and Ohio State fans are jumping for joy now that their teams have one less undefeated team to worry about in reaching the BCS title game. As long as the Seminoles take care of business against Wake Forest on Saturday, they’ll undoubtedly stay No. 2 in the standings come Monday – and could even reach No. 1 if Alabama falls to 13th-ranked LSU.
