Post-Game: Oregon vs. Stanford

I, like the majority of sports writers around the country, severely underestimated Oregon's defense. The case could be made that we overestimated Stanford's defense, but I think the game's outcome was more a product of Oregon's dominance than Stanford's ineptness.

I had picked Stanford to win, 48-38, and here's why. I clearly thought that neither team would be able to contain the other, and that Stanford's two-dimensional offense would give it the edge. While it was true that Stanford had trouble stopping the big play, Oregon's defense contained Andrew Luck—causing him to throw two interceptions, for the first time this season.

The end box score will show that Stanford committed five turnovers.The casual fan who didn't watch the game will probably assume that that was the difference in the game, but the truth is that Oregon was firmly in control of the game and never trailed. Three of those five turnovers came on back-to-back-to-back plays to close out the game. They were painful to watch, but they weren't game-deciding.

The fact is that Oregon simply outplayed the Cardinal. Perhaps Stanford choked under the pressure. Perhaps Oregon really is that much better, and the loss to LSU was just a slip-up.

The Oregon running attack racked up 232 yards against Stanford's formerly-third-ranked rushing defense. LaMichael James contributed 146 of those yards on 20 carries and effectively tossed his hat back into the Heisman race.

Darron Thomas was efficient in his performance, throwing for 115 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also contributed to the ground game with 17 yards on seven carries.

No one expected Stanford to completely shut down Oregon's offense, but what surprised me the most was its inability to prevent the big plays. James exploded early in the second quarter for a 58 yard touchdown run, which obviously energized the then-ineffective Oregon offense. Darron Thomas then completed a fourth-down pass to De'Anthony Thomas for a 41 yard touchdown later in the second quarter. Darron kept it up in the third quarter with a 59 yard touchdown pass to Josh Huff.

The big plays weren't limited to the offense, though. Oregon intercepted two of Luck's passes and added big returns (one for a touchdown in the fourth quarter).

For Stanford, they'll need to rebound. The Cardinal fell all the way to No. 9 in this week's BCS standings. They have a rivalry game against the Cal Golden Bears this week, followed by a bout with Notre Dame the following week. The Cardinal should win those games, but they'll need to win big to be able get back into the good graces of the voters and try to earn back their "elite team" status.

For Oregon, their work is not done yet. The Ducks host an AP-ranked USC at Autzen this week. While I don't see Oregon getting trapped by this game, the Trojans will give Oregon a real test, and, more importantly, another opportunity to showcase their talents on a national stage against a respectable opponent. After that, the Ducks host their in-state rivals the Oregon State Beavers. Although it is a rivalry game, and anything can happen, Oregon will win this game by a lot. That just leaves the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game at Autzen against what looks to be UCLA. Chalk up another "W" for the Ducks in that one.