Amidst a chaotic and noisy visiting locker room Saturday night, Oregon defensive backs coach John Neal saw a somewhat frustrated Arrion Springs among the rest of his teammates. The redshirt freshman defensive back had been tested consistently during the Ducks’ showdown with No. 7 Stanford, and was beaten on numerous occasions – most notably on a touchdown pass that put the Cardinal down two with 10 seconds remaining in the game.
But, “so what,” Neal said to Springs. “We won the game. There’s so many plays that you did make.”
It was the theme of what became a dramatic night for the Ducks, one that will be known for Oregon giving up a number of plays, but making just “enough” to win 38-36 and ultimately destroy the Cardinal’s College Football Playoff hopes and provide what Neal called a “special” moment after the game in the locker room.
Behind explosive runs from a chorus of ball carriers, opportunistic stops from the Ducks’ defense and what simply seems like the mere presence of a healthy Vernon Adams Jr., Oregon bursted free from Stanford and held on in the waning moments to grab its fourth consecutive win. 
“It’s an awesome feeling,” Adams, who went 10-of-12 for 205 yards and two touchdowns, said. “All the doubters out there who thought we couldn’t do it.
“I’m just glad our defense helped us out and we got enough points to win.”
Enough was a word used often by players and coaches to describe its upset of Stanford, but the explosiveness appeared to be the biggest factor for the offense. Oregon ran just 48 plays  – it averaged 81.5 plays per game coming into the game – but scored 38 points and found the end zone on all but one of its scoring drives.
“We knew we had to be efficient,” Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost said. “We figured they’d play keep away, and we knew we had to score on (our) drives.”
It’s exactly how the game moved along. Stanford held the ball on long, methodical drives, and Oregon often answered with a quick strike. The second play after the Cardinal opened the game with a drive that lasted over six minutes and resulted in a field goal, Royce Freeman gauged the Stanford defense on a 49 yard run. On the Ducks’ next drive after a Stanford touchdown, Charles Nelson took the ball on a sweep and busted free for 75 yards and a score.
But, it became apparent in the second quarter that Oregon wasn’t going to move the ball with ease. The Ducks were forced to punt and an Adams fumble on a sack was returned by Stanford inside Oregon’s 10.
However, the Ducks defense made what became a significant stop inside the goal line on the subsequent series, forcing a field goal that put Stanford up 17-14. As was the theme, Oregon responded soon after with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Adams to Carrington – another regular theme during the last four games.
“He’s always open,” Adams said.
But, just getting the quick strike offense on the field became the most pressing issue, as Stanford, behind its Heisman hopeful running back Christian McCaffrey and veteran quarterback Kevin Hogan, continued to eat up the clock. The Cardinal offense was on the field for 42 minutes and six seconds and converted 12 of 17 third down attempts.
In addition, McCaffrey averaged 4.5 yards per rush. But Oregon, thanks to a couple fumbled snaps by Hogan in the second half, forced three turnovers, one three-and-out and made Stanford attempt three field goals – one of which was no good. Despite being on the field for over two-thirds of the game and losing starting cornerback Tyree Robinson to an injury,  it never looked like it.
“We practiced so hard,” senior linebacker Rodney Hardrick, who intercepted Hogan, said. “We get over 100 snaps a day, we’re prepared for these situations.”
Those stops helped Oregon build a 12-point lead in the second half, and one that ultimately was too difficult to overcome. Hogan, despite the fumbles, guided Stanford back into position to tie the game, hitting Greg Tabaoda  for a touchdown with 10 seconds remaining to bring the deficit to two. However, on the two-conversion attempt, Hogan felt pressure early from Hardrick and linebacker Joe Walker broke up his pass in the end zone to seal it. Hogan finished 28-of-37 for 304 yards, but accounted for all of the Cardinal’s turnovers.
It is now the fifth game the Ducks have played that came down to the final play. And now, they’re owners of three wins in those contests.
“We won, all that matters,” Springs, who described the scene in the locker room after the game as electric, said. 
“At this point, we just got to grind them out.”
Oregon’s grinding, but its also enjoying the results. And they’re doing it by following a simple formula based on what the players and coaches are saying.
“To win games, you have to fight and at the very end you have to make plays,” Oregon defensive coordinator Don Pellum said. “There’s a confidence, we can make those plays.”
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise