STANFORD, Calif. – It was almost as if Oregon’s patented middle-of-the-season collapse would happen Saturday, but after a miserable second quarter, the Ducks’ offense exploded in the second half en route to a 55-31 win over host Stanford.
After scoring three touchdowns in their first four drives and building a 21-3 lead against Stanford in the first quarter, the No. 11 Ducks (4-0 overall, 1-0 Pacific-10 Conference) had effectively silenced the 35,019 fans in attendance, aside from a few cheers from the Oregon sections, and began routing the Cardinal (1-2, 0-2).
That is, until the second quarter happened.
Oregon fumbled the ball three times and surrendered 28 unanswered points, 21 of those coming off turnovers. The Ducks went into the locker room down 31-24 at halftime.
What transpired then, well, it’s the marking of what this Oregon team is about this season. No one panicked and, rather than the coaches having to chew out the players for numerous mistakes, the players took it upon themselves to fire up the team.
“Coach (Mike) Bellotti was as calm as I’ve ever seen him,” running back Jonathan Stewart, who ran for a team-high 160 yards, said. “The atmosphere was real calm and collected. That’s our job.

I feel it’s not the coaches’ job to pump you up.
“No one was pointing fingers at all because you got to stay relaxed but at the same time you got to get that intensity level up.”
Bellotti echoed the same sentiment, saying that the team talked about character while no one pointed fingers for who was to blame for the deficit.
The team relied on its “mental toughness and resolve” when it responded by scoring 31 points in the second half and blew past Stanford to win 55-31.
“We were inspired and when we were behind – maybe it was a good thing for this team to learn,” Bellotti said. “Overall, I am very pleased with the way we came back, the way we battled, the way we held our poise.”
Most notably the defense came out and shut down any sort of attack the Cardinal offense possessed. After surrendering 123 rushing yards in the first half, the Ducks’ defense held Stanford to 17 yards rushing in the second and with that, the defense was able to key on the passing attack and held the Cardinal scoreless.
Stanford’s first three drives in the second half were two three-and-outs and a turnover on downs. After each possession, Oregon’s offense fed off the defense’s intensity, resulting in a touchdown each drive.
“Each side of the ball fed off each other in the third quarter,” Bellotti said. “The defense got a stop, the offense got it going. The offense loved the fact that the defense stopped (Stanford) again and the defense loved the fact that the offense scored points. I loved all of that.”
Quarterback Dennis Dixon went a perfect 12-of-12 on his passes and threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns during the period. He finished with 367 yards passing, five touchdowns (one rushing) and 15 yards rushing. He wasn’t too worried about having to come back from a deficit at halftime.
“It takes one play to get everything started,” Dixon said. “We just got to be able to execute our plays and assignments on both sides of the ball.”
Wide receiver Jaison Williams, who caught seven of Dixon’s passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns, was glad the Ducks had a chance to come back from a setback and show they’re not the type of team that’s going to wilt under pressure like last year.
“Last year’s team wouldn’t have responded as well,” Williams said. “But we’ve got seasoned vets. We’re cultured in the sense that we know how to come back and react to adversity and that’s what it takes. Hopefully we never have to come back in another game but if we do, we know how to respond.”
So, with that sort of educational experience, Bellotti couldn’t be too upset about the various mistakes he saw during the game.
“I’m not mad about a 4-0 start,” Bellotti said. “I just think there’s things we need to continue to work on to get better.”
They had better as No. 6 Cal comes to Autzen Saturday to take on the 11th-ranked Ducks.
“It is going to be a great game,” Bellotti said. “I like the fact that they have to come to our place.”
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