The Stanford marching band, always the arbiters of good taste in mocking football opponents, proved prophetic on Saturday night.
During its pre-game show, four members of the Stanford band paraded a covered wagon — complete with two fake oxen — around the field to symbolize the Oregon Trail. At the show’s conclusion, the wagon overturned, and the oxen and two occupants spilled out onto the grass.
The final score was Stanford 51, Oregon 42, but the game didn’t seem nearly as close to the 43,924 of Stanford Stadium on Saturday — many of whom wore green and yellow.
The Cardinal (6-3, 5-2 Pacific-10 Conference) become bowl eligible for the first time since 2001. And the Ducks (7-2, 5-1 Pac-10) are still in control their own destiny for a conference championship and a Rose Bowl berth.
But for one game, the wheels came off the wagon.
“We had a hard time stopping them,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said. “We got beat by a better team. If you say that we got caught looking behind or ahead, it takes away from Stanford. Stanford is a heck of a football team.”
The Ducks got off to a slow start against the Cardinal and never recovered. Stanford wide receiver Chris Owusu returned the opening kickoff 77 yards to the Oregon 16-yard line, setting up a field goal. Oregon went three-and-out on its first possession, and redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck guided the Cardinal down the field on a nine-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a one-yard touchdown run by senior running back Toby Gerhart to put Stanford up 10-0.
Gerhart and Luck led a very balanced attack that ate away at the Ducks’ defense steadily over the course of the game. Gerhart rushed for 223 of his team’s 254 rushing yards with three touchdowns. Luck completed 12 of 20 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns.
“They did a really nice job on the offensive side,” Kelly said. “They have two talented players in Gerhart and Luck, and they presented problems for us.”
Stanford’s offensive line and blocking schemes created greater problems, as the Ducks failed to consistently pressure Luck (one sack, 12.6 yards passing per attempt) and stifle the running game. The Cardinal often added an extra offensive lineman and used fullback Owen Marecic — who pulled double duty as the starter at middle linebacker as well — in run blocking against Oregon.
“They schemed us perfectly,” defensive tackle Brandon Bair said. “The way they stacked more than one lineman in there, more than the regular front in there … It’s something we needed to adjust to and it took us too long to do it.”
Offensively, the Ducks actually had a better day than the Cardinal, with 570 total yards to Stanford’s 505. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 21 of 37 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns. LaMichael James had 18 carries for 125 yards and a 60-yard touchdown run to open up Oregon’s scoring in the first quarter.
But the Ducks also dropped several passes, including two from James in the fourth quarter that may have helped Oregon come back in the game. They also committed nine penalties for 89 yards, including two pass interference penalties — both by Javes Lewis, starting at cornerback opposite Talmadge Jackson III — that led to Stanford’s first-quarter scoring drives.
“That’s the type of game where little things add up fast,” offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said.
Three points in the first quarter was the closest Oregon ever got, and the Ducks missed several opportunities late in the game to come closer. Masoli was stopped for a one-yard loss on fourth and three from the Stanford 39 to end the third quarter, the first failed fourth-down conversion for the Ducks in Pac-10 play this season. And an onside kick attempt by backup punter Tim Taylor with Oregon trailing 48-42 failed to go 10 yards.
“We just kept leaning on each other hoping somebody would make a play,” Masoli said. “Eventually we did, but we ran out of time.”
The last time Oregon was beaten, it went on a seven-game winning streak, including victories over three ranked teams. The Ducks, with three Pac-10 matches remaining, including the Civil War and a bowl game, still have a lot left to play for.
“Obviously, we’re disappointed,” offensive lineman Mark Asper said. “Everybody’s just ready to go off to the next one.”
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