If the Oregon Duck football team had to pick one game to lose between last week’s historic 47-20 win over USC and the end of the Pacific-10 Conference schedule, Stanford would have been it. The loss dropped the Ducks to 7-2 overall on the year, but their 5-1 Pac-10 record leaves them still very much in the Rose Bowl driver’s seat.
After Saturday’s 51-42 loss in Palo Alto, Calif., the Ducks will have very little to hang their heads about heading into another week of practice. After all, the Oregon offense was able to put 42 points on the board behind 570 yards of total offense, and if you read through the Ducks offensive post-game stats, there is very little to dwell on.
With redshirt freshman running back LaMichael James setting multiple Oregon rushing records and junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli throwing for a career-high 334 yards and three touchdowns, the Ducks were able to keep the game competitive, while the defensive unit had their worst outing of the season.
Stanford’s 17 first-quarter, 31 first-half and 51 total points were the most allowed by the Oregon defense this season.
But giving credit where credit is due, the Stanford offense was nothing short of remarkable. No matter what the situation was, it seemed like they always got the big play they needed. And I, for one, clearly underestimated the talent that is senior running back Toby Gerhart. He literally threw the Cardinal team on his back and carried them to the biggest win of the season thus far, as he broke the Stanford single-game rushing record with 223 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
The list of accomplishments and records for Gerhart after the game went on for miles, while redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck took it all in stride. After completing 12 of 20 passes in the game for 251 yards and two scores, Luck presented a quiet and confident front during post-game interviews. He cracked an occasional smile, but was for the most part still very much at work.
To me, Luck is one of the best of many talented quarterbacks the Ducks have faced all season, which includes Boise State’s Kellen Moore, Cal’s Kevin Riley, UW’s Jake Locker and USC’s Matt Barkley. Granted, Luck was playing on his home turf, but he showed a seasoned veteran’s poise and arm strength while threading the needle on several timely occasions.
So where does Saturday’s loss leave Oregon? In my mind, pretty much the same place they would’ve been if they had won. Granted their BCS title game hopes are gone, but head coach Chip Kelly’s message all year has been to take things one day at a time, and that’s exactly what I expect from the Ducks as the season continues.
With two of Oregon’s final three games being played at home, I would expect to see a revitalized team come next Saturday. When the Ducks lost at Boise State on Sept. 3, all they did was rebound with seven straight wins — three over top-25 teams — en route to the top of the Pac-10 standings. And when the Ducks lost to Cal last year during the first week of November, they put together four straight wins to end the season in a dominant fashion.
All the signs are pointing toward a positive retort to Saturday’s loss, and with the Ducks ability to comeback with a vengeance, could they be even better than before? We’ll just have to wait and see.
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History says Ducks should bounce back
Daily Emerald
November 8, 2009
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