Oregon’s first defeat of the season came in overtime against the Stanford Cardinal last Saturday. In many ways, the loss was reminiscent of the 2018 conference opener when the Ducks fell at home to a highly-ranked Stanford squad.
Penalties, absences and poor play put Oregon in a first-half hole — one they had almost climbed out of before the final drive. So what went wrong for the Ducks? Are these problems new or worsening? How does it change the outlook of Oregon’s season?
Incompletions
Quarterback play is the most obvious answer as to the faulty performance. Anthony Brown, in his own words, “played like s—” against Stanford.
“A team as good as ours can’t make mistakes like this,” Brown said. “[We] can’t shoot ourselves in the foot.”
Brown’s sub-par stat line of 14-of-26 for 186 yards and an interception does not include the missed read on 4th-and-goal at the end of the first half, nor does it explain another pass that could have been intercepted in the third quarter. Oregon had only a 43% success rate when passing the ball, according to data from ESPN.
The bye week will give Oregon coaches a decision to make: stick with Brown — whose ceiling seems limited at this point — or move forward with one of the younger quarterbacks, likely freshman Ty Thompson who’s seen 31 reps in two games thus far, but is still raw and inexperienced.
Injuries and Absences
Perhaps Oregon’s offense could have been better had offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead been in attendance. Moorhead, who was hospitalized with a non-COVID-related illness, had been calling offensive plays for the Ducks for the past year-and-a-half.
Moorhead was not the only missing piece. Linebacker Justin Flowe, center Alex Forsyth and nickel Bennett Williams represent a small sampling of starters unavailable against the Cardinal. Williams will be out for the season after breaking his fibula during practice last week.
Starting running back CJ Verdell also endured what Mario Cristobal called “a significant injury” during the third quarter. To make matters worse, cornerback Trikweze Bridges was ejected for targeting on the opening kickoff.
“A lot of guys are injured,” safety Verone McKinley III said. “We’re gonna get some guys back. Some guys are out. It is what it is. Next man up, [so] we’re ready to go next game against Cal.”
Penalties
Bridges’ personal foul was the first of many penalties against the Ducks on Saturday, including three false starts. Two of those false starts came on back-to-back plays during Oregon’s final drive of regulation, ultimately killing their momentum and giving the ball back to Stanford.
Oregon committed 10 penalties for 99 yards — the worst of which came on the final drive. Through five games, Oregon’s 37 penalties is tied for 101st-worst in the nation.
Despite the controversy of said penalties — Kayvon Thibodeaux’s targeting, Brandon Dorlus’ roughing the passer and Mykael Wright’s holding calls — they all allowed Stanford a chance to tie the game down the stretch.
“We kept their drives alive with some penalties,” Cristobal said. “I know our defensive backs were playing their tails off and [were] getting pushed and shoved. But I guess they’re the ones who got the penalties.”
Defensive Struggles
Oregon’s defense took a while to get warmed up. Two short fields for Stanford saw Tanner McKee lead the Cardinal offense to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, and a 12-play, 75-yard drive gave the Cardinal a crucial 17-7 lead heading into halftime.
Oregon’s defense blanked the Cardinal in the second half until that final drive, but the damage was already done. McKee finished 20-of-36 with 260 yards for 3 TDs and led all players with 10.18 expected points added, according to Game on Paper.
The Ducks’ defensive game plan — allowing shorter passes while preventing deep balls worked — to perfection against Ohio State. It did well against Stanford, too, until Wright’s holding penalty on what should have been the final play of the game.
The run defense left something to be desired, though. While they only allowed 131 total rushing yards, Oregon failed to dominate what was supposed to be a lopsided battle in the trenches and missed too many tackles.
On-field play and penalties can be fixed. Injuries cannot. The Ducks need to reform everything they can to make up for the surplus of injuries. And, with big road trips to Pasadena, Montlake and Salt Lake CIty on the horizon, preparation is an absolute necessity.
