Senior wide receiver Luke Powell (6) leads the Cardinal with 26 receptions for 289 yards and two touchdowns in five games this season.
The scenario is different, but the setting is the same.
Stanford returns to Autzen Stadium for the third year in a row, with this year’s matchup set up as Oregon’s Homecoming game. Prior to losing 41-14 to the Ducks last season, the Cardinal visited Autzen in 2001, also Oregon’s Homecoming, and pulled the upset of the season in a come-from-behind 49-42 victory.
Quarterback Chris Lewis led the Cardinal in the upset at Autzen two seasons ago. With starting quarterback Trent Edwards out with a shoulder strain, it appears that Lewis, the fifth-year senior, will again take the helm.
Second-year head coach Buddy Teevens is not worried about having to alter his quarterback rotation — a scenario in which three players could take snaps on Saturday.
“The play is pretty consistent across the board,” Teevens said. “We do put a great deal of responsibility on the quarterbacks, getting in and out of plays and dictating our approach based on personnel. I feel that all of them can do a great job with it.”
Edwards suffered his injury in Stanford’s loss to Washington State last weekend. It was the third straight Pacific-10 Conference loss for the Cardinal. They sit at 0-3 on the bottom of the conference.
All three of those losses have come against top-25 teams, where the Cardinal was outscored, 96-52. The Cardinal’s most recent downfall came in the 24-14 loss to Washington State in which Stanford managed to hold the Cougars to just 70 yards rushing.
“It was a frustrating loss on Saturday,” Teevens said. “Our players played hard in all facets of the game. Big plays affected the outcome — they made them and we did not. The attitude of the team is very solid. They realize how close we are and they’re excited to get back to work.”
Stanford is 2-3 on the season, and the Cardinal’s inexperience and youth could be taking affect. Of the 94 players on the Stanford roster, 47 are either true freshman or redshirt freshman.
With the exception of senior left tackle Kirk Chambers, the Stanford offensive line has either true freshman or players who have limited experience in the other four positions.
Despite a winless conference record and inexperienced squad, what is it going to take for the Cardinal offense to succeed against the Ducks?
“We need to run the football,” Teevens said. “Kenny Tolon, J.R. Lemon and David Marrero have had opportunities, and we’ll continue to give them the football. We need to demonstrate balance.”
Tolon, Lemon and Marrero have accounted for all of the Cardinal’s rushing yardage with a combined average of 113.5 yards per game. Stanford’s team average in rushing of 113 yards per game has outlasted its opponents who average just 91.8 yards per game.
Stanford’s rush defense currently ranks 17th in the nation as the Cardinal has managed to hold three of its five opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground. Oregon’s rush defense is 11th in the nation.
Wide receiver Luke Powell will be key to Stanford’s success. In his first game of the season, Powell caught 12 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns. His performance ranked him ninth all-time in school history in catches and 15th in receiving yards.
The senior leads the team with 26 receptions for 289 yards in the first five games.
Stanford leads the overall series with Oregon, 43-22-1. The teams first met in 1919.
This will be the fourth-straight game in the series played at Autzen Stadium. Prior to 2001, the Cardinal had won three times straight from 1995-97.
The Ducks are “a very solid football team,” Teevens said. “They have the ability to have great success any time they go out there. They are explosive offensively.”
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