The Ducks creamed Cal, obliterated Washington State, shut down UCLA, walloped Washington and sliced through USC. The Trojans had one of the top defenses in the nation before meeting Oregon, but after yielding 47 points and 631 yards, they're not even in the top 20 anymore.
So is there any way the Stanford Cardinal can deal with the Ducks?
Coach Jim Harbaugh's team will give it a try Saturday, Nov. 7, facing No. 7 Oregon in a Pac-10 game at Stanford, Calif. But prospects don't look terribly promising.
Oregon (7-1 overall, 5-0 Pac-10) has hammered its Pac-10 competition, winning by an avearge of 30 points per game. Only UCLA has managed to come within two touchdowns, and the Ducks played that game without quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.
Chip Kelly's Ducks have won seven consecutive games overall — one short of a school record. They've also won seven straight in their series vs. Stanford — including three in a row at Stanford Stadium.
On the other hand, Stanford (5-3, 4-2) is coming off a bye week, and thus has extra time to prepare for the Ducks. And a win would be the biggest in years for Stanford, which owns a 43-28-1 series lead over the Ducks.
Saturday's 12:30 p.m. PST game will be telecast by Fox Sports Net.
Oregon QB Masoli Returns Home
Oregon's Masoli might be playing as well as any quarterback in the nation, and the USC game might have been his best. The junior ran 13 times for 164 yards and a touchdown, and completed 19 of 31 passes for 222 yards another TD in his team's 47-20 win.
On the season, Masoli has completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 1,127 yards, with six touchdowns and two interceptions. He's rushed for 436 yards and eight TDs, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt.
Masoli will be playing close to home. He attended high school in nearby San Mateo and later starred at the City College of San Francisco.
Ducks 8th in Rushing Offense
Oregon is managing a modest 398.8 yards per game, but rank eighth in the NCAA Football Division in rushing offense at 233.2 yards per game. The Ducks are also ninth in scoring offense at 35.6 points.
LaMichael James is enjoying a superb freshman season, rushing for 941 yards and seven touchdowns. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound speedster is averaging 7.0 yards per carry and 114.8 yards per game.
Another backfield option is Kenjon Barner, who has run for 234 yards and two scores. In addition, the freshman ranks fifth in the FBS in kickoff returns with an average of 35.4.
Tight end Ed Dickson leads Oregon receivers with 30 receptions for 397 yards and four TDs. Jeff Maehl is the top wide receiver, with 25 catches for 306 yards and a TD.
Ward Returns to Aid Oregon Defense
Safety T.J. Ward led Oregon in tackles last season, but he's played only thee games in 2009 because of an ankle injury he suffered in the season-opening 19-8 defeat to Boise State. Yet Ward's made quite an impact, recording 26 tackles. He had 10 tackles and an interception vs. USC.
The Ducks, nonetheless, played well when Ward was out, and are allowing only 300.9 yards and 17.1 points per game. Oregon is averaging three sacks per game, tied for 11th in the FBS.
Defensive end Kenny Rowe is the team sacks leader with seven, and he's also broken up four passes and forced three fumbles. The leading tacklers overall are middle linebacker Casey Matthews (51 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and rover John Boyett (50 tackles, 2 interceptions).
Javes Lewis (48 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles) and Talmadge Jackson (33 tackles, 2 interceptions) have bolstered a secondary that's been hit hard by injuries. Linebacker Spencer Paysinger has helped out with five pass breakups in addition to 41 tackles.
Stanford Offense Needs to Control Ball
Stanford's offense has improved dramatically, with Andrew Luck's quarterback play effectively complementing the hard-nosed running of Toby Gerhart. The Cardinal is averaging 31.9 points and 435.2 yards per game.
Gerhart ranks seventh in the FBS in rushing at 124.25 yards per game, totaling 994 yards and 13 touchdowns on 5.1 yards per carry.
Luck is completing 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,825 yards and nine TDs. The freshman has thrown just three interceptions and has been sacked only five times. His mobility certainly helps. He's run for 215 yards and a TD on 5.5 yards per attempt.
Ryan Whalen has been an extremely productive receiver, making 39 catches for 647 yards and three touchdowns. Chris Owusu has 26 catches for 459 yards and four TDs, and he's also returned three kickoffs for scores. The sophomore is sixth in the FBS with a 35.2 return average.
Ball control could be the key for Cardinal. Stanford needs to wear down Oregon's defense, and also give its own beleaguered defensive unit a break.
Snyder Anchors Stanford Defense
Stanford is coming off a strong defensive effort, as it gave up only 290 yards in is 33-14 win over Arizona State on Oct. 24. But ASU has one of the more lethargic offenses in the Pac-10, so it's not clear how much the Cardinal has improved since being shredded by Oregon State and Arizona in back-to-back losses.
One thing Stanford can count on is a strong effort by Clinton Snyder. The senior middle linebacker has been a steady performer throughout his career, and he leads his team with 61 tackles this season.
The Cardinal has also been boosted by safety Bo McNally (52 tackles), safety Delano Howell (40 tackles, 2 interceptions) and linebacker Will Powers (33 tackles, 3 sacks). Defensive end Thomas Keiser has sparked the team with 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks, but standout lineman Erik Lorig has been sidelined by a groin injury.
Stanford is giving up an average of 22.4 points and 366.2 yards per game. The Cardinal has struggled against the pass, yielding 239.9 yards per game to rank 89th in the FBS.
