The 13th ranked Stanford Cardinal (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12) visit Autzen Stadium on Saturday night at 5:00 pm PT. Stanford enters this game on a four-game winning streak with wins over California, Washington State, Colorado and Oregon State. Stanford was upset earlier in the year by Washington and lost an overtime game to Notre Dame. The Cardinals are currently ranked 13th in the BCS, 14th in the AP and 13th in the Coaches Poll.
The Cardinals are looking to break a streak of losing ten of their last twelve games to the Ducks dating back to 1998. Stanford last defeated Oregon in 2009 by a score of 51-42. The Ducks were ranked eighth in the country at the time.
David Shaw made a quarterback change last week inserting Kevin Hogan for Josh Nunes.
Offensive Breakdown
- Passing: 9th in conference, 81st nationally
- Rushing: 6th in conference, 109th nationally
- Scoring:6th in conference, 55th nationally
What offensive formation does Stanford run?
Stanford runs the majority of their offense out of a two tight end set. Stanford’s offensive coordinator is Pep Hamilton who also serves as the quarterback coach.
Who are those playmakers on offense?
Kevin Hogan makes his second career start against Oregon on Saturday. (Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE)
There are three major players to watch: running back Stepfan Taylor, tight end Zach Ertz and quarterback Kevin Hogan.
- Taylor: 225 carries for 1061 yards and 9 scores, 28 catches for 184 yards and 2 scores, 18th in the country in rushing yards
- Ertz: 47 receptions for 641 yards, 5 touchdowns,
- Hogan: made first career start last week against Oregon State, has completed 41 of 53 passes for 447 yards with 6 touchdowns this season, has appeared in six games
Where does Oregon match up the best against this offense?
The Stanford offense does not have many holes when you look at the statistics. The one area Oregon can capitalize is when they get into the red zone. The Ducks are the best team in the Pac-12 in red zone defense giving up points on 25 of 40 possessions. The Cardinals are the third best team in the conference converting on 31 of 38 opportunities. Something has to give in this game.
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