College Football Matrix: Stanford Cardinal Defense Is Not Very Good

The Oregon Ducks will need to find their Offense on Saturday, but the Stanford Defense might not be the biggest concern.

Oregon Football is back on the road this week for the first time without Quarterback Justin Herbert, which was a big reason the Ducks lost to Washington State last week. Oregon will have key players returning this week with Wide Receivers Charles Nelson and Dillon Mitchell along with Defensive Specialist Nick Pickett.

These three will of course help, but according to Dave Bartoo with College Football Matrix, Herbert is the key not just for the coming games, but for the season. While the Oregon Ducks Defense has been getting better throughout the season, Stanford is just plain ordinary. The reason they were able to handle Utah last week was because the Utes Offense was that bad. Stanford’s Defensive Efficiency sits outside the Top 50.

Stanford and Oregon matchup well on Offense, with the Cardinal having an Offensive Efficiency that is Top 5 Material. The Ducks were ranked 7th on Offensive Efficiency up until Herbert was injured.

Bartoo’s Matchup Watch is the Stanford Offense going up against the Defensive Mind of Jim Leavitt and the Ducks Defense on Saturday, “The Oregon Defense is good, they have been playing very well. The Stanford Offense is good. Can Oregon figure it out(on Offense).. This is a really big challenge for Willie and the Offense to get these guys up to speed and call the plays that emphasize their strength.”

He added some additional clarification after the article was posted:

There were good intentions with a Freshman starting last week for the Ducks, but there were communication problems that were worked out throughout the game. However, in getting behind with penalties early, Oregon Football struggled. When your starting 1st and 15 rather than 1st and 10, you are not going to be very efficient and it showed against Washington State.

"The only balanced team in the entire conference is Washington…and they have played nobody.Dave Bartoo talks about the Pac-12 and the only balanced team(Offense/Defense) in the Conference"

The Oregon Ducks currently lack experience at Quarterback, and it shows. With the loss to Washington State, the team was very predictable. It may be time to turn the page according to Bartoo, “All the promise leading up to everything was gone when Herbert cracked his collarbone.”

The Taggart Effect on Oregon Football has been felt since Day 1. His enthusiasm is contagious, and the Wins will come for this team. It is a down year for the Pac-12 Conference and Oregon will fight and not give up, that is clear. Back to back road wins will be tough, with UCLA coming next week. Who knows, we may have Herbert back under center and this season will again be back on track.

Next: Oregon Football Practice: Key Offensive Players Return

Oregon Football faces Stanford on the Farm on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 8 pm Pacific Time on Fox Sports 1.