Takeaways From No. 3 Oregon's Overtime Loss to Stanford

The Ducks have fallen for the first time in the 2021 season at the hands of Stanford.

David Shaw has done it again.

The Stanford Cardinal, nearly a month after getting whacked by Kansas State 24-7, have knocked off the No. 3 Oregon Ducks 31-24 in overtime in one of the most unusual games you'll ever see.

It just feels like deja vu — Oregon's postseason hopes becoming much more difficult because of a loss to Stanford. No matter if it's in Eugene or in Palo Alto — the Cardinal can never be counted out against the Ducks.

Here are the top five takeaways from the Ducks' heartbreaker at the Farm.

1. Playing down to your opponents met its pinnacle

Obviously, Oregon was happy to enter this game 4-0. But in three out of the four games, there were some concerns about the Ducks playing to the level, or even below the level, of their opponents week after week. 

Facing Stanford on the road is the second-toughest game for the Ducks so far. However, this Oregon team has looked like a playoff team in one out of the five games. Slow starts on both sides of the ball in the Fresno State, Stony Brook, and Arizona games have caused concern about if Oregon is really one of the three best teams in the country.

A lot of the issues that Oregon had in those games came to a head against Stanford. Offense not being able to get off to a fast start, the run defense struggling to be effective consistently, and the lack of an explosive passing game.

There were many instances in this game where the Ducks shot themselves in the foot, with penalties on both sides of the ball, especially on defense late in the game. Now, several of those were questionable calls, but I will try to refrain from comments on the officiating.

The point is that the College Football Playoff committee won't see Oregon as a playoff team until it looks like one for more than one game. Had the Ducks lost to Ohio State, the playoff would be out of sight. The Ducks have to utterly dominate teams from start to finish for the committee to consider them  a contender again.

Alabama and Georgia have set the standard, and for the Ducks to be anywhere close to the level of those two SEC powerhouses, they can't be on upset alert almost every week.

2. Where is the passing game?

Stanford, even with All-Pac-12 candidate Kyu Blu Kelly having a breakout season, is pretty banged up in the secondary. The Ducks have one of the most talented receiving corps in at least the entire Pac-12.

Let's take out Brown's short throw to Mycah Pittman that went for 66 yards for a second. Brown's final statline would be 13-of-25 with 120 yards and an interception. I honestly am not sure that Brown threw the ball down the field more than 20 yards one time in this game.

Once the offensive line rotation seemed to be settled in the second half, Brown had some fantastic protection on numerous occasions. He had some of the best protections he's seen all year, but he settled for his check-down on almost every pass play, minus a couple of nice throws to the sidelines in the first half.

One thing that Brown does nicely is looking through his reads and not letting defenders read his eyes very often, but it's hard to imagine that there weren't opportunities on the back end to throw it down the field at least a couple of times. 

The Ducks have too much talent and speed at receiver and tight end for them not to have a more explosive passing offense. Oregon has only recorded 250 yards passing in one game this year.

The playbook must open up to allow the Ducks' playmakers to burn defenders.

3. Not having Joe Moorhead hurt

The Ducks were without their offensive coordinator as he is battling a NON COVID-related illness. Perhaps the lack of the downfield pass attack was due to Moorhead's absence. Running Backs Coach Jim Mastro was calling plays, according to ESPN's sideline reporter Stormy Buonantony during the broadcast, and Oregon's 54 runs to 26 passes favors a running backs coach's philosophy.

Oregon's 241 rushing yards carried the offense, but there were plenty of questionable play calls in this game. Most notably, a throw on second-and-18 in the fourth quarter when the Ducks were trying to run out the clock.

There just wasn't a lot of flavor to this offensive game plan. As previously mentioned, there were more underneath throws than any other type of pass play. If CJ Verdell is out for a significant amount of time, the Ducks will have to rely on Travis Dye and the talented receivers and tight ends to carry the offense. 

4. The defense showed that it can dominate games

There was a stretch from the start of the third quarter up until the final two minutes of the game that the Oregon defense looked its best that it has all season long. After struggling to get into the backfield and pressure Tanner McKee for most of the first half, the Ducks' defense really ramped it up in the second half and suffocated the Cardinal.

The Cardinal recorded just nine yards of offense on their first four possessions of the second half. After the Cardinal looked like they lost themselves the game with two false start penalties to wind up at their own three-yard line with less than two minutes left in regulation, the Ducks' defense allowed 23 yards on the next snap.

While the Ducks had the best turnover margin in the country entering this game, their defense hadn't shown this level of dominance yet this year.

However, the Cardinal, with the help of several questionable defensive penalties on Oregon, marched down the field and tied the game with a touchdown with no time left.

Many people will blame the referees for keeping Stanford in the game, and I said I would refrain from commenting on those calls, but Oregon not having Kayvon Thibodeaux and Trikweze Bridges for that final drive due to targeting calls was painful. 

The Cardinal's size at receiver and tight end played a huge difference, and Bridges is the tallest and longest defensive back the Ducks have. Oregon's pressure still made life difficult for McKee on the final drive of regulation, but McKee was able to throw the ball away and avoid getting sacked.

Oregon's defense needs to display that borderline elite level of dominance for the rest of the year.

5. How can the Ducks replace CJ Verdell?

Verdell has been one of the top running backs in the country this year. He went down with what Mario Cristobal is calling a significant leg injury, and it's likely that he could miss a bit of time. 

Travis Dye has been the 1B to Verdell's 1A, but it's really difficult to stop a player as physical and productive as Verdell. 

The time for the young running backs — Trey Benson, Seven McGee, and Byron Cardwell — is now. It will be interesting to see if Oregon will try to find a 1B to Dye's 1A and keep the duo system going, or if Dye will be the clear starter with a committee behind him. None of the other backs have a wealth of experience, but Cardwell was inserted at times in the second half after Verdell went down.

Dye is as dynamic a running back as there is in the Pac-12, and he will be in a similar situation as last season when Verdell missed time late in the year. The Ducks' run game sputtered when Verdell was hurt, and they can't afford to struggle in that area given their ineffective passing game so far this year.

The Ducks have a bye week next week before their next game against Cal on Oct. 15. They have some time to figure out who will be RB2 on the organizational chart ahead of that now-crucial Pac-12 North matchup.

More from Ducks Digest

No. 3 Oregon Falls to Stanford in Overtime 31-24

Mario Cristobal talks Stanford loss

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