Ducks Digest

Oregon Dominates Stanford: Top Five Plays

The Ducks had exciting plays left and right in their week 5 win against the Cardinal.

Josh Parker

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The Oregon Ducks have added on to their winning streak after defeating the Stanford Cardinal 45-27 in their second North Division win.

This win came in dominate fashion with an abundance of explosive plays for the Ducks on both sides of the ball. Here are my top five plays from week five's matchup. 

1. Bo Nix for 80

After transferring from Auburn this offseason, Nix has been the one of the most electric players for the Ducks. He continued to showcase his ability in the pocket as well as running it himself. In the middle of the third quarter the Ducks began their drive at their own 20, which ultimately ended very quickly as Nix saw no other option but to keep the ball himself for an 80-yard touchdown. Earlier this game the quarterback had already set a new career long with a 35-yard option run. With as many running backs as the Ducks use in the backfield, some will be surprised to find out Nix leads the team in rushing touchdowns with five and is the second leading rusher with 261.

2. Troy Franklin makes his best Bralon Addison impression

Midway through the second quarter the Ducks held a 10-3 lead approaching another touchdown in the red zone. On third-and-eight on the 20-yard line, Nix scrambled to the right looking for an option to sling the ball to and that's where he saw Franklin open, but running out of space in the end zone. The most impressive thing about this catch was his body control to keep both feet in bounds while controlling the catch for a touchdown. Duck fans fans took to social media where they gave Franklin the notice that his catch reminded them of Bralon Addison's catch against Oregon State in 2013, ironically wearing the same uniform as well.

3. Strip and scoop

The Oregon defense came to play in week five's matchup, making it almost impossible to get through them. In the second quarter with four minutes left Stanford tossed the ball up to tight end Benjamin Yurosek in the flats, where he was met by Bennett Williams almost immediately. Williams' tackle form almost made it seem like it was on purpose, but he hit the ball directly with his helmet allowing it to pop free for Noah Sewell to take it down to Stanford's four-yard line which set up an Oregon touchdown the very next play to put the Ducks up 24-3.

READ MORE: Five Takeaways From Oregon's Win Over Stanford

4. Welcome home Chase Cota

This game looked like it could en up being a close one up until the end of the first quarter. Oregon was having trouble finding the end zone and only lead 3-0 with one second left on the clock. With the clock running the Ducks ran an RPO screen play that set up very well for Chase Cota as he turned on the afterburners and sprinted 49 yards to the end zone untouched. This would be Cota's first touchdown in an Oregon uniform having transferred from UCLA and would bring Oregon the momentum to get things going against Stanford.

5. Brandon Dorlus continues to dominate for Oregon's defensive front with two sacks

Dorlus' dominance on Saturday helped the Ducks shut down the Cardinal quickly. He finished with five tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. One thing that Oregon has gotten better at each week is getting pressure on the quarterback, which allows the secondary to play better. Dorlus displayed elite quickness, twitch and power all night. His second sack came in the beginning of the third quarter and boosted the already amped-up Oregon defense. It seems that each wek this defense gets better in different aspects and this week Dorlus helped limit Tanner McKee in the pocket.

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Josh Parker
JOSH PARKER

Josh Parker is a student at the University of North Florida who will be graduating in the winter of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management. He has spent the last six years building vast sports experience as a Division 1 football player at Stetson University, varsity football coach at Nease and Bishop Kenny High Schools. He primarily covers football and recruiting at Ducks Digest.

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