Stanford's defensive game plan vs. Oregon State's QB situation

Stanford's defense will host Oregon State Beavers, who have a big question mark at quarterback.

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Oregon State was excited to see the Stanford defense on their schedule. A defense that gives up plenty of yards and points and can't take away the ball. The good thing for the Cardinal defense is the Beavers turn the ball over at a high rate. The Cardinal may have been excited to see Oregon State's offense on their schedule after facing USC, Washington, and Oregon's explosive attacks in consecutive weeks. 

Optimism for Stanford Defense

Stanford's defense played well against Oregon in spurts during the game. They had a few possessions that looked good. The defense isn't facing the speed and offense they have in the past three weeks which gives optimism for how they will be able to match up. Stanford secondary will be without senior corner Kyu Blu Kelly, a future NFL player.

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 Another big reason there is some optimism to be had for the Cardinal defense, is the turnovers of the Beavers, as they have four fumbles and 10 interceptions on the year. If the Beavers commit turnovers they may give the Stanford Defense the confidence they need. This matchup is a very close matchup, if you take a look at who both teams have played, Stanford has been through a rough stretch of games that may set them up for success. 

Oregon State Quarterback Situation

Oregon State starting quarterback Chance Nolan is day-to-day with a neck strain. He has seven touchdowns to eight interceptions on the season. The quarterback that may take his place is third year freshman Ben Gulbranson, who finsihed the final three quarters against Utah last week. During the three quarters he completed 12 passes for 177 yards while throwing two interceptions. 

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Depending on who the quarterback is, Stanford may be facing a quarterback who is banged up with a neck injury, or a third year freshman who hasn't seen much playing time. I predict Gulbranson will be the starter, and if so Stanford defensive coordinator Lance Anderson needs to generate as much pressure as possible. If Anderson can create pressure and disguise looks against the inexperienced quarterback, Stanford defense will be in a great situation to pull off an upset. 

The biggest question mark is who plays at quarterback for Oregon State. Both teams are excited to play each other for different reasons. Oregon State may be excited because Stanford defense can be atrocious and give up points in bunches, while Stanford is excited because the Beavers turn the ball over plenty and they have an injury at the quarterback position. 

Potential Outcome Of The Game

 It will be a closer game than most think. It will come down to Stanford's defense. The defense is facing the opponent with the least fire power on offense since week one. Now Oregon State is much better than Colgate, but much worse than the last three Stanford opponents. If defense plays well, they could pull out a victory. Stanford is finally in position to create some takeaways, against a team that may be down its starting quarterback. That is an opportunity to steal a win. However, I don't reccomend you hold your breathe on the Cardinal defense to play well. 

I won't give a game prediction just yet, but I will say Stanford's defense plays much better this week than it has throughout the season. Which will give Stanford a fighting chance.