Report Card: Penalties cause some downgrades in big win over Stanford
The Oregon Ducks football team improved to 4-1 on the season with a 45-27 victory over Stanford in a game where the final score doesn’t indicate how dominating they were.
Stanford scored two late touchdowns against Oregon’s backups, but the Ducks showed which team was the better one in this Pac-12 After Dark showdown.
There was a huge downside, however. The Ducks were penalized 14 times for 135 yards, including 10 times in the first half alone. That’s a lot of laundry on the field and it’s going to be a point of emphasis in upcoming practices, according to head coach Dan Lanning.
Without all those flags, Oregon could have scored 60 and it makes the Ducks dangerous moving forward. Here is this week’s report card.
Quarterback
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: A
Just when you thought Bo Nix has shown all of his abilities, he runs away from a defense to go 80 yards for a touchdown. He rushed for 141 yards. It wasn’t a great day passing for Nix, but it was good enough. He was 16-of-29 for 161 yards and two scores.
Running Backs
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Grade: B
Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington both did admirable jobs against a tough Stanford defense. Irving almost hit the century mark with 97 yards and Whittington gained 66 yards. Sean Dollars and Jordan James each scored a touchdown in limited duty.
Receivers/Tight Ends
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: B
Oregon’s receivers did have big numbers, but they were efficient. Chase Cota had just two catches, but one went for 49 yards and a touchdown, which was first trip to the end zone as an Oregon Duck. Troy Franklin led the way with four catches, 52 yards and a touchdown.
Offensive line
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: C-
After what was their best game in quite some time, it’s disappointing to see the offensive line off their game. Oh, wait. We interrupt this report card because there’s a flag on the field.
Oregon was penalized 13 times against Stanford and most of them were false starts and holding. It didn’t Oregon the game, but it could have against a better opponent. When they weren’t flagged for something, the line played well by opening holes for the tailbacks. They did allow a sack for the first time this season, however.
Defensive line
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: B
Oregon’s defensive line was able to cut through a very large Stanford line for most of the game and hold the Cardinal’s run game to a minimum. They ended up with 127 yards on the ground, but it wasn’t easy. They also hurried quarterback Tanner McKee all night long and sacked him three times.
Linebackers
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Grade: A
Oregon found out before the game that linebacker Justin Flowe would be unavailable, but they didn’t let that news get them down. Noah Sewell had five tackles and a fumble recovery where he almost scored a defensive touchdown.
Secondary
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: B
In the course of most games, a secondary is going to have a breakdown or two, but against Stanford, the Oregon defenders played well. They kept the Cardinal receivers in front of them and made open tackles when needed. Bryan Addison led all Oregon players with eight tackles on the night.
Special Teams
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Camden Lewis still hasn’t missed a kick. He booted a 38-yard field goal to open the scoring and was a perfect 6-for-6 on extra points.
Ross James averaged 43.4 yards per punt, had a punt of 52 yards and had two go inside the 20-yard line.
