Halftime Thoughts: No. 3 Oregon Trails Stanford 17-7
Stanford delivered the first punch on both sides of the ball and Tanner McKee looked solid the entire first half. In large part the Cardinal were able to execute their game plan and do what they do best, pound the rock and air it out to their big receivers.
The defense is still having trouble getting off the field on third down, which could grow increasingly concerning as the drives become longer with a team like Stanford. Anthony Brown continues to miss reads in both the run and pass game, with the most notable fault coming at the end of the first half when the Ducks drove all the way down to the one-yard line before getting stuffed.
The battle at the line looks fairly balanced on the stat sheet, with both teams getting a sack and running for over 100 yards.
Devon Williams looks like he'll be heavily involved in this one and had a nice pair of catches for a first down. However, Brown had Williams in a favorable matchup deep on multiple plays but didn't let it ripe, instead opting for safer passes short.
Oregon continues to rotate along the right side of the offensive line, which seems to be where some of the lapses in protection have been coming from.
The ground game has looked strong, with Verdell and Redd ripping off some nice gains on the ground on sweeps. Redd and Mycah Pittman both had some really strong blocks in the first half, which will help open up the running lanes on the outside.
I want to see the tight ends get more involved, as DJ Johnson continues to get playing time as a tight end.
My approach on the second half: keep pounding the rock, get Devon Williams and the tight ends more involved.
