Oregon Offensive Keys to the Game vs. Stanford

How will the Ducks continue to score against the Cardinal?

Author:
Nick Battey
Publish date:
Sep 30, 2021 4:50 PM EDT

Oregon takes the quick flight down to the Farm to take on a team that has given them more problems than any other over the past decade in Stanford. The Ducks’ offense has frankly looked mediocre over the last couple of weeks and I feel like this will be one of Oregon’s bigger tests in conference.

Here are three keys for the offense to have a successful day on Saturday.

1. Win the line of scrimmage

I feel like this is something that is brought up every week on the keys to the game, but it's true. The offensive line needs to play better than they have the last few games to match up with how physical Stanford is going to play.

There is some optimism for this being a good week, as Stanford is terrible in run defense thus far in 2021, and with a rested CJ Verdell and Travis Dye, this is an area that Oregon needs to exploit. I could also see Anthony Brown getting upwards of 10 runs to further emphasize the dedication to the run game.

UCLA gave a great example this past week with their pair of running backs exploding against the Cardinal for 184 combined rushing yards.

2. Continue protecting the ball

Oregon is first in the nation in turnover margin, with 13 takeaways and only one turnover. That is four better than the second-best team in the FBS.

With numbers like these there’s no question Oregon would like to continue this trend. Credit to Brown for being able to keep control of the football and not make poor decisions when letting it rip.

Against a team like Stanford, it’s more important than ever to value every possession, as many times there aren’t many in the game with how Stanford runs its offense. One or two turnovers and you might not see the ball again for another seven minutes of game time. Controlling the football against the Cardinal will be vital.

3. Let CJ Verdell and Travis Dye Eat

As I mentioned above, Verdell and Dye have not seen their typical workloads each of the past two weeks against Stony Brook and Arizona. With a bye next week, this gives Oregon the opportunity to unleash them and don’t leave anything on the field for this Stanford game.

With Stanford’s run defense off to such a poor start, Oregon’s game plan should revolve around pounding the rock as much as possible. As we saw in the Arizona game with Seven McGee, look for a freshman to get a few snaps as well as a change of pace back. I think Trey Benson would be a great choice.