3 keys to victory for No. 15 Oregon Ducks against Stanford Cardinal
The Oregon Ducks are one month into the 2022 college football season, sitting pretty with a 3-1 record and a top-15 ranking despite a disastrous season opener against Georgia in Week 1.
Wins against the Cougars – BYU and Washington State – have this team back in the conversation for a Pac-12 championship, and the Ducks are entering what national media will call the easy part of their schedule, starting with a home game against the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday evening.
Of course, any Duck fan will tell you Stanford is far from an easy game. It has played spoiler to Oregon’s hopes and dreams in the past, and you can bet they want to do it again.
In order for Dan Lanning’s squad to avoid its first home loss of the season, here are three keys to victory against David Shaw’s squad:
Take Care of the Football
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon fans will be quite happy if Bo Pix remains on the sideline Saturday evening. Stanford has one interception this season (through three games) and it struggles to generate a pass rush.
This should allow Nix to move the ball relatively effortlessly, and if he can avoid costly turnovers this should be another solid game for the Oregon offense.
Stanford has allowed just over 400 yards per game so far this season, and if Oregon can eclipse that it’s hard to imagine a loss in Eugene, even if Stanford has played spoiler before.
Pressure Tanner McKee
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Junior quarterback Tanner McKee came into the season hoping to replicate his 65.4% completion rate from his solid 2021 campaign. While his 67% rate through three games this year is excellent, he has thrown four interceptions compared to just six touchdown passes.
The Ducks haven’t generated nearly the kind of pass rush they had last season with Kayvon Thibodeaux wreaking havoc on the outside, but Brandon Dorlus and company have an opportunity to put some real pressure on McKee and the Cardinal. If they do so, McKee is likely to give them some opportunities to take the ball away and help out the offense.
A comfortable McKee in the pocket is a tough out, even in Eugene, but if he’s on his toes throughout the evening it spells good news for Dan Lanning and his squad.
Don’t Let Up
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
David Shaw and the Stanford Cardinal have played spoiler before, and you can bet they want nothing more than to do it again. Meanwhile, this Oregon team rolled through Eastern Washington and BYU and managed to pull off an excellent victory on the road against Washington State to cap off the “hard” part of their schedule.
It would be easy for players and coaches to look at a home matchup against an average Stanford team and think it will be a painless victory, especially if the Ducks put some points on the board early.
However, Shaw and the Cardinal are not a team to let hang around, and the best thing Lanning, Nix and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham can do is keep piling the points on to avoid falling into a trap that could lead to an Oregon loss and significantly more questions about this team’s future.
List
LOOK: Ducks unveil flashy jersey combo for Pac-12 After Dark game vs. Stanford
