Oregon Bottles Up Stanford In Second Half Of 52-31 Win

Well, that first half sure was fun. Ted Miller provided some instant analysis after Oregon's come-from-behind win, and if I had to pick the most impressive stat, it's the zero second-half points allowed by the Ducks' defense tonight. Seriously, what does defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti say to his unit, which has allowed a total of seven second-half points in five games, at the half? Maybe nothing at all. Maybe he just plays this.

Chip Kelly's gutsy call for an onside kick helped change the momentum in the first half and the Cardinal never recovered after Javes Lewis's big hit on Chris Owusu in the third quarter forced a fumble and set up the Ducks' go-ahead score. The Stanford defense, meanwhile, was undone by LaMichael James, who finished with 257 rushing yards and three touchdowns. It's scary to think how good he must have looked in high definition. It was a disappointing loss, sure, especially after such a promising start, but Stanford should feel good about how it competed in a hostile environment against a legitimate national title contender. I'll have more on the game tomorrow in the Rule of Tree Rewind.