It’s 2012, and the Cardinal heads to Autzen Stadium in mid-November for the conference deciding game. The Stanford-Oregon game has decided the conference championship since 2009 and have become the must-see game in the PAC-12. The rivalry has garnered national attention, and College Gameday is on scene for the showdown, which Stanford ultimately wins in overtime 17-14.
Fast forward six years. College Gameday is back, but this time, the game isn’t clearly for the conference crown yet. The game is earlier in the year, but with both teams starting off hot, it’s the game to watch in college football this week.
This matchup seems awfully reminiscent of the Stanford-Oregon showdowns from 2010-2013. Both teams are ranked in the top 25, are hyped up on offense, and will fight for the PAC-12 crown.
The Oregon passing attack is legit; it’s time to see if the Cardinal secondary is composed of men or boys. The Ducks average over 50 points per game, and you can thank Justin Herbert and his 12 touchdowns for that.
The junior quarterback will likely be the biggest test for the Cardinal secondary all year and will be a new face for the team, as he missed last year’s contest with an injury. In his first three games of the season, Herbert posted an average QBR of 72.2. In comparison, K.J. Costello owns a 59.0 QBR. Oregon has the quarterback advantage in this game.
However, after Herbert, the Ducks don’t have many options on offense. The receiving group struggles to collect their quarterback’s passes every so often, and the team is yet to find their new stud running back after Royce Freeman left for the NFL.
Meanwhile, the Oregon defense is still yet to play anyone noteworthy. They allowed 24 points to Bowling Green, 14 points to Portland State, and 22 points to San Jose State. None of those teams are the same caliber as Stanford. I’m guessing this defense won’t be any better than the one that gave up 49 points to the Cardinal last season.
Yes, they held San Jose State to 29 yards rushing last week, but I don’t need to take the time to look up how good the Spartan running back is to know that Bryce Love is light years better. Yes, Stanford has struggled on the ground so far this year, but doesn’t David Shaw always take his sweet time to get the offense rolling?
Plus, Shaw has an advantage this year that he hasn’t had in years past: the passing game. Tell me which one of those tiny Oregon corners can cover J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and company. The Stanford receivers will have a field day in Eugene.
At the end of the day, this game will be decided by the Stanford secondary. If they are as good as they appear, Stanford will win easy; otherwise, this game could be a close battle.
Ahead of the season, I thought Oregon would win this game, but now, I’m changing my mind. Oregon’s offense is one-dimensional, and although the Cardinal defense is yet to play a top tier offense, they look better than last season, especially the secondary. I’m picking Stanford to win 31-17.
Comments
grammar question
is "the cardinal" used as a singular noun or a plural (collective) noun?
By hutre67 on 09.19.18 7:49am
depends on your style guide, really.
For years at the Daily, it was singular. Now it’s plural: https://www.stanforddaily.com/2014/03/06/beyda-embracing-the-cardinal-sin/
By Jack Blanchat on 09.19.18 8:04am
In my view, Cardinal should be singular
because it is referring to the color. Most sports teams that have a singular designation (Crimson Tide, Thunder, Magic, etc.) are also singular in grammar ("the Crimson Tide is back on top", "the OKC Thunder is making a bid for the playoffs", etc.) The French national soccer team is referred to as "les bleus" (the blues) and are accordingly referred to in the plural. In British English, many nouns that are singular in American English are referred to in the plural form ("The Manchester side are really in top form this year"), so there is definitely precedent for flipping something singular into something plural if it refers to a collection of individuals like a team. Frankly, I prefer Cardinal in the singular.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 09.19.18 8:23am
if the brits are pluralizing it
i’m def keeping it singular. lol.
By hutre67 on 09.19.18 8:51am
Only This Blog Could Start Out With...
A grammatical dissection of "the Cardinal". For what it is worth, I am in the singular camp.
By hoyaparanoia on 09.19.18 9:32pm
lol.
i’d only thought of the question during the last game when i was trying to text my friend and didn’t know which verb to use. after all these years!
By hutre67 on 09.20.18 6:05am
I’m just hoping that David Shaw underestimates this Oregon defense as much as this ruleoftree writer does.
-Go ducks
By notoriousj on 09.19.18 8:14am
David Shaw is not underestimating the Oregon defense
He gave them a lot of praise in his recent presser. That said, they really haven’t been tested yet, so this game will truly show if they are for real. My suspicion is yes, but let’s wait and see. Go Stanford!
By Jeff Tarnungus on 09.19.18 8:25am
I guess Charles hasn't watched the Ducks play.......
By MarriedADuck on 09.19.18 8:30am
But Shaw and his staff certainly have....
By Jeff Tarnungus on 09.19.18 8:33am
That's Great. Charles hasn't.
By MarriedADuck on 09.19.18 8:37am
and Oregon has been pretty vanilla on offense up to this point.
By MarriedADuck on 09.19.18 8:45am
Stanford has been "diluted vanilla" on offense
Maybe they have both been waiting for this contest to release their exotic flavors.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 09.19.18 8:47am
Ha. Touche.
By MarriedADuck on 09.19.18 8:51am
I also have Stanford carrying the day 31-17.
This assumes a solid game played by both sides and no major meltdowns or injuries.
That said, my predictions this year have been only moderately accurate. I had Stanford 31-21 over SDSU (final: 31-10); I had Stanford over USC 35-28 (final: 17-3); and my latest prediction was Stanford 42-14 over SDSU (final result: 30-10). So far, the only thing I have picked right is the winner, but I am OK with that.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 09.19.18 8:33am
Feels more like 2008 to me
2012 oregon was a juggernaut that could have won the NC had we not put up the single best defensive performance of the past decade limiting them to just 14-points. This oregon team is still very young, inexperienced and doesn’t have quite the coaching staff as those chip kelly teams. Herbert is good but he is no Mariota and their skill corps are not great this year.
They do have a couple of interesting playmakers on defense like Jelks, Troy Dye and Ugo Amadi but these were the same faces that gave up 50+ points each of the last 2 years against Keller "freaking" Chryst. The ducks could start fast given its gameday and at autzen but stanford could go toe to toe with them and should beat them by a TD or more.
By layman on 09.19.18 1:14pm
Yes, I was going to say something similar
This is not 2012 redux. In 2012, Oregon really had the inside track on the BCS championship until we came to Autzen and beat them in overtime, to the immense joy of countless Alabama fans (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIpbRy2aAC8). Had the Ducks gotten by us and handled UCLA in the Pac-12 championship game, they would have faced a very vulnerable Notre Dame in the BCS championship game and most probably would have celebrated their first national championship. That was 2012; and Duck fans are still smarting about how we torpedoed their most legitimate shot at a NC. They had another shot two years later; but Ohio State had other ideas.
In 2012, Stanford entered the Oregon game with two losses (Washington and Notre Dame), but had won four straight and were one game behind Oregon in the Pac-12 north standings. At #14 in the AP poll, Stanford was clearly, definitively the underdogs against the #1-rated Ducks; and I had no significant hopes we would be able to pull off the upset. But Derek Mason (the Duck-whisperer) and the defense had a different level of confidence that Thursday.
Fast forward to 2018. Oregon has a new coach and a relatively young team. After two years of shaky performance under two different coaches, Oregon appears to be in the ascendant again and are ranked #20 in the nation. Stanford has continued to be a force to be reckoned with in the Pac-12 and a perennial top-25 team. But it’s early in the season, so neither team really can claim an inside track to anything. Both teams are still solidifying their position in the college football world. No shades of 2012 in this. And don’t expect Bama fans to be watching this game with any kind of emotion.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 09.19.18 2:11pm
My mistake: the 2013 game was played on a Thursday. 2012's game was on a Saturday.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 09.19.18 2:27pm
2012 was the best
Our losses to Oregon in 2010 and 2011 were bitter; they ultimately were too fast for us, and there were some mistakes and surprises (2010 on side kick, for example) that derailed us. UO did get to the natty in the ghastly, biased BCS era, and had a terrific but losing game against Auburn. 2012 comes around, and we’re already out of the BCS picture given our horrible QB choices. Kevin starts at Autzen, a College Game Day game, and in the end – 60+ minutes of gut-grinding football, wins the game. It’s still one of the greatest football games I ever saw. I hope we can get to that level again.
By jafco99 on 09.19.18 4:38pm
As a stanford don't mind the 2013 one either
By layman on 09.19.18 4:43pm
thank god the CFP era isn't ghastly or biased.
By hutre67 on 09.19.18 6:00pm
Well
it is, of course. But there are four slots, not just the two reserved for the SEC, where they play "big-boy football." Which give us a slim chance of ever getting there.
By jafco99 on 09.19.18 7:15pm
Oh great news!
"…Although Toohill joins guard Foster Sarell, wide receiver Connor Wedington and outside linebacker Curtis Robinson on the injury list, tailback Bryce Love will be back after missing the Davis game. He apparently could have played Saturday, but Shaw wanted him to be fully ready for Oregon and the game at Notre Dame on Sept. 29…." Fox fills in for Toohill, who I think has played great this year. Sarell, supposed All-World 5+ star recruit, has little to show so far on the Farm, as has Robinson, who too was a 4/5 star recruit. It used to be that our conditioning program was so good that we weren’t sustaining injuries like ordinary teams. Nowadays, it seems half the team is beat up and out from week to week.
By jafco99 on 09.19.18 9:08pm
I Am Glad For An Oregon Game That Has Meaning
The history is rich, and we have had successes and failures. The Ducks stand in our way this year. We need to take them down. And should. I want the Ducks to resurrect themselves (other than on Saturday) if only to give credence to their uniform choices (which I think are typically pretty awesome – but don’t work when you are an average team).
I have watched Stanford stay close only to get gashed by Oregon running backs and I have seen Stanford dominate. I believe in our defense. And we will find a way on offense to get the job done.
By hoyaparanoia on 09.19.18 9:45pm