The Corrector When Our Judgments Err – Lord Byron
Lets be clear . The contest came down to time of possession.
In the first two quarters, the Stanford defense gets credit for stopping the Duck’s offense cold. On offense, two touchdowns and a field goal gave Stanford the lead with a halftime score of 17-0. Highlight: A pass from Kevin Hogan to Michael Rector for 47 yards.
In the second half, Oregon’s defense learned how to stop the Cardinal’s offense – preventing any further touchdowns and giving their offense a chance to put points on the board. Despite this help it was a blocked field goal and an onside kick that led to Duck touchdowns. The Oregon offense only mounted one serious drive in the whole. Too little, too late. You cannot allow your opponent to control the ball for forty two plus minutes and expect anything other than defeat.
With coach Shaw and his Cardinals as proctors, the Ducks have sat a difficult mid-season exam…and have been found wanting. It will probably cost Oregon a BCS title game bid. We can only look forward to a rematch next season.