Tales from the stat sheet: positives and cautions from the end of a dream

Around the web, descriptions of this game invariably include the word “domination” and although it was a thorough beat down in many respects, there are some interesting notes from the stats. Stanford outgained Oregon 377 yards to 312, not that big a margin. Oregon gained 5.4 yards a play, Stanford 4.8. In the loss, the Ducks got a valiant effort from Brian Jackson who had 14 tackles. A look at the defensive stats, from goducks.com:

This list includes the top contributors for the game. Follow the link for the complete stats. The quick conclusion: Oregon was outfought and outmanned in this game, but this is a group of players that battled hard. They tried to do everything their coaches asked of them, and fought to the final whistle. They almost pulled off a miracle comeback in a game where they were badly beaten.

It’s always a bad sign when the three leading tacklers are from the secondary, and two safeties and a cornerback have double digit tackles, particularly against an opponent that passed just 13 times. Terrance Mitchell was right behind them with 9 stops. Derrick Malone has been the Ducks most consistent presence in the middle, but it’s a bit of a concern he has 10 assists and just one solo stop in the game: you’d like to see the team’s best inside linebacker filling the hole and dumping the running back by himself more often. That’s a challenge, not a criticism. 

Captain Crunch: in his senior season at Oregon, Hoover, Alabama native Brian Jackson has 37 tackles. He’s been a leader and a spokesman for the Ducks in both of the last two seasons (goducks.com photo).

Senior Taylor Hart, with ten tackles from his defensive line position, played a courageous game, displaying tremendous effort against the big, massed offensive line of Stanford.  Rodney Hardrick and DeForest Buckner continue to improve, and Arik Armstead’s get-low-and-penetrate tackle for loss was one of the defensive plays of the game for Oregon. Hardrick made his second dramatic special teams play in a row, a 66-yard rumble with a fake punt against UCLA, 65 yards with a blocked field goal in this one.

Offensively, the Ducks got big receptions from a couple of young players, a 12-yard touchdown catch by Pharaoh Brown, who is also the best blocker among the tight ends, and a clutch 20-yard catch to the goal line by Chance Allen. On a day Stanford shut down the Oregon running game, Byron Marshall was the lone highlight, cranking out 46 yards on 11 carries, including a nice spin move for a first down and another run for 21 yards, the Ducks longest. De’Anthony Thomas was 6 for 30, an even 5 yards a carry.

In the passing game, the Ducks had plays of 20, 26, 23, 20, 19, and 18 yards. They scored three times in the fourth quarter, but with just 8 offensive possessions in the game, fumbling at the Stanford 4 and 28 and turnover the ball on downs at the 4 just proved to be too devastating.

Stanford’s longest gain from scrimmage was a 47-yard pass from Kevin Hogan to Mike Rector. Tyler Gaffney’s longest run, on a day he carried a school record 45 times for 158 yards, was 16 yards.  David Shaw’s squad passed just 13 times, with long gains of 47, 15 and 11 yards.

It was death by a 1000 cuts.

The Ducks have been notably reluctant to kick field goals over the last five years. In this game, The Cardinal won by six, and were four of five in FGs. Jordan Williamson hit from 19, 24,  26 and 30 yards, before the block from 40.

The Ducks ran just 58 plays in the game, to Stanford’s 79, a crushing difference.

In the end, credit goes to The Cardinal for a great victory that thrusts them squarely in the lead for the PAC-12 North title and a BCS bowl. Examining the numbers, it just underscores what a hard, demanding game football is at the highest level.