Luck ran out for Stanford, today, against the Quack Attack

Shirley and I just finished watching the Stanford-Oregon football game, at Stanford Stadium. Oregon ran all over Stanford, 53-30, decisively breaking Stanford's 17 game winning streak. The day was clear, although it was basically a night game. The field was wet and slippery from yesterday's rain. The natural turf gave way almost every time a big player attempted a sudden change in direction, causing the player to slip and fall down. Oregon's players were obviously more accustomed to such conditions than Stanford's team and they slipped much less. Stanford's quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate, Andrew Luck, had his worst game in two years, throwing two passes for interceptions that were run back for touchdowns. Oregon's Heisman Trophy candidate, DeAnthony Thomas, ran for three touchdowns. Oregon was clearly the better team. Stanford, which was ranked 3rd in the nation last week, will almost certainly fall out of the top 6 teams and will be lucky to be in the top ten.

Part of the problem was the number of Stanford players who were out with injuries, including two of their 4 key tight ends. As a result, Stanford had no long receivers and had to depend on short passes and the run. Stephan Taylor, Stanford's key running back, had a great night, running for more than 150 yards, but there were too many incomplete passes, some overthrown by Luck and some dropped by receivers (the ball was often wet and slippery). But all in all, the Oregon Ducks were clearly the better team. They were ranked 7th in the nation because of their loss earlier in the season to LSU, currently undefeated (10-0) and ranked #1 all season long, but I suspect Oregon will take Stanford's place as #3 with this lopsided victory.