Stanford vs. Oregon: QB Marcus Mariota Will Be Hyped for Heisman in Ducks' Win

Senior RB Kenjon Barner may be getting the Heisman hype ahead of the AP No. 1 Oregon Ducks' huge Pac-12 showdown with Stanford on Saturday, but redshirt freshman QB Marcus Mariota deserves some love in that regard.

He will get his due after a shining performance in Eugene on a national stage and affirm last week's six touchdown pass performance at lowly Cal.

Those affiliated with ESPN's College GameDay Twitter account are certainly giving Mariota a rightfully deserved shoutout as a player to keep an attentive eye on:

"

#Oregon's Marcus Mariota is the most underrated player in the country... TRUE or FALSE?

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 16, 2012"

The overwhelming response should be "true." Mariota is quietly putting together a sensational season as the most efficient passer in college football. He has completed over 71 percent of his passes for an 8.62 yards per attempt average, tossing 28 touchdowns against only five interceptions in the process.

Oh, and he can run—Mariota has scampered for 516 yards on the year with an average of 6.6 yards per carry.

Talk about the complete package. With Stanford having such a stingy run defense—best in the nation (h/t NCAAFootball.com)—the Cardinal rank 99th statistically against the pass.

That could be nightmarish for the Cardinal to deal with against the likes of Mariota, who always seems to make the right decision. Mariota spreads the ball around so much that it's difficult to know where to begin in stopping the passing attack, even if a defense can somehow thwart the Ducks' third-ranked rushing attack.

Seven different Oregon players have caught at least 16 passes, which makes it very difficult for opponents to key on one guy. That should scare a suspect Stanford secondary simply because of the variety of ways that Oregon can rack up huge yardage. When the play breaks down, Mariota can also make something out of nothing thanks to his mobility.

However, ESPN's Kevin Gemmell brings up a valid point about the success Mariota has throwing the football:

"

Much of quarterback Marcus Mariota's success has come off of play action. Following a fake or misdirection, he has 13 touchdowns to just one interception and he's completing 63.3 percent of his throws. Without play-action, he's completing just 50 percent of his throws.

"

Head coach Chip Kelly has nonetheless created an offensive juggernaut with the Ducks, and Mariota is the perfect triggerman for his system.

With so many fresh legs rotating in and out of the Ducks backfield, in addition to Mariota's ability as a runner, Stanford is going to have its hands full and will likely get dominated in time of possession.

And who is to say the play action won't work against the Cardinal? In fact, it should be quite successful, considering Stanford will be doing everything it can to stuff the Ducks at the point of attack. It's definitely a "pick your poison" sort of ordeal when playing Oregon, particularly in front of what will be a raucous home crowd in Autzen Stadium.

The Cardinal will choose Mariota as the poison, and he will be lethally effective in establishing himself as a legitimate contender in the race for the Heisman Trophy.