Oregon vs. Stanford: The Fatal Flaw That Could Cost Either Team a Win

It may not seem like it right now, but there is a really important football game taking place and it doesn’t involve Penn State.

Oregon will travel down to California to take on Stanford in a battle of Top 10 teams. The winner will more than likely be crowned the champion of the Pac-12 and Stanford could potentially go to the national championship if it goes undefeated for the rest of the year.

But there is one thing standing in the way of both of these teams. Defense.

It may be surprising to hear if you just look at the stats for each team, but you have to look at them a little deeper.

Stanford’s defense ranks 11th in the country in scoring defense, but they have never played an offense ranked in the top fourth of the country in scoring offense. Against Washington and USC—teams ranked 31st and 32nd in scoring—the Cardinal gave up a combined 69 points.

After those two teams, they have only played one other team with a winning record. Yet the secondary still ranks 88th in passing yards allowed per game.

One of their best players Shayne Skov is out for the season and while Chase Thomas is an excellent player, he is more of a pass rusher than a run stopper.

For Oregon a similar problem comes up. The defense may rank 26th in scoring defense, but they are still giving up 383 yards per game.

Play on the special teams and forced turnovers play a big role for getting stops because this defense has been on the field for longer than any other unit in the country. This happens because the Duck’s offense works so quickly.

This game was played in Eugene last year and Oregon won 52-31. Both teams lost a bunch of talent from their 2010 defenses while most of the offensive playmakers like Andrew Luck and LaMichael James are still there.

The game this year will more than likely be another shootout, so if either team’s defense steps up to the plate in this game, that team will win.