Oregon Football: 5 Things We Learned from the Ducks' Win at Stanford

Last night, the Ducks went on the road and had the Pac-12 North division up for grabs.

A win last night for Stanford would clinch the division for them and put themselves one step closer to appearing in the national title game.

Instead, the Ducks came in and delivered a 23-point win, making sure the conference knew that the title would go through Eugene. 

Here are five things we learned from Oregon's 53-30 win.

Darron Thomas Never Gives Up on a Play

Since getting injured, Darron Thomas has looked shaky and was viewed by many as the key to this game for Oregon.

If Thomas was able to perform well, the Ducks would be in good shape, but if not, things could have gotten ugly.

Yesterday, Darron Thomas showed the ability to hang in the pocket and make big plays, even if it meant taking a huge hit.

On two pass plays, Thomas hung in until the last second and connected on two big touchdown passes to keep Stanford at a distance.

Second-Half Adjustments Continue

Oregon continues to be one of the best teams in the second half. 

Entering halftime, Oregon held a six-point lead, and things were still up in the air.

In the second half, the Ducks outscored Stanford 31-14 and ended up winning by 23 points. 

Teams are understanding that if the Ducks already have a lead entering the half, they are at a huge disadvantage based on what the Ducks do in the second half.

The Defense Is Hitting Its Stride

After the Washington game, the Ducks defense was starting to come together and had played their best game to date.

This week was by far the best they have played, especially since they were going up against Andrew Luck.

The Ducks defense forced five turnovers and scored on a pick-six that put the game away.

If the Ducks defense continues to play this way, they will win their third straight conference title.

The Ducks Are Underrated

Coming into the game against Stanford, all eyes were on the Cardinal taking control of the Pac-12 and clinching the north division. 

Along with focusing on the Stanford team, people could not stop talking about how great Andrew Luck is, but everyone failed to mention that Oregon is playing tremendously over the past two years, and their only two losses in two years have come to teams ranked No. 1 in the nation.

With this performance in prime-time, the Ducks announced that the Pac-12 title will go through Eugene.

LaMichael James Put on a Heisman Performance

Last night was supposed to be the performance that locked up the Heisman Trophy for Andrew Luck.

He was supposed to come out and help the Cardinal win a shootout and take one more step toward the title game. 

Instead, LaMichael James reintroduced himself to the nation with a 146-yard rushing game and three touchdowns. 

This game should serve as notice that James is coming for the Heisman.