Stanford going for seven in a row
The number six ranked Stanford Cardinals will be going for their seventh win in a row when they battle the unranked Oregon State Beavers on Saturday 27 November.
Oregon State’s season so far
The Beavers have had an up and down season leading into the battle this weekend. It started with a tough 30-21 loss to Texas Christian University (TCU), but the Beavers responded with victory over the Louisville Cardinals in week two.
Week three featured another devastating loss to another undefeated team. Boise State beat the Beavers 37-24, but once again the Beavers responded the following week with a win against Arizona State 31-28.
They stayed in the winner’s circle the week following against Arizona, but lost to a weak Washington Huskies team on 16 October in overtime.
Oregon State bounced back from the overtime loss with an impressive win against the California Golden Bears, but the Beavers fell into another hole, losing their next two games. UCLA and Washington State all held the Beavers down with Oregon State’s offence
scoring a combined 28 points over the two losses.
Last weekend’s victory over USC brought the Beavers out of the losing column, and has them carrying momentum into the game this weekend.
This is Oregon State’s second last game with their last game coming against number one ranked Oregon on 4 December.
Stanford’s season to date
The Cardinals started their season with a four-game winning streak, acquiring victories over Sacramento State, UCLA, Wake Forest and Notre Dame. The offence, led by quarterback Andrew Luck, scored 35 or more points in each of the wins, amassing a whopping
68 points against Wake Forest.
Their streak was snapped by the Oregon Ducks who defeated the Cardinals 52-31 on 2 October.
The loss to Oregon was the last time that Stanford has tasted defeat as they have reeled off six straight victories. Opponents USC, Washington State, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State and California all fell victim to the Cardinals 8th ranked scoring
offence.
Oregon State’s keys to victory
"We are playing another very good football team, probably as efficient a team we've seen this year," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said according to
espn.go.com. "Every part of their team is very good, very efficient. It starts with their quarterback, who is definitely one of the best in the country."
That is where the Beavers should start then, finding a defence scheme that can hold down Luck and his surging Cardinal offence. The Beaver defence ranks in the fifties for both rushing and passing plays, but they will have to play like a team possessed if they
expect any success against Luck.
Offensively, Beavers quarterback Ryan Katz is completing 61.3 per cent of his passes and has thrown for 1994 yards and 15 touchdowns. He may be able to take advantage of Stanford’s soft pass defence which has allowed 2187 yards through the air. They will need
to capitalize on any advantages given to them or any mistakes the Cardinals make.
Stanford’s keys to victory
The Cardinals average 40.5 points per game and if Luck is able to get the momentum on his side, it could spell a long day for the Beavers defence. Luck also has his multi-threat offence clicking on almost every play, as he is averaging 251.9 yards
through the air while his running backs average 215.2 yards on the ground.
Their key will be to keep the Beavers on their toes and call a lot of play-actions. The more time Luck has to make up his mind in the pocket, the easier the game will be for the offence.
The Cardinal defence just has to play defence. They can't make mistakes, take penalties and they can't give Oregon State anything to turn into a positive.
Prediction
Stanford 42 – Oregon State 20
Tags: