Stanford has been in this position before. Last year the Cardinals knocked off Oregon and ended their shot at reaching the BCS National Championship. The team is getting that opportunity one more time as the sixth-ranked Cardinals take on No. 2 Oregon in a game that could shake up the standings.
Stanford was responsible for the only loss in quarterback Marcus Mariota's career when they beat Oregon last year 17-14 after the Ducks missed a tying field goal in overtime. The victory knocked the top-ranked Ducks out of championship contention and ended their three-year streak as conference champions. This year could be different as the Heisman candidate is putting numbers never seen before.
At this point in the season, Mariota has thrown for 2,281 yards and 20 touchdowns while also rushing for 587 yards and nine touchdowns. He carries a 64.0 completion percentage and has yet to misfire an interception. Expected to be taken very high in the draft, Mariota could make Stanford's night very long.
Last year, the Cardinals stopped the quarterback by plugging the gaps in the defense and sticking with correct fundamentals in tackling. Stanford understands just how unstoppable Mariota is no matter what kind of defense the team puts together. Last year, he went 21 of 37 for 207 yards and one touchdown. The secret was he only put up 12 rushing yards as Stanford kept constant pressure on him the whole night.
Stanford's season took a slight detour when the team was upset by Utah. However, following that loss they rattled off wins against UCLA and Oregon State. The Cardinals could win by turnovers as they are currently in the midst of a 33-game turnover streak. If Stanford is the first team to get Mariota to throw an interception, they could upset the Ducks once more.
