The Stanford Cardinals pulled off an amazing feat on Saturday in Oregon. The No. 7 ranked Cardinals were trailing 24-7 to overcome the No. 2 ranked Oregon Ducks.
The Ducks were playing very well under junior quarterback Justin Herbert until a snap went over his head in the 3rd quarter. Stanford linebacker and Portland, Oregon native, Joey Alfieri returned the lost ball 80 yards for a touchdown. This was the turning point that the Cardinals needed to change the pace of the game.
Running back Bryce Love made the next big move for Stanford closing the narrowing the difference in scores to a mere 3 points. Cyrus Habibi-Likio answered back for the Ducks, all decked out in their full green uniforms with just under 5 minutes to go.
Quarterback K.J. Costello kept the momentum going for Stanford’s last push to make it to overtime. Costello made contact with J.J. Arcega-Whiteside for touchdown number two. C.J. Verdell, one of the Oregon running backs, fumbled with just under a minute to go. Kicker Jet Toner kept the game going by making a 32-yard field goal. In overtime, Stanford made the first possession and then quickly scored.
This energy that the Cardinals brought in the third quarter and moving forward was unexpected. With Bryce Love’s talent and K.J. Costello’s consistency, the Stanford offense is definitely a team to keep an eye out for. It was a miracle that Stanford was even able to come close to tying up the game, let alone win it, all within a little over a quarter left to go in the game.
This win for Stanford makes them 4-0 (2-0 in the PAC 12 conference) and Oregon is now at 3-1 (0-1). Stanford plays Notre Dame next on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET and Oregon plays at U.C. Berkeley at 10:30 p.m. ET the same day. The PAC 12 seems to definitely be heating up!
Featured Image via Flickr/Brian Cantoni
