Toby Gerhart runs over an Oregon defender. Both Stanford players and fans celebrate after the upset. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Go here to watch highlights of the Stanford victory.
Nov. 7, 2009
The Stanford Cardinal pulled of a huge upset Saturday with a 51-42 win over the #8 ranked Oregon Ducks. Toby Gerhart led a rushing attack that overpowered the Ducks defense and set the single game Stanford rushing record with 223 yards and 3 touchdowns. The win pushed Stanford to 6-3 and more importantly made them bowl eligible for the first time in 8 years.
The victory snapped a 7 game losing streak versus Oregon and gave coach Jim Harbaugh and the football program a big boost. This is the program's biggest win since the upset over USC two years ago.
Stanford's less athletic defense managed to slow down the high powered Oregon offense led by the dynamic rushing duo of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael James just enough for the victory.
In the first quarter freshman running back LaMichael James scampered for a 60 yard touchdown run that cut Stanford's lead to 10-7. James rushed for 125 yards and has filled in nicely for the Ducks, who lost last year's star running back LeGarrette Blount to suspension after he punched a Boise St. player following a loss in the first game of the season.
The freshman RB James had rushed for 918 yards and had a career high with 183 against USC last week in a 47-20 drubbing of the Trojans. Oregon hasn't missed a beat with Blount out of the line-up, and despite rumors of his return this week coach Chip Kelly did not reinstate him. Last year Blount ran for 1038 yards and 17 TDs.
Toby Gerhart answered back with the first of his 3 touchdowns with a 4-yard run to improve Stanford's lead to 17-7. With such a great performance in a big game Gerhart puts himself right back into the Heisman race.
After another Stanford score Jeremiah Masoli threw a 29-yard touchdown to keep Oregon within 10. Masoli finished the day 21-37 with 335 yards passing and 4 total touchdowns (1 rushing).
But, in the 3rd quarter Stanford came out firing and Andrew Luck hit receiver Chris Owusu in the end zone for a 31 yard TD to put Stanford up 38-21. Luck had 2 touchdowns on 251 yards passing and Owusu had 3 more receptions for 111 yards.
Toby Gerhart and Chris Owusu are third in the Pac-10 in combined yards/game, trailing brothers Jacquizz and James Rodgers of Oregon State.
Late in the 3rd quarter Toby plowed into the end zone from 17 yards out to give the Cardinal a 45-28 lead and ultimately proved to be the game's winning points.
Oregon scored 2 late touchdowns to close the gap to 6 points, but Stanford recovered an onside kick with 2:38 left in the game and Nate Whitacker nailed a 47 yard field goal to ensure that the Ducks could not tie the game with a TD and a 2-point conversion.
Both teams rushed for over 200 yards and combined for over 500 yards of total offense.
Led by the punishing ground attack of Toby Gerhart, Stanford dominated time of possession and held the ball for 37:43.
As good as tailback LaMichael James has been this year, he dropped 2 potential touchdown passes in the 4th quarter. After the second drop, he slid and appeared to injure his shoulder on the play, but it seemed more like an injury to his pride.
The Stanford Cardinal play at USC next Saturday, November 14 at 12:30 pm.
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