Oregon Ducks defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti is rarely left at a loss for words, but the Ducks 53-30 drubbing of the then No. 4 Stanford Cardinal in Palo Alto did just that to the talkative D.C, though he would eventually find it once again:
"I thought we played a really good defensive game tonight," Aliotti said. "Considering that they're averaging 500-something yards per game, and Luck hasn't thrown any picks - or not many - and we got two, and there hadn't been many turnovers and we got five, there hadn't been many sacks and we got three."
All of the talk heading into the game was that of a shootout, but the Oregon defense kept that from becoming a reality with their five turnover, three sack game down on the Farm. Andrew Luck's pick in the first quarter really set the tone for the Oregon defense to keep attacking, and they seemingly never took their foot off the throttle. Here's head coach Chip Kelly's take on the defense exerting their will against Stanford:
"They had been up so much during their games that they could really hold on to the ball and really be methodical in their drives and I think kind of taking them out of their rhythm and how they do things is big."
It was Stanford's first true test of the season, and one they would ultimately fail, putting Oregon in the driver's seat the rest of the way in the Pac-12. It will take some time for the BCS implications to fully shake out, but the Ducks have put themselves in prime postion to make a big time bowl game this holiday season. And they look ready for whatever comes next.
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