Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
Yes, Stanford in recent years has relied on a physical brand of football whose trademark is a punishing rushing attack. And yes, the Cardinal’s signature passing plays have generally involved getting big receivers and tight ends vertical to catch 50-50 balls.
But Oregon isn’t just going to assume the Cardinal plays to form when the two teams meet in Autzen Stadium on Saturday (8 p.m., FS1). The UO defense has struggled at times with defending the perimeter this season, and the Ducks know they’ll need to prove themselves in that regard against future foes – including, more than likely, Stanford.
‘”Teams are gonna do the same thing that hurt you earlier,” UO coach Dan Lanning said Wednesday. “So we can’t just live on the thought process that they’re only going to do the things they’ve done on film so far. They can also look at our film, try to attack us in certain ways.”
The Cardinal have a quarterback in Tanner McKee who is capable of executing all sorts of concepts. A year ago, the 6-foot-6 future pro prospect threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns against the Ducks, rallying Stanford from behind to win in overtime.
What Lanning has seen on film of McKee has impressed the UO coach.
“I think he understands their system really well,” Lanning said. “… He does a good job of making decisions. He’s a true pocket passer and does a good job delivering it.”
Stanford lost last week to Washington, a game the Cardinal played without running back E.J. Smith, the son of NFL legend Emmitt Smith. The younger Smith was hurt the week before, and this week the Cardinal announced that he will miss the rest of the season.
Next up in the rotation is Oregon native Casey Filkins, who rushed for 100 yards against the Huskies.
“Both good players,” Lanning said. “E.J. Smith is a really good player; you hate to see that for a team. That being said, I think (Filkins) has had a lot of experience, so it’s not like a huge change for them.”
Notable: Maximization of practice reps is a priority at all times for the Ducks. On Wednesday, Lanning called for the defense to go over to the offensive practice field for a good-on-good period. As they were running over, the offense was lining up for a rep against the look team, and while running over with the defense Lanning exhorted them to, “Run the play! Run the play! Run the play!” … A light rain fell around Eugene early Wednesday morning and later in the…
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