CFB: The Cardinal Comeback
The game was over (or at least we thought it was). Oregon was heading into the end zone which would have put them up 31-7 over rival and Pac-12 for Stanford. But RB Jaylon Redd unintentionally stepped out at the one-yard line. It shouldn't have been that big of a deal, though. In most cases, the offense will still score a touchdown and the review would be all for naught. In this instance, the exact opposite happened. A couple of plays later, and Stanford was waltzing into the end zone, cutting the lead to 24-14 and jumping right back into the thick of things. It was a turn of events that you rarely see, and all of the momentum shifted to the Stanford sideline with just one play.
Up until that point in the game, Oregon was outplaying HC David Shaw's club in every aspect of the game. QB Justin Herbert was connecting on seemingly every pass he let go and WR Dillion Mitchell was racking up the yards play after play. But the remainder of the game was a different story. RB Bryce Love would score for the Cardinal just minutes later, cutting the lead to 24-21 heading into the fourth quarter. Both teams would trade touchdowns as Oregon lead 31-28, following a Stanford score from QB K.J. Costello to TE J.J. Arcega-Whiteside after a beautiful move at the line of scrimmage. Still, after everything the Ducks had gone through, all they needed was one first down and they'd improve to 4-0 on the season.
Unfortunately for the Ducks, that didn't happen either. RB C.J. Verdell fumbled on what would have been a first down, and Stanford recovered it with less than a minute remaining. Shaw played it safe and relied on his kicker to tie it and send the game to overtime. In the extra period, Costello threw up a jump ball and WR Colby Parkinson somehow came down with it after a tip. Oregon failed to score on their only possession and Stanford escaped with a thrilling 38-31 overtime victory on the road. Love finished with 89 yards on 19 carries, while Herbert torched the Cardinal for 346 yards. Stanford is 4-0 and face Notre Dame next weekend, before returning home to play Utah. In Week 7, the Cardinal will take on Arizona State.
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated.
