The Andrew Luck Heisman Trophy campaign took its first significant hit this week, as the Stanford Cardinal quarterback was unable to keep his team's undefeated streak going following a 53-30 loss to the Oregon Ducks on Saturday night.
Luck has a tendency to sometimes have a shaky first half before really finding his groove after halftime. In this game, however, Stanford never managed to start firing on all cylinders. Luck looked hurried by the pressure of the Oregon defensive line and several times had issues finding his footing on the grass of his home field.
Although Luck's numbers weren't horrible, he threw two costly interceptions. The first interception took the Ducks to Stanford's red zone and eventually led to an Oregon touchdown. His second interception, late in the fourth quarter, was a 40 yard pick-six by Bo Lokombo that proved to be the final score of the game. Luck's two interceptions, along with three lost fumbles, comprised Stanford's five surprising turnovers.
Luck finished the game 26-for-40 with 227 passing yards and three touchdowns. The first two touchdown passes were to Griff Whalen in the first half. He also connected with Jeremy Stewart for a short two-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Overall, not a terrible game numbers-wise for Luck, but the voters will be sure to look at the two costly interceptions and the rough loss as negative marks on the quarterback's Heisman campaign.
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