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Stanford vs. Oregon: Kevin Hogan must lead Cardinal to victory

We talk with Stanford writers Hank Waddles of Go Mighty Card and Scott Allen of Rule of Tree to figure out what the Cardinal must do to beat the Oregon Ducks.

Ezra Shaw

Huge win on the Farm. What really stood out to you from Stanford's performance, and what were the biggest factors in beating Oregon State?

Hank Waddles, Go Mighty Card: Two things stood out. One, we learned that Kevin Hogan can run this offense successfully against a quality defense, and two, we it was nice to see the team deal with some serious adversity and respond with the win. The offense definitely wasn't as consistent as fans would like it to be, but it's light years ahead of where it was just a few weeks ago. For the first time all year, it feels like we're seeing the Stanford offense again.

Scott Allen, Rule of Tree: Kevin Hogan is the real deal. Facing a legitimate defense for the first time, his numbers were almost as good as they were against Colorado. Stepfan Taylor's "Like a Wizard" catch and run and stiffarm -which was set up by Hogan's own Houdini act - will be talked about for years to come. Another thing that stood out for me was that when Stanford fell behind 23-14, I didn't get the feeling that the game was over. Hank's right; with the way this offense was operating a few weeks ago, falling behind by two scores against the Beavers might've been insurmountable.

It wasn't the cleanest performance. What are things Stanford has to work on this upcoming week before they prepare for Oregon?

Hank Waddles, Go Mighty Card: The offense has to be more consistent, and the coaching staff has to adjust a bit more quickly to what's going on. On Saturday the Cardinal moved the ball effortlessly during the first quarter, but the offense became stagnant for a long stretch after that. If Stanford has a shot at even staying close to the Ducks in Eugene, the offense is going to have to stay on the field and score a lot of points. Lapses like the ones suffered against Oregon State will be disastrous.

Scott Allen, Rule of Tree: Stanford probably can't afford to turn the ball over four times or commit eight penalties if it's going to have any chance of beating the Ducks. Both things - the turnovers and the penalties - were uncharacteristic of this team.