Written Story: Ryan Milano

The Oregon Ducks dropped their first game of the season on Saturday to the Stanford Cardinal 31-24. The Ducks fall to 4-1 on the season as they could not fend off a late two-minute drill and Overtime score in route to an upset loss.

The Ducks started slow out of the blocks as the Cardinal jumped out to a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and carried the momentum to a 17-7 advantage at the intermission. The tide changed in the 2nd half when Oregon found some momentum in the run game offensively and started to force 3-and-outs defensively.

The revitalized Ducks in the 2nd half were up 24-17 with 1:59 left. Tanner McKee methodically led the Cardinal 87 yards downfield to set up a 4th and goal from the two-yard line. McKee threw a fade to John Humphreys that was broken up by Mykael Wright, but a pass interference call led to a final untimed down. The Cardinal seized their opportunity and were able to convert on a touchdown reception by Elijah Higgins.

After the Touchdown, Stanford captured all the momentum, scored quickly in Overtime, and held Oregon to a turnover on downs to capture the upset victory.

Injuries and controversy marred the game for the Ducks. Before the game, it was announced that starting center Alex Forsyth, safety Bennet Williams, and Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead would all not be available for Oregon. It didn't stop there. CJ Verdell was lost to an injury in the 2nd half. Injuries weren't the only thing that kept Ducks off the field. Trikweze Bridges was called for targeting on the game's opening kickoff, and Kayvon Thibodeaux was called for targeting on the final two-minute drill.

The Ducks will have extra time to regroup after the loss with a bye week coming up. Oregon's next contest will be against California on Friday, October 15th. Kayvon Thibodeaux will miss the first half.

Postgame Press Conferences:

Mario Cristobal

Anthony Brown

Audio Story by Justin Grossweiner

Audio Story by Ethan Hartley