November 14, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Kani Benoit (29) is congratulated by quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. (3) for scoring a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
STANFORD, Calif. – Oregon linebacker Joe Walker broke up a pass on a two-point conversion attempt with 10 seconds left to give the Ducks a 38-36 upset of No. 7 Stanford on Saturday at Stanford Stadium.
Stanford’s name can probably be crossed off the list of College Football Playoff contenders and it missed a chance to clinch a berth in the Pac-12 title game. However, the Cardinal (8-2, 7-1) is still alone in first place in the Pac-12 North.
The Cardinal trailed by eight when it got the ball back at the Oregon 49 with 1:09 remaining and no timeouts. Aided by a pass-interference call on Oregon defensive back Ugo Amadi that placed the ball at the Oregon 9-yard line with 14 seconds left, followed by an illegal substitution penalty that moved the ball to the 4, Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Tabado to make it 38-36 with 10 seconds remaining.
But Hogan’s pass over the middle was broken up by Walker on the conversion attempt.
Oregon improved to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the conference.
Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was 10 of 12 for 205 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, and Ducks running back Royce Freeman, the Pac-12 rushing leader heading into the weekend, rushed for 105 yards.
Hogan was 28 of 37 for 304 yards, two scores and one interception. But his two fumbled snaps recovered by Oregon on consecutive Cardinal possessions in the fourth quarter may have doomed Stanford’s chances.
Running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 147 yards for the Cardinal.
Freeman’s 19-yard touchdown run on Oregon’s first possession of the second half put the Ducks ahead 28-23, and Adams’ 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Taj Griffin increased the margin to 35-23 late in the third quarter.
Stanford reduced its deficit to 35-30 on Hogan’s 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Taboada early in the fourth quarter.
Stanford got the ball back, but a fumbled snap recovered by Oregon linebacker Tyson Coleman at the Stanford 47-yard line ruined that Cardinal possession and led to Aidan Schneider’s 31-yard field goal that gave the Ducks a 38-30 lead with 5:12 left.
The Cardinal moved to the Oregon 15 before Hogan fumbled another snap recovered by the Ducks with 2:06 left.
The Cardinal stopped Oregon one more time to give Stanford a chance.
Conrad Ukropina provided Stanford with a 23-21 halftime lead by kicking a 49-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter.
Oregon had taken a 21-20 lead with 48 seconds left in the half when Adams hit wide receiver Darren Carrington with a 47-yard scoring pass.
Both teams moved the ball easily in the first half, with Stanford using its ball-control attack to eat up 21:32 compared with Oregon’s 8:28.
After the Cardinal settled for a 33-yard Ukropina field goal on their first possession, Oregon covered 80 yards in six plays to take a 7-3 lead. A 49-yard run by Freeman was the key play on the drive, which ended with running back Kani Benoit’s 2-yard run.
Stanford regained the lead at 10-7 on a 75-yard drive that ended with Hogan’s 22-yard touchdown run.
The Ducks took the lead right back on their next offensive play from scrimmage. Wide receiver Charles Nelson went untouched for a 75-yard touchdown run.
Stanford jumped back ahead 17-14 on McCaffrey’s 11-yard scoring run. Ukropina extended the Cardinal lead to 20-14 on a 24-yard field goal, which was set up by linebacker Kevin Anderson’s 51-yard fumble return after Stanford defensive end Brennan Scarlett knocked the ball out of Adams’ hand.
NOTES: The winner of the Stanford-Oregon game has gone on to win the Pac-12 title every year since 2010. … Oregon CB Tyree Robinson had to be carried off the field with an apparent leg injury suffered in the fourth quarter. … Stanford rose four spots from No. 11 to No. 7 in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings. … Stanford has two regular-season games remaining, both at home: next Saturday against Cal and Nov. 28 against Notre Dame. Oregon also has two home games left, next Saturday against USC and Nov. 27 against Oregon State. … Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey, who entered the weekend leading the nation in all-purpose yards, set the school record for all-purpose yards in a season, surpassing the 2,234 achieved by Glyn Milburn in 1992. … Oregon RB Royce Freeman led the conference in rushing with 1,287 yards entering Saturday’s play.
