To open up Pac-12 play, Oregon will be traveling to Stanford. Not only will the 2019 version of the team be looking to get conference play off to a good start, but they’ll be looking to avenge last season’s devastating loss. College Gameday was in Eugene last season when these two teams squared off. Oregon looked like they were on the way to making a statement, up 24-7. However, on the doorstep of going up 31-7, center Jake Hanson snapped the ball over Justin Herbert’s head.

Things unraveled following that sequence, leading to a 38-31 Stanford win in overtime.

Oregon vs Stanford

Offensive line reshuffling

Oregon is looking at being without starting center Jake Hanson after he has been in concussion protocol all week. If he is unable to go, Calvin Throckmorton will move to center from right tackle, while Brady Aiello will slide in at right tackle.

The Oregon offensive line has the potential to physically dominate this version of Stanford. However, if they are indeed forced to reshuffle along the offensive line, that will test the depth and continuity on the line.

There’s enough depth on the line that they should be fine on the line either way. However, replacing your center is never ideal.

Deep Passing Game

Stanford lost 45-27 at UCF last weekend. In that game, the Cardinal secondary gave up 11.6 yards per pass attempt and gave up 15.8 yards per completion.

While Oregon’s receiving core is not great, they are much improved from last season. That, combined with the play of the Stanford secondary and what appears to be the impending Oregon debut of Juwan Johnson, Oregon should be able to throw the ball downfield.

Look for Johnny Johnson and Jaylon Redd to get deep with the presence of Juwan Johnson.

Oregon vs Stanford: Keys Continued

Winning Jump Balls

When Stanford passes the ball, they like to try and win jump balls. Oregon got a good look at that last season, as that played a huge role in the Stanford comeback. However, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is gone, leaving a big void in the Stanford passing game.

Stanford is still big on the outside, so there will be pressure on Oregon defenders to win those jump balls. That could be the linebackers or defensive backs having to win jump balls. Thomas Graham also left last week with an injury, although he’s reportedly fine and didn’t come back against Montana as a precaution.

Don’t Let the Running Game Get Going

Oregon is better upfront. Also, Walker Little is out for the season at left tackle, leaving a huge void on the Stanford offensive line. On top of that, Stanford isn’t as strong at running back as they have been. Cameron Scarlett is a solid running back, but he’s not Christian McCaffrey or Bryce Love.

There’s no reason for Oregon to let the running game get going. The linebackers and defensive line should be able to handle things. If they can prevent the running game from getting going, it will make the play-action passing game irrelevant, which will benefit the secondary greatly.