Stanford Football

Stanford head coach David Shaw left no room for ambiguity when addressing his former player, offensive lineman Jonathan Martin, and allegations of bullying from current Miami Dolphins teammate Richie Incognito. 

"I'll cut right to the chase, and you can print it," Shaw said on Tuesday's Pac-12 coaches teleconference call. "Linking what happened in Miami with Stanford is moronic."

Martin left the Dolphins last week. Reports surfaced that Incognito led in hazing of the former Cardinal standout that went far beyond any pranks. The Dolphins organization suspended Incognito after threatening and racially charged voicemails from Incognito to Martin were revealed. 

Himself a Stanford alum, Shaw was adamant in his defense of the university's academic reputation having no role in Martin's treatment. The third-year Cardinal head coach cited the program's recent success preparing players for the professional ranks. 

Stanford's recent football alumni include Richard Sherman, Coby Fleener, David DeCastro and Andrew Luck. The current roster features future pros like linebacker Shayne Skov, defensive end Trent Murphy and safety Ed Reynolds. 

"We’re going to keep pumping guys into the NFL," Shaw said. "I'm looking forward to the time Jonathan Martin returns and continues to play and continues to develop." 

Shaw's point has undeniable merit. Aside from the volume of pro-caliber players coming out of a top-tier academic university's program like Stanford, the Cardinal are also forerunners in a rise of such institutions in the college ranks. 

Stanford, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Northwestern finished 2012 ranked in the final polls. The Cardinal are in the hunt for another BCS berth—their third straight—and Tulane, Rice and Duke are all bowl eligible. 

Nevertheless, Bleacher Report NFL reporter Mike Freeman tweeted on Tuesday that an archaic mindset persists in locker rooms. 

An especially bright spotlight has been shined on bullying recently, and a positive of this ugly chapter in Miami is the discussion now extends to the sports world. There are plenty of teams and coaches who already took a stance against it. 

Oregon State head coach Mike Riley said, "I hate [bullying]." 

"If we hear about any of that, we try to nip it in the bud," Riley said. "I want every player, whether he’s a star player or walk-on, to feel good about being part of the team." 

Is 40 Too Low for Oregon to Score Against Stanford? 

Junior Oregon running back De'Anthony Thomas said in a video on GoDucks.com that the Ducks offense is capable of scoring 40 points in Thursday's highly anticipated showdown with Stanford. 

Some might misinterpret what Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich pointed out is "confidence in his teammates," as whiteboard material. Shaw doesn't see it that way. 

"I don’t have an issue with that. He’s a confident young man, and they’ve [scored at least 40 all season]," he said. "I'm just glad he only said 40."

Oregon is averaging 55.6 points per game, second in the nation. Of course, Stanford held the Ducks to just 14 in their meeting a year ago. 

Todd Graham Talks Steve Patterson and Blocking Distractions 

Its destiny in the Pac-12 South is something the Arizona State football team can control.

As Sun Devils head coach Todd Graham said, "you can't control the things you can't control," and among those are rumors.

The University of Texas announced the hiring of Arizona State athletic director Steve Patterson Tuesday, as reported by ESPN.com. Naturally, the elephant sure to find its way into the Sun Devils locker room is speculation of Graham following suit.

"I think the world of Steve," Graham said. "He's a tremendous reason why I came here."

He cited his connection to Patterson when the latter worked for the NFL's Houston Texans, and Graham was at Rice. Graham helped the Owls snap a four-decade bowl game drought in 2006, before leaving for Tulsa.

Graham called Patterson "instrumental" in bringing the coach over from Pittsburgh, where Graham left after just one season and with some controversy. His abbreviated tenure and abrupt departure generated a deluge of criticism. 

A similar volume of speculation seems likely now, with the Sun Devils preparing for their stretch run and pursuit of the Pac-12 championship. 

"Every week, it's something different," Graham said, pointing to his team's matchup this Saturday with Utah. Dennis Erickson, the man Graham replaced at Arizona State, is in his first year as co-offensive coordinator for the Utes. 

"All I'm focused [on] is Arizona State," Graham said. 

Travis Wilson is Back for Utah; Morgan Breslin is Out for USC

Two big injury reports shared on Tuesday's teleconference call were Utah sophomore quarterback Travis Wilson is "back 100 percent" for the Utes' game against Arizona State. 

Wilson injured his throwing hand in Utah's Week 8 loss at Arizona, and was removed early from its Week 9 defeat at USC. 

As for USC, the Trojans travel to Cal with senior outside linebacker Morgan Breslin still sidelined with a hip injury. 

Trojans interim head coach Ed Orgeron lamented Breslin's absence. 

"He's an outstanding young man," Orgeron said. "We miss him on the field. 

"[Breslin]'s playmaking ability, his work ethic...everything he’s about exemplifies Trojan football," he added. 

The injury has limited to Breslin to six appearances on the season. 

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Status quo dictates the SEC gets two BCS invitations every year, but unprecedented parity threatens the routine in the last year of the system. With the SEC cooking a pot of three- and four-loss stew, football's most celebrated conference could have to settle for one bid this year. 

Conversely, a two-bid postseason is ready-made for the Pac-12. 

The SEC has landed two invitations to the five most prestigious bowls every year since the system expanded to five games in 2006.

The Pac-12 remains the best-represented conference atop the BCS rankings, with Stanford maintaining its No. 5 spot behind third-ranked Oregon. However, a Week 11 showdown between the Cardinal and Ducks threatens that, with four SEC teams—Missouri, Auburn, South Carolina and LSU—ranked from No. 8-13 looming. 

A fifth, Texas A&M, checks in at No. 15. 

Any could conceivably jump Stanford by season's end. But equally as conceivable is the five falling to three or more losses. 

Two-loss Texas A&M goes to LSU; two-loss LSU visits Alabama. Two-loss South Carolina faces No. 7 Clemson in the regular-season finale. One-loss Auburn visits Tennessee, which already derailed South Carolina, then hosts Georgia and Alabama. 

In addition to No. 1 Alabama, surprising SEC East leader Missouri is the conference's best hope for landing a second BCS bid. The Tigers can either win out, including the SEC championship; win out in the regular season and drop the league title game to finish 11-2; or finish the regular season 10-2 to avoid Alabama, instead sending South Carolina to play the Tide in the conference title game.

The latter seems most likely. Missouri travels to Ole Miss one week before hosting Texas A&M. Both are prime candidates to knock off the eighth-ranked Tigers.  

Otherwise, the SEC's run of BCS at-large invitations is in serious jeopardy. 

The BCS made an exception for a three-loss team in the past, when Illinois appeared in the 2008 Rose Bowl.

The 2013 season has been wild. Look no further than Stanford, which has a loss at Utah. That early October outcome will loom over the Cardinal's BCS bid, should they finish the regular season 10-2. 

Wild as this campaign may be, though, it's yet to take the same kind of unexpected turn as the 2007 season. A scenario welcoming a three-loss team into the BCS fold is improbable. 

Clemson is in position to finish 11-1, a record that would give it book-ending wins over the SEC's Georgia and South Carolina. The Big 12 has three teams ranked in the Top 14. 

There are two non-automatic qualifiers, Fresno State and Northern Illinois, ranked ahead of American Athletic automatic-bid front-runner UCF. 

And then there's the Pac-12. Even with the Utah loss, a 10-2 Stanford would have a stronger BCS resume than most of its automatic-qualifying conference counterparts, including the SEC—especially the SEC. 

A nine-game conference slate helped Stanford strengthen its schedule. The Cardinal sport two wins against teams ranked in the BCS Top 25: No. 19 UCLA and No. 22 Arizona State. They get two more cracks at adding to that list. 

In addition to Thursday's long-awaited showdown with Oregon, Stanford hosts No. 23 Notre Dame in the regular-season finale. With all going according to plan, both the Cardinal and Fighting Irish should be 9-2 on Nov. 30. 

After years of criticism against the SEC for collectively eschewing marquee, non-conference games, the Pac-12 solidifying a second BCS bid with a non-conference win would be poetic justice. 

The teams in the Pac-12 North have won the last four conference titles, placing them clearly ahead of their counterparts in the South.

Any number of factors go into establishing a successful football program: Recruiting, game-day preparation, strength training, cultural attitude.

In the Pac-12 North, continuity is the foundation of the conference’s championship teams.

At 12-2, 12-1 and 9-4, Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State finished last season with the conference's best records. Not coincidentally, all were led by coaches tenured in their respective programs. 

Once again, those three teams are atop the Pac-12. 

They've done it with consistency at the top. Mike Riley is the conference's longest-tenured coach, having been at Oregon State for 11 seasons. Stanford and Oregon have dealt with regime change by staying in-house. 

David Shaw said on Tuesday’s Pac-12 teleconference call that remaining on the course set by Jim Harbaugh is central to Stanford's continued success. 

"It's huge to have as many guys coaching to stay here in order to continue the progression that we started laying in 2007," he said. "It's hard to do that if you weren't here and didn't see how we got to where we were. 

A Stanford alumnus, Shaw was on the ground floor of the program's transformation into a national powerhouse, following Harbaugh from the University of San Diego, and he wasn't the only one. 

Outside linebackers coach Lance Anderson also made the trip north. Anderson fills the vital role of admission liaison in addition to his defensive duties. 

Running backs coach Tavita Pritchard experienced the process on the opposite end, as the starting quarterback on the Harbaugh regime's first team in 2007. 

Under Harbaugh, Stanford went from finishing last in the conference to appearing in three straight BCS bowls. He left behind a fully stocked cupboard, and as his successor, Shaw has kept it so.

"A lot of people could have come in here and had success right off the bat with the team that was here [after Harbaugh left for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers]," Shaw said. "There were a lot of mistakes that could have been made that we didn't make because we knew our guys. We didn't go over the top...we stayed in their comfort zone, so they could be productive."

An era when fanbases and boosters long to keep up with their neighbors has the landscape constantly evolving. Coaches are regularly moving, and programs change their philosophies accordingly.

In the Pac-12 alone, seven coaches are in their first or second season—and that doesn't count USC, which will hire a new leader in the offseason. 

USC attempted to follow the model of continuity when Pete Carroll left for the NFL after the 2009 season, hiring former assistant Lane Kiffin. He had been away from the program for three seasons—a veritable lifetime in football terms and a different change of power than at Stanford or Oregon. 

With the Trojans now in the hunt for a new head coach, five of the Pac-12 South's teams have undergone large-scale change in the last two years. Todd Graham, Mike MacIntyre, Rich Rodriguez and Jim Mora had minimal, if any, ties to their programs before coming into the conference. 

The sixth South team, Utah, has an experienced head coach in Kyle Whittingham—but it has been a Pac-12 member for just three seasons. 

With so much turbulence, it's no wonder the Pac-12 North is the more dominant division. Now the entire conference is chasing what has been intrinsic within the cultures at Stanford and Oregon.

A new coaching staff can produce one successful season. But producing more than one is a much more difficult endeavor, particularly during times of change.  

Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich is one of those seven conference newbies. However, it's his fifth year with the program—and he's a branch from a tree rooted more than two decades in the past.  

“It's a unique thing in college football,” Helfrich said of Oregon's line of succession at the Pac-12's preseason media day.

Oregon's celebrated for a revolutionary style that's modernizing the game, but it can be traced directly back to 1989. 

That's when longtime Ducks head coach Rich Brooks hired Mike Bellotti as offensive coordinator. Bellotti succeeded Brooks in 1995. Four years later, he hired current defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti, and in 2007, added Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator. 

The addition of Kelly proved that continuity doesn't mean resistance to change—on the contrary, Kelly performed a complete face-lift on the program. 

The transition from Bellotti to Kelly preceded Oregon winning three consecutive conference championships. With Helfrich continuing on the same course, Oregon may have its best team yet. 

"Mark and I talked about [transitioning to head coach], and I think he's done it perfectly," Shaw said. "You have to completely take your ego out of it...where so many people from the outside say, 'How are you going to make this your program?' 

"It's not your program: It's the kids' program," he added. "The rest of it is making smart football decisions...and he's done it flawlessly." 

Kyle Kensing is the Pac-12 Lead Writer for B/R. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow Kyle on Twitter: @kensing45.

Stanford head coach David Shaw announced on Tuesday's Pac-12 coaches teleconference call that senior defensive end Ben Gardner will miss the remainder of the season with a pectoral injury. 

Gardner was sidelined in the second half of the Cardinal's 20-12 win over Oregon State Saturday. Shaw said Gardner is shelved through the bowl season, effectively ending his college career. 

The injury has been nagging Gardner since an Oct. 5 win against Washington, after which Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian accused Stanford players of faking injury to slow down his team's no-huddle offense. 

Gardner took to Twitter to defend his team. 

Losing Gardner strikes a major blow to Stanford's outstanding pass rush, which ranks No. 3 nationally with 27 sacks. Gardner is responsible for 4.5 of those, second only to Trent Murphy's 9.5.

"He's outstanding, and that's unfortunate for anybody," Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said of Gardner. "He's a stud. That guy will have a future ahead of him [in the NFL] for sure."  

Stanford has a bye this upcoming week in preparation for its Top-10 showdown with Helfrich’s second-ranked team. The Cardinal could get an important addition to the newly-depleted defensive line with senior end Henry Anderson. 

A knee injury sidelined Anderson in September, forcing Shaw to move tight end Luke Kaumatule to defensive end for a period.  

USC Injury Outlook is Foggy for Oregon State

Injuries have hit an already-thin USC roster hard this season, but nowhere more than among its wide receivers and tight ends. The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that two tight ends—Xavier Grimble and Randall Telfer—could return for the Trojans' trip to Oregon State Friday. 

USC interim head coach Ed Orgeron only had confirmation on Grimble.  

"The only guy [who] is going to be back for sure…[or] I have a good feeling is going to be back is Xavier Grimble," he said. "The rest of the guys are still questionable."

Among the rest who remain questionable is leading wide receiver Marqise Lee, who was injured Sept. 28 at Arizona State. He returned briefly Oct. 19 at Notre Dame before aggravating his sprained left knee.

The Trojans did get back one important offensive piece last week, sophomore running back Tre Madden. He carried 12 times for 60 yards in USC’s 19-3 win over Utah.

Arizona Quarterback B.J. Denker Settles In

Cal head coach Sonny Dykes said Arizona senior quarterback B.J. Denker is "improved more than anybody in the [Pac-12]," and the numbers through the last three weeks reinforce that. 

Denker completed just 45-of-90 pass attempts for 445 yards and two touchdowns through Arizona's first four games. In the last three games, he’s 67-of-106 for 796 yards and six touchdowns.

He earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors in Week 9 after passing for 265 yards and a touchdown and rushing for another 192 yards—a record for an Arizona quarterback, as the team's official Twitter account noted.

Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez credited confidence and more familiarity with the scheme for Denker’s dramatic improvement.  

"We’re doing the same things every week," Rodriguez said. "He’s understanding not only what we’re doing, but why we’re doing it and how teams are defending it."

The Importance of the Bye Week

One-third of the Pac-12 is idle in Week 10. The off-week is an opportune time to recover from injuries for the stretch run into the season's end. 

Such is the case for Utah, which came crashing down from the high of its Oct. 12 win over Stanford with back-to-back losses at Arizona and at USC. 

Sophomore quarterback Travis Wilson has battled a hand injury in that time.

"We never use that as an excuse," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "Our motto is if you’re out there playing, you’ve got to be ready to perform."

Whittingham would not discuss specifics of Wilson's injury, citing his policy on injury reports. Nevertheless, he did acknowledge that the bye week will help in the healing process.

"The bye comes at a good time to hopefully get him back to where he was before the setback," Whittingham said. 

Arizona State is coming off a bye week, with a road trip to Washington State ahead on Thursday.

“We were very much in need of some rest," Arizona State head coach Todd Graham said. "I didn’t put on the pads [on the team in practice] the entire [bye] week.” 

For conference heavyweights Stanford and Oregon, the bye week means extra preparation for their highly anticipated, Nov. 7 matchup. 

It's also a time for the coaching staffs to spend time with family.

Both Shaw and Helfrich said they are mandating coaches to leave the football facilities at dinnertime this week.

"We kicked everybody out [of the office] much earlier than usual," Helfrich said. 

Shaw said the bye gives his assistants an opportunity to take their children trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

After that, though, it’s back to work. Shaw said Cardinal coaches will be on the recruiting trail Friday.

Kyle Kensing is the Pac-12 Lead Writer for B/R. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow Kyle on Twitter: @kensing45.

Undefeated Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State are positioned Nos. 1-4 in the latest BCS rankings. Right behind them are the Stanford Cardinal at No. 5, still the highest ranked team with a loss this season, and best positioned if (or when) another chaotic November ensues. 

Little has come easily for Stanford in its 7-1 start, which needed another final-drive stand to hold off Oregon State. The Cardinal played three single-score games this month and a fourth dogfight that required a fourth-quarter touchdown to pull away late. 

Still, head coach David Shaw's team is no worse for the wear. In fact, its last four games—plus a fifth early matchup with Arizona State—are central to Stanford's No. 5 BCS ranking. 

The Cardinal are the rare bunch with two BCS Top 25 wins, earned in back-to-back games against current No. 20 UCLA and last week's No. 25, Oregon State.

Arizona State appears in this week's Associated Press Top 25, and the fast-rising Sun Devils could climb into the BCS standings with a Halloween night victory over Washington State to give Stanford a third BCS win. 

Each of the top four has just one Top 25 win. Though its loss at Utah is an unfortunate pockmark on Stanford's docket, it’s more impressive overall than the Cardinal’s counterparts.

Climbing past three teams to reach one of the top-two spots necessary to play in the BCS Championship game might seem arduous. However, a team ranked No. 5 or lower in the second standings has played for the national title in six of the 15 BCS-era seasons. 

Stanford's Nov. 7 date with Oregon has loomed large from the moment the 2013 schedule was released. The Cardinal have a Week 10 bye in preparation for that highly anticipated rematch of last season’s classic.

Shaw said after Saturday’s win that Stanford has work to do to keep up with the second-ranked Ducks, per GoStanford.com.

I’m already done thinking about Oregon State and the effort tonight, but it wasn’t good enough to beat Oregon or good enough to be in the game against Oregon. So, we have a bunch of stuff that we need to make sure we do in the next 12...days to play one of the best teams in the nation.

A repeat of last year’s win takes care of one of the four ahead of Stanford. Recent November precedent suggests at least one other shakeup. Teams either entering November ranked in the Top Two or elevating to the Top Two in November have lost a game in every season dating back to 2005. 

Take care of business, and Stanford ends the regular season with the most impressive list of victories in the nation. The Cardinal's biennial, Thanksgiving weekend game with Notre Dame also takes on added significance with the Fighting Irish entering the rankings at No. 25.

With the best-case scenario, Stanford could head into the conference championship game with six Top 25 wins. 

Stanford cleared another important hurdle to keep its BCS Championship hopes alive Saturday with a 20-12 defeat of Oregon State. But the Cardinal win has implications that extend beyond the Pac-12 and affect the entire BCS landscape.

The stakes for Stanford are obvious. As the highest-ranked team with a loss sitting at No. 7 in the initial BCS standings, the Cardinal are in prime position to backdoor their way to the national title game. 

Of course, that means slowing the Oregon juggernaut. Stanford did so last year in one of the premier games of the 2012 season, but these Ducks are playing at arguably the highest level in the program's current run of excellence. 

Head coach David Shaw doesn't see a team ready to duplicate its upset of Oregon, per Scout.com's David Lombardi. 

Oregon blasted UCLA Saturday, 42-14, one week after Stanford ground down the Bruins in a 24-10 decision. Such has been the M.O. for the Cardinal. 

The Ducks are waylaying opponents by an average margin of victory of 38.8 points per game and 30.6 in the conference. Conversely, Saturday marked the third Stanford Pac-12 game to come down to the final possession in the Cardinal's last four outings.  

If form holds true and the long-awaited Alabama-Oregon showdown comes to fruition, Stanford is left playing for its BCS streak. The Cardinal have appeared in one of college football's top-tier bowls each of the last three seasons. 

Stanford's ascent coinciding with Oregon's transformation into a powerhouse helped the Pac-12 land two BCS participants for those same three years, the first of which ended an eight-year run wherein the league received just one such invitation. 

Stanford is also the most likely, if not only remaining hope the Pac-12 has for a second BCS entry, barring upset in the conference championship game.

Pac-12 South-leading Arizona State has two losses—as does UCLA. A three-loss team has only received a BCS at-large invitation once: Illinois to the 2008 Rose Bowl. 

With everything playing out as chalk, that leaves Stanford at a hypothetical 10-2. 

This conundrum is not exclusive to the Pac-12. The ACC has undefeated Florida State and Miami, which face each other next week, as well as one-loss Clemson. Otherwise? 

Oklahoma knocked Texas Tech from the ranks of the unbeaten in the Big 12, leaving Baylor as the conference's sole team without a loss. South Carolina shocked Missouri for the Tigers' first loss, leaving No. 1 Alabama standing amid a smoldering mess that is the SEC. 

Jockeying for BCS bowls down the stretch of this season will be as fascinating as the national championship race itself. As a result of surviving in Corvallis, Ore., Stanford is out in front of the pack.

Stanford bullied its way to the 2012 Pac-12 Conference championship with imposing defense and, typically, just enough offense. With season-defining games against explosive offenses upcoming, this year's Cardinal will have their ability to outscore opponents tested. 

Offensive woes were supposed to be a thing of the past. And through the 2013 season's first few weeks, that certainly seemed to be the case. 

But since scoring 165 points through the first four games, including 55 against Washington State—its highest output since the 2011 season opener—Stanford has dipped. The Cardinal have failed to break into the 30s their last two times out and managed just 279 yards in their 31-28 defeat of Washington. 

In its loss at Utah, the Cardinal defense regrouped after giving up an uncharacteristic 21 points in the first half. The held the Utes to just two field goals after intermission. However, the offense going cold throughout the second and third quarters vexed the Cardinal.

The defense is there, but the Utah loss begged the question, can Stanford score enough to win the conference again?  

Stanford was stuck on three points far into the mid-third quarter last week against UCLA. The Cardinal finished with 24 points, despite accruing 419 total yards of offense. 

Against both Utah and UCLA, Stanford had red-zone opportunities that didn't yield points. Quarterback Kevin Hogan had a pass deflected for an interception last week, and the final Cardinal drive at Utah stalled on a failed fourth-down attempt. 

Head coach David Shaw seems unfazed.   

"We don't call plays we don't think are going to work. Last week [against Utah], we threw the ball too much and didn't run enough. This week we ran the ball and didn't throw the ball enough—I don't care about any of that," Shaw said in his press conference after Saturday's win, per GoStanford.com. 

Cardinal offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren called for a heavy dose of running back Tyler Gaffney against UCLA, and the senior responded with a 171 yards. Gaffney's punishing style complements the hard-nosed defense for which Stanford is known. But perhaps the team's more important offensive asset is not offensive at all. 

Shaw talked about the significance of special teams play on Tuesday's teleconference. Special teams have been integral to Stanford's success this season. 

Wide receiver Ty Montgomery is one of only three players in the nation with two kickoffs returned for touchdowns. Both came in conference action, against Washington and Utah. 

Montgomery had a third that setup a touchdown in the Washington win. 

"With everybody talking about yardage [and] how many plays they can run, no one’s talking about field position," Shaw said. "Field position matters. If we can stay in positive field position, we have a better chance to win."

Shaw is such a firm believer in special teams, he hired former Fresno State coach Pete Alamar in 2012 to focus exclusively on that aspect of the game. 

It's paid dividends. FootballOutsider.com finds that Stanford has the nation's second-best field-position ratings. 

Such a strategy lends itself to a much different style of game when compared to the spread offenses that are so prevalent around the conference. Whether Stanford can continue to work effectively with this style will determine its championship bid.  

As Oregon, Stanford’s top challenger to the Pac-12 Conference crown, refines its efficient offense, a repeat of last year’s 17-14 defensive struggle seems unlikely. The Ducks are a year older and more experienced. One Oregon player who has made the biggest jump from last year to this season is sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is surging ahead in preliminary Heisman Trophy projections.

Oregon forces its opponents to keep pace. It's not the only high-octane offense remaining on Stanford's schedule, though.

Oregon State welcomes the Cardinal to Reser Stadium this week, and the Beavers offense is the nation's ninth-highest scoring unit.

Stanford faced three of the conference's stingier defenses in the past three weeks. Oregon State's defense is more of a work in progress than that of Washington, Utah or UCLA. Still, the Beavers are figuring it out. Since giving up 30-plus points in three of its first four games, Oregon State has held three consecutive Pac-12 opponents to a combined 58 points. 

"They’re really active, they know their defense inside and out," Shaw said. "They gave up some big plays early in the year, and you just don’t see that anymore."

The big play has been the one consistent element in a sometimes inconsistent Stanford offense. Two of its touchdowns last Saturday were the result of long passes—one a sideline route to wide receiver Devon Cajuste that put the Cardinal on top of the goal line, the other a circus catch of a deep ball by wide receiver Kodi Whitfield. 

Cajuste left last week's game with an injury, but his status for this week is promising, Shaw said Tuesday. That's good news for the Cardinal offense, which needs all of its weapons to capitalize on the opportunities the defense and special teams create. 

Kyle Kensing is the Pac-12 Lead Writer for B/R. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow Kyle on Twitter: @kensing45.  

No. 13 Stanford's 24-10 slugfest defeat of No. 9 UCLA may not concern second-ranked Oregon, which faces both teams in pursuit of its fourth Pac-12 Conference championship in five seasons. 

Stanford knows about dirtying and bloodying its way to a league championship. Doing so for a second straight season is a tall order, even if knocking off the Bruins was a step in the right direction. 

"Pile of dust, a lot of blood," is how Stanford senior running back Tyler Gaffney described his team's win during his ABC postgame interview. 

It was a victory the Cardinal had to have to keep their conference and BCS Championship hopes alive, and it was anything but pretty. 

The Cardinal offense still hasn't found consistency. While the defense held UCLA scoreless for the first half, Stanford managed just three points before intermission. 

A second potential scoring drive ended in a red-zone interception. 

When Stanford finally crossed the goal line, it did so when wide receiver Kodi Whitfield made what is arguably the catch of the season. 

"Kodi made one heck of a play," head coach David Shaw said in his postgame press conference, per GoStanford.com. 

And how. Yet the big play has been Stanford's scoreboard salvation in recent weeks. Whether it's Whitfield's highlight-reel catch or Ty Montgomery's explosive returns in special teams, it’s typically feast or famine for the Cardinal.

Stanford's second touchdown came after another big play, when quarterback Kevin Hogan hit Devon Cajuste on a 34-yard pass, which set up Gaffney for a one-yard touchdown rush. 

Giving up the big play was the Bruin defense's undoing this week, and next week it sees an offense that produces more big plays than any team in the nation.  

The Bruins' susceptibility to long plays suited Stanford just fine against UCLA. Saturday’s win was reminiscent of the Cardinal’s win at Autzen Stadium last November, which proved to be the decisive outcome for the Pac-12 North title.

Stanford dictated the tempo, playing its best defensive game of the season. After giving up over 400 yards to Washington and Utah in the previous two weeks, the Cardinal limited UCLA to just 266.

“Bring the lessons learned,” Shaw said he told his team.

Those are lessons the Cardinal must continue to build from if they’re to challenge the Oregon juggernaut in the Pac-12 North. Utah exposed a weakness in the Stanford defense by spreading the field sideline-to-sideline with quick screen passes, designed to allow playmakers to operate in space.

“I have to give a lot of credit to [defensive coordinator Derek] Mason, knowing we had to contain these guys, partially based on what happened in Utah: Those swing passes,” Shaw said. “Giving up seven, eight yards an attempt.”

UCLA was unable to attack that way—the Bruins really couldn’t mount much of any attack. That's the lifeblood of Oregon's offensive game plan. 

The sound of footsteps had UCLA sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley playing with jitters throughout the afternoon. His pocket routinely collapsed, and an indecisive Hundley was rattled. 

The Bruin signal-caller has not seen the last of such swarming defenses. Next week at Oregon, he'll draw similar pressure from Ducks DeForest Buckner, Boseko Lokombo and Tony Washington. 

Hundley has proven to be a capable ball-carrier in the past, but he is hardly the prototypical rushing quarterback. He looked uncomfortable scrambling with Stanford's pursuers Trent Murphy, Ben Gardner and Josh Mauro.

Stanford renewed its "party in the backfield" with an inexperienced Bruin offensive line lifting the velvet rope. 

That, in turn, forced Hundley into numerous throws on the run. Stanford safety Jordan Richards took advantage of two of Hundley’s wobbly tosses with interceptions.

When Stanford sees Oregon Nov. 7, it’s facing a much different kind of dual-threat quarterback. Ducks sophomore Marcus Mariota is far more comfortable escaping the pocket and running—in fact, he thrives on it.

Because he's more comfortable running, Mariota is also more adept at throwing on the run. Turning badly thrown balls into takeaways hasn't exactly been an option for opposing defenses against Mariota, given the sophomore has yet to throw one this season. 

Stanford knows that the blueprint for beating Oregon is slowing down. The Cardinal's ability to do just that against UCLA Saturday is promising—but the Ducks aren't UCLA. 

Kyle Kensing is the Pac-12 Lead Writer for B/R. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow Kyle on Twitter: @kensing45.