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Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Football

Gameday Hub: Oregon

    Stanford hosts No. 3 Oregon on Saturday at Stanford Stadium. Stanford will honor its 1970 and 1971 teams that went to the Rose Bowl, as well as Jim Plunkett who last year celebrated the 50th Anniversary of his HeismanTrophy-winning 1970 season. Stanford’s 2020 Tokyo Olympians will also be honored at Saturday’s game.

    Stanford and Oregon meet for the 85th time in series history, with the Cardinal leading the all-time series with a record of 49-34-1. Oregon has won each of the last two meetings, but David Shaw is 5-5 in his career against the Ducks.

    Since 2012, Stanford has defeated Oregon twice when they’ve been ranked in the Top 3 nationally. Stanford won in overtime at No. 1 Oregon on Nov. 17, 2012 (17-14) and at home vs. No. 2 Oregon on Nov. 7, 2013 (26-20).

    Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw owns a 28-21 (.571) record against AP Top 25 programs. Of Shaw’s 28 wins against ranked foes, 16 of them have come against Top-15 opponents and 10 of those have been against teams ranked in the Top 10.

    David Shaw named QB Tanner McKee the starter prior to the victory at USC, and the sophomore has quickly taken control of the Cardinal offense. In his first three starts, McKee is 54-of-84 (64.3%) for 745 yards and nine total touchdowns (seven passing). Dating back to 2003, McKee’s 745 passing yards in his first three career starts are the second most for a Cardinal QB.

    Led by 6-foot-6 quarterback Tanner McKee, the Cardinal offense features height across the board. Stanford’s three leading receivers are Brycen Tremayne (6-foot-4), John Humphreys (6-foot-5) and Elijah Higgins (6-foot-3). Starting tight end Benjamin Yurosek also stands 6-foot-5.  Across the offensive line, four of Stanford’s five starters are 6-foot-5 or taller.

    Stanford significantly improved its red-zone scoring production from 2019 to 2020, and that trend has continued into 2021. After just one red zone trip in week one, the Cardinal offense has reached the red zone 11 times in the last three games. Stanford reached the red zone 10 total times in its two wins, as compared to just one time each in its two losses.

    Through four games, Stanford has started eight different players in the secondary. Kyu Blu Kelly (4), Kendall Williamson (4), Noah Williams (3), Zahran Manley (2) and Jimmy Wyrick (2) have all started multiple games, while Ethan Bonner, Alaka’i Gilman and Jaden Slocum all have one start.