EUGENE — Marcus Mariota, quarterback for the Oregon Ducks, talked after Thursday's practice about the matchup against Stanford, coming up on Saturday at Autzen Stadium.

Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m.

The fifth-ranked Ducks (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) have struggled against the Cardinal (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) in the past two seasons. This season, Mariota said, "It's going to be tough to get some yards up front ... but we'll continue to execute to the best of our abilities and see where it takes us."

Mariota turned 21 on Thursday, and said he planned to celebrate with his family.

Earlier this week, Twitter lit up with an opinion that Mariota is "too nice" to be successful in the NFL. Does he think he is?

"That's up to other people. Eventually, we'll see, but for me, I just kind of focus on what I have to do."

— Molly Blue | @mollyablue