Oregon Ducks vs. Stanford Cardinal

Oregon Ducks running back Thomas Tyner (24), scores a touchdown in the third quarter to take a 30-16 lead against Stanford. Tyner scored two touchdowns and was named Oregon's offensive player of the game.

(Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian)

EUGENE — Between a cathartic victory against Stanford and a commitment from a sought-after defensive recruit, the Oregon Ducks had what could objectively be described as a pretty good weekend.



It was so successful, in fact, and the trajectory of this season now seems so high, that even before their fans could stop high-fiving, the players and coaches behind the nation's fifth-ranked team immediately began plotting the scenarios in which it could all come undone.



"That is extremely accurate," head coach Mark Helfrich said Sunday. "All you have to do is flip on the film or watch the games."



This is partly the nature of coaching. But on the heels of Oregon's fourth consecutive victory, any abbreviated solace from ending a two-game losing streak to the Cardinal -- and in resounding 45-16 fashion -- can also be tied to what lies ahead this weekend, with a date with dangerous No. 20 Utah, and what happened last November, when Oregon lost twice.



"They know every week is a huge challenge. We're going to a very hostile environment against a very good team," said Helfrich, whose 19-3 career record ties his predecessor, Chip Kelly, for the second-best start by a coach in conference history. "I'm sure that was part of the reason and they're thinking about that."



Yet for all of the sober tones the Ducks discussed Saturday's win in, there indeed was considerable satisfaction in turning a one-score game in the third quarter into a rout of Stanford, whose back-to-back Pac-12 North division titles had come at the expense of Oregon's national championship hopes.



Perhaps the biggest gratification for the Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12), who have reason to believe they'll rise one spot Tuesday into fourth in the College Football Playoff committee's rankings, is that they did it without playing their best.



Two days after his 21st birthday, quarterback Marcus Mariota threw an interception, just his second this season, and completed 63 percent of his passes. The latter figure would still rank him among the nation's 30 most accurate quarterbacks, yet it was deemed almost pedestrian for the Heisman Trophy candidate whose season average is five points higher.



Yet tell that to Stanford, which allowed Mariota score four touchdowns and gain nearly a first down every time he rushed (a 9.4 yard-per-carry average) after holding teams to a gaudy 12.5 points in its first eight games.



"He's still our Superman and he believes in himself and we believe in him without exception," Helfrich said.



And Oregon has "a bunch of stuff to fix defensively, to fix on special teams," too, Helfrich added, saying he wanted his team to line up in the right spot more consistently, shore up its tackling technique, protect place kicks and cover kickoffs better.



Some of those defensive miscues allowed Stanford to find success running between the tackles, especially once defensive lineman Arik Armstead left the game in the first half with an injury to his left lower leg. Stanford followed its 43 rushing yards in the first half, with 70 in the third quarter alone.



Kick coverage and rush defense are red flags considering Utah (6-2, 3-2) has two of the nation's best in return specialist Kaelin Clay and running back Devontae Booker, whose 123.8 rushing yards per game ranks second-best in the conference.



And yet, despite those areas of critique that Helfrich spotted in his Sunday video analysis, the Ducks did exactly what they'd hoped by holding a sputtering Stanford offense to three field goals and not allowing it to control possession on long, clock-eating drives.



"Particularly after the Arizona game we've been more competitive, a better sense of urgency, all those things that win or lose you try to impart on these guys, getting better in everything you do," Helfrich said of Oregon's recent preparation. "Unfortunately sometimes it's adversity in the form of a loss that wakes everybody up, which is a good thing and a bad thing in terms of, you don't want to lose, but how our guys responded to that and they came together is very encouraging.



"Since then we've gotten better every week, we've competed better every week, we've been more physical. We want to continue to do that."



And so the Ducks press on in pursuit of their first Pac-12 North title since 2011.



With three games to play they own tiebreakers on every team in the division except for Oregon State — the two meet Nov. 29 in the Civil War — leaving UO a victory away from clinching a spot in the Dec. 5 conference championship game at Levi's Stadium.



Even on weekends where his calendar is relatively open, Helfrich said he has little time to survey the national landscape, even as most everybody else in college football attempts to fit where his team stands.



"It's not like you can flip on four different games and even catch 10 minutes of anything," Helfrich said.



And this weekend was much busier, too, with eight prized recruits visiting Oregon's campus, though three of whom had already committed. At halftime, 6-foot-7, 295-pound Hawaiian defensive end Canton Kaumatule signed a financial aid agreement. If his commitment holds, he will enroll early in January.



The Ducks hope they'll be preparing for a College Football Playoff semifinal by then. But after last November's losses, there is a sense they understand to a greater degree that getting there only happens if they leave Stanford's jubilation behind, and quickly.



"We absolutely need to get up for this game," Helfrich said of Utah. "It's the next one."



-- Andrew Greif | @andrewgreif