Stanford win leaves bittersweet taste

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With baseball simmering on the hot stove and the NFL wallowing in its own mess, Thursday night's battle between Stanford and Oregon became the biggest game of the season.

It didn't disappoint.

Stanford executed the perfect Duck hunt, using power and precision to overcome Oregon's high-speed attack. It was Nerds over Nike on a bittersweet night at Stanford Stadium.

The sweet was self-evident. Everyone loves to beat Oregon. The bitter dates back to Oct. 12, the day Stanford lost to Utah.

If it weren't for that shocking upset, a 27-21 loss that saw unbeaten Stanford stall on the Utes' 6-yard line late in the game, the Cardinal could be playing for a national championship in January.

That could still come to pass, but the odds are long.

If it weren't for that regrettable, letdown loss, Stanford could have finally found out how it matches up with the likes of Alabama or Ohio State or Florida State.

Instead, this year's Stanford Cardinal will always wonder what might have been.

They were 6 yards from winning that game in Salt Lake City. Quarterback Kevin Hogan misfired on two straight pass plays, raising the question: Why didn't the Cardinal run behind their massive offensive line?

But second-guessing only adds bitter to Thursday's sweet. The decisive win over Oregon proves the Utah loss was a fluke. And maybe - just maybe - those 6 yards will keep head coach David Shaw down on the Farm just a little bit longer.

Just long enough to win a national championship ... some other year.

Hogan may have come up short that fateful day in Utah, but the Stanford QB silenced his critics Thursday night against Oregon.

Under fire much of the season for inconsistent play, Hogan stepped onto the field opposite one of the best quarterbacks in college football and outplayed the Ducks' Marcus Mariota.

Hogan's numbers were average - 103 yards in the air, 57 on the ground - but it was more about his pluck.

A key sequence happened early. On a first-quarter pass attempt, he was absolutely planted by onrushing Duck Derrick Malone. It was a clean shot, and Hogan went down like a tackling dummy.

But the 6-4, 228-pound junior popped up quickly. Four plays later, he threw a perfect 47-yard rainbow to wide receiver Michael Rector. That took guts. And it changed the game's early momentum.

In the second quarter, Hogan showed some of the inconsistency he's been criticized for this season, throwing an absolute duck that was intercepted by an actual Duck. But the refs made a questionable call, penalizing Oregon for pass interference, and a few plays later, Hogan bulled in from 11 yards out for a TD.

Hogan kept using his legs and his brain throughout the hardscrabble game, resorting to his arm only to keep Oregon honest.

With 7 minutes to go in the first half, trapped deep in his territory, Hogan broke a couple of tackles to convert a 3rd-and-6 and gain some key real estate. That key scramble helped Stanford march 96 yards, eating up clock, before finally kicking a crucial field goal before the break. Without that run from Hogan, Oregon would have gotten the ball back in good field position with plenty of time to score before the end of the half. The final margin of victory was six points.

"Oh, I thought he played great," said Shaw. "I thought he played absolutely great."

Hogan will certainly regret that loss in Utah for eternity, but it was disappointing to hear people question his ability this season. Last season, he won the first Rose Bowl for Stanford since Jim Plunkett was matriculating.

Hogan is 13-1 since becoming a starter last season. On Thursday night, he authored his legacy.

It's a horrible time to be a Cal fan.

The football team is in shambles. Athletic graduation rates are at an all-time low. A freshman running back was sent to the hospital last week after taking a beating from one of his own teammates ... in the locker room.

Salting the wound, Stanford is having another dream season while leading the Pac-12 in graduation rate.

Can it get any worse?

We asked Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott what he made of the situation in Berkeley.

"It's something that gets discussion in my office," said Scott. "Our schools have a reputation. We consider ourselves best in breed."

Does that mean he could intervene at Cal?

"I don't really have to get too engaged," said Scott. "The folks at Cal are focusing on it. There's a disconnect between their amazing academic standing and these latest graduation numbers. I'm confident that they're committed to closing that gap."

It's more like a chasm. And it will take years to rectify.

Stanford retired John Elway's No. 7 jersey Thursday night, placing him with Ernie Nevers and Plunkett in a very small club.

No. 7 had some amazing numbers: 77 TD passes, 9,349 passing yards, two-time All-American.

And he had the strongest arm we've ever seen.

Elway's epic scramble and 60-yard heave against USC in 1980 were shown on the big screen during the halftime ceremony, drawing big cheers from the Cardinal faithful one more time.

Then he picked up a microphone to address the crowd and you couldn't understand a word he said. He sounded like Lou Gehrig mumbling under water.

Until his closing remarks rang clear: "Kick some ass in the second half!"

Stanford Stadium was crawling with NFL executives and bowl representatives Thursday night. Lots of logos on lots of golf shirts. Scouts from 16 NFL teams were in attendance.

At one point, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke and Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie walked right past each other in the press box.

They didn't stop to chat.