Love’s 2 TDs ignite Stanford to 49-7 rout of Oregon

Recommended Video:

For once, Bryce Love was not the fastest thing on a football field. That honor went to a rabbit that interrupted the Stanford game for a few minutes in the second quarter.

The poor, frightened rabbit was finally corralled in a crowd of Oregon players and staff members and carried off the field in a towel. It was one of the few things that went right for the Ducks on Saturday night.

The amazing Love scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes, one on a 67-yard run, and No. 23 Stanford rolled to its fourth-straight win, a 49-7 pasting of Oregon.

Love had 147 yards on 17 carries, including just one carry in the second half. Head coach David Shaw said he was “banged up” and gave him the rest of the night off. He averaged 8.6 yards per carry, and his season average actually dipped, from 10.5 to 10.3.

The Cardinal (5-2, 4-1 Pac-12) extended a rude greeting to freshman quarterback Braxton Burmeister, making his second collegiate start. He completed just 3 of 8 passes for 23 yards.

He completed nearly as many passes to the Cardinal as to the Ducks, thanks to interceptions by Quenton Meeks and Casey Toohill. Burmeister, who also lost a fumble, was replaced briefly in the second half by Taylor Alie, who went 2-for-5 for 10 yards.

Stanford’s Keller Chryst, meanwhile, was very sharp. He connected on 15 of 21 passes for 181 yards, completing two touchdown passes to JJ Arcega-Whiteside and a third to tight end Colby Parkinson. Arcega-Whiteside caught six passes for 112 yards, both career highs.

PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 14: Brandon Simmons #2 and Justin Reid #8 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after Simmons picks up the ball and scores a touchdown after a blocked punt against the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) less PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 14: Brandon Simmons #2 and Justin Reid #8 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after Simmons picks up the ball and scores a touchdown after a blocked punt against the Oregon Ducks during ... more Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Love’s 2 TDs ignite Stanford to 49-7 rout of Oregon 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The Cardinal wore black uniforms on the balmy night at Stanford Stadium, the air seemingly unaffected by the North Bay fires. They even scored on a blocked punt as they ran their record in black to 8-1 going back to 2010.

Royce Freeman was the only real offensive threat for the Ducks (4-3, 1-3). He gained 143 yards on 18 carries.

Stanford had a 504-309 advantage in total yardage, sliding into next week’s bye on a happy note.

Love put his firm stamp on the game on the opening drive. He broke off the left side for 34 yards. After Chryst hit Arcega-Whiteside for another 34, Love ran up the middle for 10 to the Oregon 5. On the next play, Love bounced off two Ducks and scored.

The next time Stanford had the ball, Love didn’t mess around with the warm-up plays. He bolted 67 yards on the first snap. It was 14-0 Stanford just 4:23 into the game, and Love had 115 yards in his first five carries. Some fans were just getting into their seats.

Love has a run of at least 50 yards in nine straight games.

Freeman, the other great running back in this matchup, showed his strength and speed when he broke free for a 59-yard run. It set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Burmeister.

Chryst’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Arcega-Whiteside pushed the lead to 21-7. Arcega-Whiteside caught a 30-yard pass early in the 71-yard drive, and Stanford then dusted off some razzle dazzle. Cameo quarterback Ryan Burns took the snap and pitched to tailback Cameron Scarlett, who handed to wide receiver Jay Tyler, who lobbed a 16-yard pass to a wide-open Burns on the right sideline.

Five plays later, the 6-3 Arcega-Whiteside had no trouble fighting off 5-9 cornerback Ugochukwu Amadi for Chryst’s pass in the end zone.

Meeks and Toohill’s interceptions sandwiched a Stanford turnover on a fumbled snap by K.J. Costello, who took over for Chryst on the series.

On Meeks’ interception, he barely kept his left foot in bounds as he grabbed a pass intended for Tony Brooks-James.

The Cardinal’s special teams joined in the fun midway through the second quarter. Curtis Robinson blocked Adam Stack’s punt, and Brandon Simmons picked it up at the 2 and walked in for the touchdown that made it 28-7.

Stanford was knocking at the door again just before halftime, but Arcega-Whiteside couldn’t handle Chryst’s pass in the end zone. The ball flipped up and was intercepted by cornerback Deommodor Lenoir.

Chryst’s passing dominated the ill-fated series. He hit the bruising Arcega-Whiteside for 21 yards and Connor Wedington for 15. Love just missed breaking loose for a touchdown from the 23.

Defensive lineman Harrison Phillips and outside linebacker Peter Kalambayi, who missed the first half because of targeting penalties last week against Utah, quickly made their presence felt. Their tackles helped force a punt on Oregon’s first series of the second half.

Chryst threw his second touchdown pass on a 12-yard rollout throw to Arcega-Whiteside for a 35-7 lead. He lobbed a 3-yarder to Parkinson in the fourth quarter. Backup QB K.J. Costello threw a 2-yard TD pass to Parkinson in the final minutes.

Briefly: The Ducks had a 3rd-and-1 at the Stanford 38 in the second quarter, but two cracks at the first down were thwarted, the first by safety Justin Reid and the second by linebacker Jordan Fox, forcing a punt. … Oregon, the most penalized them in the country, drew nine flags for 101 yards, to just two for 15 for Stanford. ... Freshman offensive tackle Walker Little didn’t play, apparently because of a sudden illness; redshirt freshman Devery Hamilton started in his place.

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald