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Stanford's close-up Colby Parkinson tipped K. Costello went for a 23-yard touchdown lead in the first overtime to give Stanford, No. 7, a superb win over No. 20 Oregon at Stade Autzen. Facing a fourth goal to send the game in overtime, quarterback Justin Herbert was intercepted to seal the 38-31 win for the Cardinal.
Stanford returned from a 17-point deficit at half-time, recovering a fumble from CJ Verdell of Oregon, on the 43-yard Stanford line, with 51 seconds left to play. play at overtime. It was the biggest half-time deficit that Stanford won under coach David Shaw.
By the end of the fourth, Oregon had air in hand. Ducks running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio is 1-yard with 4:39 left to complete an 11-game, 70-yard run. But Cardinal Quarterback K.J. Costello worked swiftly and hit JJ Arcega-Whiteside 15 yards to refine a 79-yard treble that only took 1:29.
The Ducks appeared to have played the game on the ice before Verdell's breakaway, as he tried to gain a few more yards as the Cardinal defenders passed the ball.
What did we learn in this thriller Pac-12 North?
1. Stanford is the main competitor of Pac-12 North: This game was essentially a barometer game for both programs. Washington was expected to win the Pac-12 North and the conference championship before the season. The Ducks and the Cardinal were fighting for the "David" status of the "Goliath" Huskies.
A draw against Stanford, especially against a rival division on the road, defines the landscape of the division. The Cardinal has to travel to Seattle to face the Huskies on Nov. 3, but his only other road games are at UCLA, California and the Arizona State.
It will take work for the cardinal. But the duel win over the Ducks, coupled with the confidence of returning 17 points, will be huge for the Shaw team.
2. Justin Herbert is legitimate: The hometown youth who rocketed the NFL teams showed you why against Stanford despite the defeat.
Herbert played 26 for 33 yards for 346 yards, made a touchdown, an interception and averaged 10.5 yards per attempt against the cardinal. Keep in mind that it was against a defense that ranked 8th in the country in terms of defensive pass efficiency (93.25) and No. 24 in yards defensive by attempted overtaking (5.5).
In addition, four of his incompletions and his only interception occurred in overtime. It could be argued that the outcome of a sensational night is an indictment of Herbert in the clutch. But he and the Ducks were at the end of some non-disputable calls in overtime on games that could have been reported for passing interference.
Details aside, it proved to the world that Herbert's hype was justified. Maybe he brings back the Ducks and makes them relevant later in the year. Even though he does not, his repechage stock climbed Saturday night.
3. Stanford is balanced and scary: Clear Stanford's stereotype is not just an old-fashioned, race-based attack, which feeds on possession time, stellar defense and a quarterback who is no longer a manager of game that's a difference maker.
K.J. Costello is a difference maker.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound junior had 327 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the last four minutes and overtime to lead the return. Arcega-Whiteside had 84 passing yards and two points, Kaden Smith had 95 passing yards and Costello propelled him to seven different players.
All the while, the Ducks featured Bryce Love, finalist of the 2017 Heisman Trophy, as best as they could. Love won 89 yards and scored on a 22-yard run at the end of the third quarter. But it is only the performance of the Heisman caliber that we are waiting for.
The fact that it does not matter, and Costello took the game in hand and did the job, should scare the coach of Notre Dame, Brian Kelly, in the match between the two schools next week. He should also scare the other Pac-12 teams according to the Stanford calendar and potentially the teams preparing for the Cardinal playoffs.
This is not the old Stanford. This is a monster.
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