Last night was probably the biggest night of Thursday football we’ve ever seen. Program-defining games between Oregon/Stanford and Baylor/Oklahoma ruled the landscape, along with a shootout between Troy and Louisiana Lafayette. Who came out on top?
#5 Stanford: 26, #3 Oregon: 20
This game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Stanford held scoreless an offense that had put up over 50 points a game in 2013 for 3 quarters. Chaos nearly ensued when Oregon put up 20 points in the 4th quarter – but the Cardinal recovered an onside kick with just over 2 minutes left to pull off the upset. The game ball surely has to go to Stanford running back Tyler Gaffney, who carried a school-record 45 times for 157 yards and a touchdown.
What’s next for Stanford? They’re back in the hunt for the final BCS National Championship game – although with 1 loss, they’ll need to hope for some upsets from teams like Florida State, Baylor, and Ohio State. For the Ducks, their hopes for a championship berth are all but done. However, they still have plenty to play for.
#6 Baylor: 41, #10 Oklahoma: 12
Biggest game in Baylor school history? Probably. And they more than rose to the occasion, putting up 41 points on Oklahoma and allowing just 237 total yards – proving they’re not to be taken lightly by the remaining teams on their schedule. They’re more than just the highest scoring offense in college football, their defense believes they can beat anyone. Meanwhile, Oklahoma took a step back tonight, and their rush defense clearly needs work – they allowed well over 200 yards tonight. Oklahoma actually held them down pretty well early (the score was 5-3 at one point) but then Baylor put up 28 straight points to put this one out of reach early.
The big winners tonight have to be Baylor, Stanford, Ohio State, and Florida State. They’ll all be moving up in the standings – although how much remains to be seen.
