The conjecture about Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has been exhausted. I love him. You probably love him. So with the amount of discussion that's gone on about Luck, what else could be said? Easy. Go deeper. During tonight's game against Oregon, watch Luck on third down. The Cardinal leads the Pac-12 in third down conversion percentage. That leads credence to Luck's football intelligence. In general, watch how Stanford runs its offense and how Luck audibles out. This is a team that rarely goes three-and-out because of the situations Luck puts his team into.
Oregon at Stanford NFL Draft watch notes: Andrew Luck looks for revenge
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It will also be interesting to watch Luck’s composure in this game. Against Oregon last year he pressed in the second half and didn’t look as at ease as he typically does. He went 16 for 29 in that second half and threw two interceptions and two other passes that could have been picked off.
We know the mechanics and intelligence of Luck are elite. Today will show his demeanor under pressure as he looks for revenge against Oregon.
Of course, there is more to this game than Luck. Some additional notes after the jump.
Oregon’s LaMichael James looks to be fully back from a dislocated elbow (which would have totally led me to tell doctors to just cut my arm off). Against Washington last week, James carried the ball 25 times for 156 yards and a touchdown.
After missing three games with a hand injury, Stanford safety Delano Howell returns tonight. He'll be one of the players charged with stopping James and Kenjon Barner from breaking big runs.
I could say something about Stanford right guard David DeCastro, but just click here for a great overview of the best interior lineman in the 2012 NFL Draft. As we all know, Stanford's Jonathan Martin is just as highly regarded as DeCastro, if not more so. After struggling on the first drive against Southern California's Nick Perry two weeks ago, he quickly adjusted to the speed rusher. I was impressed.
Much more than ever before tight end Coby Fleener is going to be the onus of the Stanford offense. Lead wide receiver Chris Owusu won't play today because of a concussion. Fleener only has four catches in his last three games, so it's starting to become difficult to consider him a high-end tight end prospect.
Stanford pass rusher Chase Thomas will get more attention, but he's not he only linebacker to observe in this game. Keep an eye out for Oregon linebacker Josh Kaddu. He leads the Ducks with six sacks this season and has nice size (6-foot-3, 236 pounds) and athleticism.
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