Oregon Shuts Down Stanford

A shutout was just what the Oregon Ducks needed.

Terrence Whitehead ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns and Oregon stopped a three-game losing streak with a 35-0 victory over struggling Stanford on Saturday.

It was the Ducks’ first shutout of a Pacific-10 opponent since 1992, when they beat Oregon State, 7-0.

“When you shut out somebody in the Pac-10, it doesn’t matter who it is, it’s a tremendous accomplishment,” Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti said. “I think it puts us back on track.”

Kellen Clemens completed 15 of 17 passes for 149 yards, and fellow quarterback Jason Fife was eight of 10 for 115 yards for the Ducks, who are 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the conference. Fife also ran for a score, as did Dante Rosario.

Stanford (2-4, 0-4), with its fourth straight loss, couldn’t manage to score when it got to the Oregon one with a first down early in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over on downs.

“The stand at the goal line was maybe one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen,” Bellotti said.

Stanford used fifth-year senior quarterback Chris Lewis rather than freshman Trent Edwards, who had unseated Lewis as starter after the opener against San Jose State.

Lewis completed 12 of 25 passes for 188 yards but had three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown. Mark Bradford had seven receptions for 153 yards for the Cardinal.

Clemens started and led the Ducks on an 80-yard drive that ended with Whitehead’s three-yard scoring run, putting Oregon on top with its first series.

“We’re back in action,” Oregon outside linebacker David Martin said. “We want to finish the season 9-3 and go to a bowl game.”

The Ducks have struggled defending the pass, allowing previous opponents an average of 289.7 passing yards a game to rank 109th among 117 teams.

Stanford passed for 225 yards against the Ducks.