Stanford's Kevin Hogan calmly prepares for big test

• Redshirt freshman quarterback making just his second college start Saturday at top-ranked Oregon
• Coach David Shaw: "He has shown absolutely zero nervousness, anxiousness, apprehension''
• Hogan: "We want to have 10-play drives that eat up the clock. That's our style of football."

STANFORD, Calif. — The question cracks up the room, although it's actually meant in all seriousness: "Do you have to work at being so calm?''

Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan barely registers a pulse during a gathering with the news media ahead of Saturday's big clash against top-ranked Oregon, and his heart doesn't seem to race much faster during games. Teammates marvel at his composure for a redshirt freshman.

That low-key nature figures to be a valuable trait when the 13th-ranked Cardinal face the explosive Ducks in a nationally televised game (ABC, 8 p.m. ET) at Autzen Stadium, a place so raucous the rubber pellets in the artificial turf actually shake during games.

"He has shown absolutely zero nervousness, anxiousness, apprehension,'' Stanford coach David Shaw said of Hogan, who will be making his second career start. "He has taken everything in stride up to this point. I don't anticipate him taking any different approach.''

There's no reason to when the sedate demeanor has worked so well, but as a dual-threat quarterback Hogan brings plenty more than just poise to Stanford's upset bid. The Cardinal (8-2, 6-1) are 21-point underdogs despite trailing the Ducks (10-0, 7-0) by just a game in the Pac-12 North.

Hogan showed so much running ability and athleticism as the scout-team quarterback during his redshirt year, the coaches installed a set of read-option plays known as the "Hogan Package'' this season, which he began as a backup to Josh Nunes.

"I pride myself in my running ability to get a few extra yards,'' said Hogan, listed as 6-4, 224 pounds.

The change-of-pace plays usually paid off in rushing gains, but in the 21-3 win against California on Oct. 20 Hogan had his first touchdown pass, and two weeks later he arrived in full force.

Replacing an ineffective Nunes late in the first quarter, Hogan directed six consecutive scoring drives — five for touchdowns — and completed 18 of 23 passes for 184 yards, plus 48 rushing yards, in a 48-0 rout of lowly Colorado.

That earned him the starting job, and Hogan responded by going 22-for-29 for 254 yards, with three TD passes and two interceptions, in last week's 27-23 victory against then-No. 12 Oregon State. He added 49 yards on the ground and, most impressively, brought Stanford back from a late third-quarter deficit of 23-14.

Hogan capped a drive by scrambling out of the pocket and, just before being tackled, flipping a pass that running back Stepfan Taylor turned into a 40-yard touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, Hogan found tight end Zach Ertz for the winning TD pass.

"He stays even-keeled,'' center Sam Schwartzstein said. "(Former) coach (Jim) Harbaugh used to say, 'Don't get emotionally hijacked.' He's the king of that. He won't take his helmet off on the sideline. But Kevin Hogan, he's an unbelievably fierce competitor.''

The son of a lobbyist, Hogan grew up in McLean, Va., and developed his competitive instinct as a three-year starter at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., six blocks from the Capitol.

He excelled in the spread-style offense and impressed the Stanford coaches with his ability to perform in the rainy conditions he often encountered as a senior. That might come in handy Saturday, when showers are forecast in Eugene, Ore.

And that doesn't even take into account the Ducks' knack for raining points down on opponents. Oregon, which beat the Andrew Luck-led Cardinal 52-31 and 53-30 the last two years, ranks first in the NCAA in scoring (54.8 points a game) and second in passing efficiency (168.64) behind freshman phenom Marcus Mariota.

The Ducks have scored at least 42 points in 13 consecutive games, taking their high-powered act up a notch of late, averaging 63.7 points in their last three.

Stanford's best chance to win at Eugene for the first time since 2001 would seem to hinge on whether it can dictate the tempo with its top-ranked rushing defense and eat up ground behind 1,000-yard rusher Taylor and the multifaceted Hogan.

"We always want to play our style of football regardless, which is control the ball, control the clock,'' Hogan said. "We want to have 10-play drives that eat up the clock. That's our style of football, running first and long-play drives.''