Michael Peterson – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 08:53:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Michael Peterson – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Roundtable: Analysis, takeaways and thoughts on Spring Game https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/11/roundtable-analysis-takeaways-and-thoughts-on-spring-game/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/11/roundtable-analysis-takeaways-and-thoughts-on-spring-game/#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2016 08:53:15 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1113404 Stanford Daily football writers Vihan Lakshman and Michael Peterson breakdown Saturday’s Spring Game, which saw the Cardinal offense beat the defense 42-31. How did the quarterbacks look? Did either Burns or Chryst gain any separation on Saturday? Vihan Lakshman: The final stat lines for Burns and Chryst looked eerily similar at the close of business […]

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Stanford Daily football writers Vihan Lakshman and Michael Peterson breakdown Saturday’s Spring Game, which saw the Cardinal offense beat the defense 42-31.

How did the quarterbacks look? Did either Burns or Chryst gain any separation on Saturday?

Vihan Lakshman: The final stat lines for Burns and Chryst looked eerily similar at the close of business on Saturday, with the rising senior from Leesburg, Va. going 17-23 for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns while the rising junior from Palo Alto went 16-25 for 156 yards with a pair of TDs himself. That’s about as neck-and-neck as it gets. Moreover, both QBs threw early interceptions on each of their opening drives before settling in and running the show with confidence. Burns especially shined in the first half with two picture-perfect touchdown strikes to Dalton Schultz and Michael Rector while Chryst bounced back with the better second half, delivering two immaculate touchdown passes of his own to Greg Taboada and Trent Irwin. 

As expected, Saturday’s three-hour glorified practice did not shut the door on a close quarterback competition that will continue into the summer. What we did learn, though, is that both quarterbacks have made marked strides in their accuracy and knowledge of the playbook from this time last year and each showed the ability to go through progressions and take command of the huddle. No matter who emerges victorious in this tight competition, Stanford should be in good hands. There’s no question that Burns and Chryst have a tough act to follow in replacing the winningest quarterback in program history. But on Saturday, the two tag-teamed to lead the offense to a feat never accomplished in the Kevin Hogan era: a Spring Game victory.

Michael Peterson: Unlike the 2015 spring game, when Burns and Chryst were battling for the backup spot and were largely unimpressive in limited action, both quarterbacks played exceedingly well — if not perfect — in the 2016 Spring Game. I thought Burns played better early on as he led the first two scoring drives, but Chryst rebounded with an excellent performance later in the game. As Vihan mentioned, the stat lines were about as equal as could be, and both quarterbacks elicited oohs and aahs from the fans on various deep throws and touchdown passes. One thing is for sure: both quarterbacks throw a beautiful ball. When Burns and Chryst hit their throws, they do so in style. The Spring Game showed that Stanford should be in good hands come September regardless of who’s under center.

It’s near impossible to determine any separation between the two at this point. Even regardless of their equal performances on Saturday, the only separation between the two in their times at Stanford has been Chryst’s unofficial status as Kevin Hogan’s backup in 2015, and Burns has more than made up for whatever difference there was with crisp play in the spring. As much as we want to know who the starter will be right now, we might just have to wait until late August when Shaw makes the announcement.

Which offensive player impressed the most? Which defensive player impressed the most?

VL: On offense, I’m going to go with a player who manages to impress me more and more every time I see him: Bryce Love. With Christian McCaffrey held out of all contact during the spring (we’ll touch on that more momentarily), Love slid into the number-one running back roll and dominated with 11 carries for 48 yards and two touchdowns. We all knew about Love’s otherworldly straight-line speed, but on Saturday he showed off all of the other skills that make him such a special talent: breaking tackles, changing direction and patiently waiting for his blockers like his mentor, No. 5. Afterwards, Shaw gushed about the possibility of putting Love and McCaffrey on the field together to the point that his mouth was almost watering. Love has officially earned a spot in the running back conversation alongside the best player in college football. That’s an impressive feat in its own right and a major boost for the Cardinal in boasting two studs in the backfield.

On the other side of the ball, I don’t know how you answer this question without saying the words “Solomon” and “Thomas” in immediate succession. Last year, we all raved that about Thomas’ progression under Shannon Turley’s strength program, and–somehow–he managed to defend his title as most-improved player following offseason conditioning (despite the fact that it looked humanly impossible for him to add more muscle). As Shaw noted after the game, Thomas was simply unblockable for the first five plays and forced the offensive line to make immediate adjustments. As the lone returning starter on the defensive line with the departures of Aziz Shittu and Brennan Scarlett, Thomas is the unquestioned leader of the group and showed that he has all the tools to become a recognizable name across the nation.

MP: In addition to Bryce Love, I thought Ryan Burns was very impressive on Saturday. It wasn’t necessarily that Burns played better than Chryst, but Burns didn’t throw a pass during the 2015 season, so the last real time Burns played for the public was the 2015 Spring Game. Burns showed major improvement from that game, particularly in his decision-making and pocket presence. On a throw to Francis Owusu down the left sideline in particular, Burns stood up in the pocket despite it collapsing around him and delivered a perfect strike to Owusu. We’ve always known that Burns could throw a tight spiral and had great mechanics, but now we’re seeing a much more complete quarterback.

Just to emphasize how dominant Solomon Thomas was, I’ll stick with him as the most impressive defensive player as well. Thomas is currently listed at 275 pounds and almost all of that is pure muscle. That muscle showed in the spring game — both in his ridiculously ripped appearance and in his overpowering the offensive line. The scary part is that he still has summer conditioning ahead to get even stronger before next season. If the rest of the defensive line can provide enough pressure to not allow opposing offensive lines to double-team Thomas all the time, double-digit sacks should be a given for Thomas in 2016.

How would you assess the play of the re-tooled offensive line?

VL: Last year’s offensive line was one of the top three units in the country, and growing pains are to be expected after losing the nation’s best guard (Josh Garnett), another All-Pac 12 performer (Kyle Murphy) and a top-flight center (Graham Shuler). Casey Tucker and Brandon Fanaika replaced the Bash Bros on the left side in the Spring Game and had all sorts of trouble with Solomon Thomas up front. In fairness, there might not be any offensive line that has an answer for Solly, but Saturday showed that there is certainly room for Stanford’s young Tunnel Workers to improve and coalesce before September 2nd against Kansas State. I wouldn’t bet against Stanford in doing just that. Tucker and Fanaika both have an abundant amount of playing experience to leverage, as do Johnny Caspers and Dave Bright, who anchored the right side of the line. The other major area of concern that emerged on Saturday was the number of high shotgun snaps from both Jesse Burkett and Brian Chaffin, but Shuler went through the same type of learning curve two years ago. Ultimately, Coach Shaw and Coach Bloomgren’s experience in rebuilding the O-line in 2014 should become a major asset this time around, and the Cardinal’s top-notch recruiting has blessed them with plenty of talented pieces to work with. Now, it’s a matter of ironing out the kinks before September.

MP: The line showed off some early growing pains, which are to be expected from a unit that loses three starters, and three All-Pac-12 caliber players at that. It’s always tough to judge performance based off the Spring Game since we also don’t truly know how good the defensive line is. But as Vihan mentioned, Solomon Thomas was completely unblockable and Jordan Watkins and Luke Kaumatule each had moments of dominance as well. We know fifth-year senior Johnny Caspers will be superb at right guard, and Shaw has lots of faith in David Bright to be a starter at some position on the line, but the rest of the line is still in flux. The line definitely has a ways to go to be ready for the season, but there’s also plenty of time before the season begins. Overall, the offensive line’s performance wasn’t very reassuring, but at the same time, it certainly shouldn’t cause alarm.

Who stood out amongst the players who redshirted last season?

VL: Heading into the game, I was really interested in watching Jay Tyler on the field. At 5-foot-8, 169 pounds, Tyler isn’t your prototypical “big, physical Stanford receiver” in the mold of Devon Cajuste or Ty Montgomery, and I was curious to see how the Cardinal would incorporate him into the offense. Overall, I was impressed by his ability to make tough catches in traffic, finishing the day the four catches for 22 yards and almost adding another huge grab downfield. The rising sophomore also replaced the departing Barry J. Sanders as the No. 2 punt returner behind McCaffrey. It’s hard to typecast Tyler into a single mold, but maybe such an endeavor is missing the point. He’s a special athlete whom the coaching staff clearly values, and it will be fun to see what kind of role he can play next season.

On the defensive side, I thought inside linebacker Sean Barton stood out with his presence all over the field, resulting in seven tackles to finish second on the team unofficially. Barton, who originally signed with Stanford’s 2013 class before serving on a Mormon mission for two years and redshirting last season, wasn’t necessarily a player on my radar heading into the day, but he certainly made a name for himself when it was all said and done. With the loss of triple-digit tackling machine Blake Martinez, Stanford will have to get more production from a number of its young inside linebackers and Barton, with more performances like he had on Saturday, could factor into that rotation.

MP: Luke Kaumatule is an interesting case here, since he technically has three years of playing experience but redshirted as a true senior last season in order to gain a year of experience at defensive end. Kaumatule looks much bigger and showed better explosiveness off the line on Saturday. Shaw seemed very excited about his potential for next season after the game, and based off of his Spring Game performance, fans should be as well. He’s always been a physical specimen with the tools to be an elite defensive end. He might be putting it all together just in time for his fifth year on the Farm.

Among the freshman who redshirted, it was absolutely Frank Buncom who stood out. Buncom saw plenty of time with the starters on defense and was all over the field, unofficially leading the game with eight tackles. In a crowded Stanford secondary, it’s unclear how much playing time is up for grabs, but he very well could be in the conversation with Alijah Holder, Quenton Meeks, Alameen Murphy and Terrence Alexander for playing time at corner.

What do you make of Shaw’s decision to hold Christian McCaffrey out of contact for the spring?

VL: This is absolutely the correct call, and I don’t think it was all too hard of a decision for Shaw. In 2015, McCaffrey touched the ball 437 times (337 rushing attempts, 45 receptions, 52 kick and punt returns and 3 pass attempts). As Shaw noted after the game, it takes time to recover from that kind of wear-and-tear on the body, and McCaffrey has nothing to gain from getting hit in the spring. When Michael and I talked to the reigning AP Player of the Year, you could sense a bit of frustration in not being able to participate, but he has channeled those emotions into attacking the weight room and already looks significantly bigger. After just putting together the greatest individual season in college football history, McCaffrey has earned some time to let his body recover, and he’s not exactly staying idle during this time either. He could very well return to action in training camp bigger, faster and hungrier than before.

MP: Without a doubt, Shaw made the right decision in keeping McCaffrey out of contact drills and practices this spring. It’s the same approach Stanford used for Toby Gerhart and Stepfan Taylor, and it certainly worked for them and for when McCaffrey rested between the Pac-12 Championship and the Rose Bowl. There’s little Stanford could have gained by having McCaffrey participate in contact drills five months before the season, and there’s a whole lot Stanford could have lost. As much as McCaffrey hates it and as much as Stanford football fans want to see No. 5 ripping defenses apart, I back Shaw’s decision all the way. 

Spring Game 2016
Junior quarterback Keller Chryst (back row, center) had a similarly strong performance, going 16 for 25 and 156 yards. The starting position looks unlikely to be set until well into training camp. (SANTOSH MURUGAN/The Stanford Daily)

Entering offseason conditioning, what appears to be the team’s biggest strength and biggest weakness?

VL: For a school that doesn’t have its pick over every high school player in America, Stanford has recruited extraordinary well over the last few cycles, and those efforts are beginning to bear fruit in the form of envious talent at the offensive skills positions and in the secondary, the two areas I would consider the team’s biggest on-field strengths at this point. Another underrated aspect of the program right now is the positive culture exuding from the locker room and from the coaching staff. While Stanford certainly has many stressful decisions awaiting on the horizon, Shaw seemed completely relaxed and engaged with this team while the players, in turn, have bought into the program’s winning culture. It’s hard to overstate how important positive culture around a football program can be, especially when it looked like there was a chance things might turn toxic after a slight downturn in 2014. It’s fun to be around this Stanford football team, and the players look like they’re having a lot of fun themselves. Winning obviously helps, but it really does seem like everyone involved in this program genuinely enjoys being around each other, and that’s an invaluable asset.

As for the team’s biggest weaknesses, I think you have to look at quarterback and the offensive line at this point, purely as a result of the major uncertainties at those positions. Both Ryan Burns and Keller Chryst looked good on Saturday, but they’re still replacing one of the greatest quarterbacks in program history who handled the pressure-cooker of conference championships, Rose Bowls and countless other big games for four seasons. Likewise, the Tunnel Workers Union must replace some enormous shoes, both literally and figuratively. I feel confident that both positions groups will respond to these challenges by the start of the season, but there’s no doubt that these are the areas of biggest uncertainty for the team right now.

MP: Excluding just the presence of Christian McCaffrey, Stanford’s depth particularly stood out to me as a major strength during the spring game. It seems like Stanford goes two-deep or three-deep at just about every position on the field. At running back alone, Stanford is blessed with two of the most explosive players in the game, in addition to a big, bruising 220-pound back in Cameron Scarlett. The spring sessions confirmed that both quarterbacks are very capable and either could guide this team in the fall. Both Dalton Schultz and Greg Taboada appear ready to be major contributors at tight end in 2016. Shaw raved about Francis Owusu at wide receiver, who joins Michael Rector and Trent Irwin as established receivers and will be boosted by sophomore J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.

In the secondary, Stanford has two fifth-year seniors in Dallas Lloyd and Zach Hoffpauir to guide a whole host of talented sophomores like Justin Reid, Quenton Meeks, Ben Edwards and Frank Buncom and juniors Alijah Holder, Alameen Murphy, Brandon Simmons, Terrence Alexander and Denzel Franklin. That’s just ridiculous. Stanford arguably goes seven-deep or eight-deep at inside linebacker and returns three outside linebackers with three-plus sacks. With the improving play of Luke Kaumatule, Jordan Watkins and Eric Cotton in addition to Solomon Thomas and Harrison Phillips, Stanford might have five defensive lineman in its rotation before the talented crop of freshmen arrive in the fall. The depth all over the field should be enough for Stanford to absorb some inevitable injuries come 2016.

It’s hard to call the offensive line a weakness because I fully believe the unit will be good in the fall, but given that so much of Stanford’s success in 2015 came due to arguably the best offensive line in the nation and the Cardinal will be starting a new quarterback as well in 2016, it’s at least a little concerning to see the growing pains of a new unit. Don’t get me wrong — the talent is there for Stanford to reload the Tunnel Workers Union. Whether the 2016 unit can emulate the utterly dominant performance of the 2015 group and how quickly it can jell with a front-loaded schedule, though, remains to be seen.

How did Cagan Stadium fare as a venue for the other kind of football?

VL: I was prepared to disdain Cagan Stadium as a spot for football from the start. Like one of those crossover TV episodes where characters from one show inexplicably find themselves on another series, this change of venue struck me as completely unnecessary.

After taking in three hours of the other kind of football at Cagan, however, I can say that I was completely wrong. This was incredibly fun. From being much closer to the action than one would be at Stanford Stadium, to watching David Shaw sign autographs and hold babies while the game was still going on, to Conrad Ukropina booting kicks to the top of the video tower, there was a lot to like about seeing the football team take over a different field for the day–a move that will be further complemented by women’s lacrosse playing in Stanford Stadium on Monday. The seats were filled to the brim for a change and the players also seemed to enjoy it. Props to Stanford Athletics and the football program for having the ingenuity and flexibility to change things up and proving at least one jaded senior wrong. I’m looking forward to seeing more spring games at Cagan in the future.

MP: The smaller stadium provided a really nice environment for the Spring Game and made it more fun for both the team — as David Shaw said after the game — and the fans. The tailgate viewing party from the outside added to the laid-back atmosphere, and pretty much every seat inside the stadium was filled. It’s probably the closest that most fans in the Stadium will ever sit at a college football game. At least for the spring game, the packed-in Cagan Stadium was much better than a scattered Stanford Stadium. While it would be even better if the Cardinal could fill up Stanford Stadium instead, the reality is that doing that isn’t feasible. Stanford made a great decision in choosing Cagan Stadium.

 

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu and Vihan Lakshman at vihan ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Quarterback battle to highlight Spring Game https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/07/quarterback-battle-to-highlight-spring-game/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/07/quarterback-battle-to-highlight-spring-game/#respond Thu, 07 Apr 2016 10:00:46 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1113200 For the first time since 2011, there will be no Kevin Hogan under center at the Cardinal and White Spring Game. After three Pac-12 Championships, two Rose Bowl victories and 36 career wins, Hogan departs Stanford for the NFL, leaving a gaping hole at the quarterback position. The battle to replace Hogan will be the […]

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For the first time since 2011, there will be no Kevin Hogan under center at the Cardinal and White Spring Game. After three Pac-12 Championships, two Rose Bowl victories and 36 career wins, Hogan departs Stanford for the NFL, leaving a gaping hole at the quarterback position.

The battle to replace Hogan will be the key storyline on Saturday as the offense and defense square off in the 2016 Cardinal and White Spring Game, marking the conclusion to Stanford football’s spring practice and giving fans a brief preview of the 2016 Stanford squad.

While head coach David Shaw insists that neither rising junior Keller Chryst nor rising senior Ryan Burns, the two quarterbacks vying for the starting job, has an advantage, Saturday’s scrimmage will provide a glimpse at the competition that will likely rage until near the end of training camp in August.

Both quarterbacks featured in the 2015 spring game, but neither really impressed. Burns finished 9-for-18 for 62 yards passing while Chryst went just 1-for-8 with an interception. This time around, the spotlight on the quarterbacks will be significantly greater with Hogan gone and the starting job vacant. Given that the duo has just 10 career regular-season passes combined, the spring game will be one of the very few looks that those outside the program will have at the quarterback competition.

Stanford’s decision to employ the offense-versus-defense spring game will deprive fans of the opportunity to see Chryst-led and Burns-led teams face off directly, but the two quarterbacks will certainly be compared nonetheless.

Chryst and Burns will likely be without the offense’s greatest asset on Saturday, though, as Stanford may continue to rest rising junior and reigning Associated Press Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, who has been held out of spring scrimmages thus far after a taxing 2015 season.

Despite McCaffrey’s absence, the running game has dazzled in the spring thanks to rising sophomore speedster Bryce Love. Love totaled 476 yards from scrimmage in 2015 – just shy of the 558 yards from scrimmage McCaffrey posted as a freshman – and has shined as the lead back in spring scrimmages, breaking big play after big play. Although it won’t feature in the spring game, the McCaffrey-Love tandem will give defenses nightmares in 2016.

A new-look Tunnel Workers Union will debut on Saturday after losing three starters in Kyle Murphy, Josh Garnett and Graham Shuler. Led by rising fifth-year senior Johnny Caspers, the 2016 version of the offensive line is still in flux, but Caspers, rising senior David Bright and rising juniors Casey Tucker and Brandon Fanaika all figure to start somewhere on the line.

The departure of tight end Austin Hooper for the NFL opens the door for rising junior Dalton Schultz – a top tight end recruit in the class of 2014 – to continue the tradition of great Stanford tight ends and spearhead the receiving options for the new quarterback along with rising fifth-year senior receiver Michael Rector, who opted to return to Stanford for his final year of eligibility. Rising sophomore Trent Irwin and rising senior Frank Owusu combined for 25 receptions in 2015 and will be key in helping out the new quarterback.

Although the focus this Saturday will be on the quarterback position, it has been the defense that’s dominated each of the last two spring games, particularly in the 2015 scrimmage, when it kept the offense off the scoreboard until its 12th possession and only allowed seven points.

For a second straight year, the defense will experience a major reloading after losing six starters from the 2015 unit, including three captains — Blake Martinez, Ronnie Harris and Kevin Anderson. However, the young talent on the defense – particularly in the secondary – gives Stanford plenty of reasons to be excited about its prospects for the unit in 2016 and could lead to continued spring game dominance.

Rising sophomores Justin Reid, Quenton Meeks and Ben Edwards all figure to play greater roles for an experienced secondary core consisting of rising juniors Alijah Holder and Terrence Alexander and rising fifth-year seniors Dallas Lloyd and Zach Hoffpauir, who returns after a year of playing minor league baseball. Rising sophomore Frank Buncom, who redshirted in 2015, could also join the 2016 rotation along with rising junior Alameen Murphy, who will miss the spring game with a foot injury.

After a breakout 2015 campaign, rising junior Solomon Thomas seems to be a star on the defensive line for Stanford and should anchor a front seven that also returns experienced players in rising senior Peter Kalambayi, rising junior Joey Alfieri and rising senior Kevin Palma in the linebacking corps. The defensive line in 2016 will be boosted by rising senior tight end-convert Eric Cotton and rising fifth-year senior Luke Kaumatule, who redshirted in 2015 to have a year of practice after bouncing around several different positions. Rising junior Harrison Phillips, a likely starter on the defensive line for the coming season, will miss the spring game while recovering from the torn ACL he suffered against Northwestern.

The 2016 Cardinal and White Spring Game will start at 1 p.m. at Cagan Stadium – not Stanford Stadium – on Saturday with free admission and will also be televised on the Pac-12 Networks. The game will pit the offense against the defense with a scoring system to award the defense points based on its performance.

 

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Peterson: Looking to gain national respect, Stanford poised for title run next two years https://stanforddaily.com/2016/01/04/peterson-looking-to-gain-national-respect-stanford-poised-for-title-run-next-two-years/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/01/04/peterson-looking-to-gain-national-respect-stanford-poised-for-title-run-next-two-years/#respond Mon, 04 Jan 2016 21:03:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1108798 After Kevin Hogan hit Michael Rector for the touchdown down the sideline to officially finish both his career and the Stanford season with a storybook ending, I was overwhelmed by the pure, utter domination we had just seen from the Cardinal. Stanford played its most complete game in the biggest game of the season against […]

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After Kevin Hogan hit Michael Rector for the touchdown down the sideline to officially finish both his career and the Stanford season with a storybook ending, I was overwhelmed by the pure, utter domination we had just seen from the Cardinal.

Stanford played its most complete game in the biggest game of the season against arguably the best opponent – or at least one of the top three – on its schedule. Christian McCaffrey made the Hawkeyes’ top-20 defense look like a Pop Warner team with a bevy of dazzling moves. All who watched understood that Stanford was the best team not in the College Football Playoff and possibly the best team not playing in the national championship on Jan. 11, in addition to the fact that McCaffrey undoubtedly is the best player in the nation.

When the final Associated Press rankings for the season are released, Stanford might very well be ranked No. 3, tying the highest ranking in program history since 1940.

Despite everything David Shaw had already accomplished, this 2015 season might rank as his best work. It was a job well done by Shaw, by the coaching staff and by the players, overcoming early adversity and the loss of most of the 2014 defense to win the Pac-12 in dominant fashion.

Winning the Rose Bowl will never get old to me and to the rest of the Stanford fanbase. How could you ever not relish the sight of Cardinal red clashing with an elite opponent as the sun sets over the San Gabriel Mountains in The Granddaddy of Them All? The 2016 Rose Bowl victory confirmed that.

However, if Stanford wants to gain the national respect that its recent run of success truly warrants, it needs to make the College Football Playoff and play for the national championship – and soon.

You would think that after 66 wins in six years, Stanford would have the respect of the nation. But after Toby Gerhart, Andrew Luck and Christian McCaffrey all finished second in Heisman voting, it’s clear that something is still lacking, as three completely deserving should-be Heisman winners – Gerhart in 2009, Luck in 2011 and McCaffrey in 2015 – fell short.

On a College Football Live show prior to the Heisman ceremony, Desmond Howard said that if McCaffrey had posted the same numbers playing for Alabama, there would be no conversation – the trophy would have been his. Kirk Herbstreit subsequently followed by saying that the same would be true if McCaffrey had been playing for even USC.

Stanford is one of just five schools to play in four or more New Year’s Six or BCS games in the last six years. Yet, it is the only one not to make one of the two first College Football Playoffs.

Fairly or unfairly, true respect in college football is only given to teams that play in national championship games – or in the new playoff age, the College Football Playoff games.

But good news, Stanford fans: the Cardinal might be poised for their best chances at doing just that in 2016 and 2017.

USC, the longtime juggernaut of the Pac-12, has finished in the top 15 just once since 2009. In the absence of Marcus Mariota and Vernon Adams Jr. this season, Oregon mightily struggled on offense and showed a subpar defense, losing four games and collapsing in the Alamo Bowl after losing Adams to a concussion. UCLA hasn’t beaten Stanford since 2008.

For the very first time, Stanford might be considered the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12 in 2016. And rightly so.

For at least one more year, and potentially two, Stanford will have the nation’s best player on its sideline in McCaffrey. That’s more than enough for Stanford to be a contender in the conference on its own.

Bryce Love might not even be too far behind McCaffrey after an outstanding freshman year and Cameron Scarlett should give Stanford a bruiser at the running back position for years to come.

With Graham Shuler, Johnny Caspers and Casey Tucker returning and several talented recruiting classes waiting in the wings, the offensive line should continue to function at a level representative of the Tunnel Workers’ Union.

With Dalton Schultz, Trenton Irwin, Francis Owusu and Greg Taboada slated to form the core of the receiving weapons – maybe even Michael Rector too – Stanford should provide more than enough weapons for its new quarterback.

And speaking of that new quarterback, Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns – two former top-100 recruits according to ESPN – have had a couple years to develop behind Hogan. Chryst, one of McCaffrey’s roommates, appears to be the front-runner and can be seen staying an extra 15 or more minutes after every practice throwing passes to Irwin.

Though it loses leaders and playmakers in Blake Martinez, Ronnie Harris, Kevin Anderson, Aziz Shittu and Kodi Whitfield, the defense has talent all across the board returning to play in 2016.

Quenton Meeks and Alijah Holder looked like lock-down corners at the end of 2015, and we didn’t yet get to see how Frank Buncom, Stanford top defensive back recruit in the 2015 class, fits into the scheme.

Solomon Thomas and Harrison Phillips will anchor the defensive line and continue the party in the backfield, along with proven edge rushers in Peter Kalambayi and Joey Alfieri.

Dallas Lloyd could return at safety amidst one of the deepest groups Stanford has ever had at the position with Justin Reid, Ben Edwards, Brandon Simmons and Denzel Franklin all ready to step into more playing time next season after shining on special teams and defense, when given the chance.

With Noor Davis, Kevin Palma, Jordan Perez, Bobby Okereke and Mustafa Branch all earning playing time in 2015, the middle of the defense should be stocked for the future as well.

The scary part? Twenty-five of the 31 returning players I mentioned above are eligible to return in 2017, when the home schedule again flips in Stanford’s favor.

The path to greater national respect is clear and the best window of opportunity for that might be right now, with possibly one of the greatest players in college football history on the Stanford sideline. If Stanford is going to take the next step and play for the championship, it may not ever find a better chance than in the next two years.

I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s in store for Stanford football in 2016.

 

Even though Michael Peterson will earn his bachelor’s degree this year, he earned a fifth year of eligibility himself to see his hopes for next year play out. Ask him how he plans to earn that elusive sixth year of eligibility for 2017 to maybe see Stanford make a title push at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Road to the Roses: Iowa https://stanforddaily.com/2015/12/30/road-to-the-roses-iowa/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/12/30/road-to-the-roses-iowa/#respond Thu, 31 Dec 2015 03:15:40 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1108702 A lot can change in a year.

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A lot can change in a year.

Take Iowa, for example. A year ago the Hawkeyes stumbled to a 7-6 finish with a particularly disappointing performance in the TaxSlayer Bowl, a 45-28 loss to Tennessee. After failing to go over eight wins in his last five seasons, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz might have been on the hot seat.

Now, just a year later, Iowa finds itself in its first Rose Bowl game in 25 years and head coach Kirk Ferentz was recently named the Big Ten Coach of the Year after its first-ever undefeated regular season.

Let’s take a chronological look back at some of the key events that allowed Iowa to reach the Rose Bowl.

Jan. 8, 2015: C.J. Beathard named starting quarterback

Just as Stanford’s run to its Rose Bowl appearance was triggered by Kevin Hogan’s return, Iowa’s momentum started early in January when Ferentz named Beathard the starter over returning starter Jake Rudock. Rudock subsequently transferred to Michigan, giving Iowa a clear starter and leader at quarterback.

Beathard’s play evokes memories of a 2012 Kevin Hogan. While not flashy or necessarily the team’s playmaker, Beathard rarely makes mistakes, hits the throws he needs to and adds a bit of an extra dimension in the running game. Without his leadership, efficiency and clutch performances, Iowa doesn’t reach the Rose Bowl.

Sept. 12, 2015: Desmond King powers Iowa past Iowa State

While Iowa State was certainly not a marquee opponent for Iowa, the Hawkeyes lost to their in-state rival in 2014 and trailed 17-10 at the half this time around. Iowa then tied the game up early in the third quarter but struggled to get the lead.

With six and a half minutes to go, first team All-American cornerback Desmond King ripped off a 34-yard punt return that helped set up Iowa’s game-winning score. Then with under two minutes to go, King stepped in front of a pass and intercepted it inside the Iowa State 30-yard line to essentially seal the game.

King would go on to win the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back and finish second in the country with eight interceptions. His ability to lock down one side of the field powered Iowa’s defense all season long, and his uncanny ability to force a turnover at a crucial moment changed the tide of several games.

Sept. 19, 2015: Iowa escapes only Power Five non-conference foe

The critique on Iowa all season long was its weak schedule. The Hawkeyes faced just three ranked teams at the time and five Power Five, bowl-eligible teams. Though Iowa might have cruised to an undefeated regular season, it certainly didn’t challenge itself much along the way.

Facing its only Power Five non-conference opponent, Iowa struggled to gain much of an advantage. Though the Hawkeyes never trailed, they never managed to pull away from Pittsburgh, who would go on to finish the season with an 8-5 record. The Panthers used a 13-play, five-minute-long drive (Iowa really, really hates those long drives) to tie the game up with 52 seconds left, but the Hawkeyes managed to drive down into field-goal range for kicker Marshall Koehn. Koehn drilled a 57-yard field goal as time expired to help Iowa stay undefeated and continue to build positive momentum.

Oct. 3, 2015: Iowa upsets Wisconsin in Madison

Wisconsin was considered the favorite in the Big Ten West at the start of the year even after its loss to Alabama on opening weekend. With this upset win, Iowa put itself on the map and into the top 25 for the first time on the season.

An ugly defensive battle saw Iowa force four turnovers, including a Wisconsin fumble at the Iowa 5-yard line, and manage 10 second-quarter points on the road to a victory. Iowa stuffed Wisconsin on a fourth-and-2 at the Iowa 16-yard line to seal the victory late in the fourth quarter.

Oct. 17, 2015: Signature win over Northwestern

Though Iowa only played only one team that finished in the top 20 in the regular season, it made the most of its opportunity, running ragged on the Wildcats for a 40-10 victory. The Hawkeyes rode 294 rushing yards, three forced turnovers and all-around excellent play to a win over previously undefeated Northwestern.

Of course, Northwestern also represents the only common opponent for Stanford and Iowa, and the disparity in performance against Northwestern could not be greater. Stanford played its worst game; Iowa played its best game. Stanford finished with 85 rushing yards; Iowa had 294. Stanford allowed 225 rushing yards; Iowa allowed 51. Clearly, both teams have changed since their performances against Northwestern. The Rose Bowl will show just how much they have.

Nov. 14, 2015: Hawkeyes’ offense overcomes defense’s lapse

Iowa’s top-15 defense carried the team all season long. Against the Gophers, though, it put up easily its worst performance of the year, allowing a season-high 35 points and 301 passing yards. And even with just five and a half minutes to go, Iowa led by only five. And still, Iowa would cling on for a victory.

Iowa gained 506 yards of offense, a season-high, to overcome the defense’s mishaps. Yet again, critics would point to Iowa’s inability to put together a complete performance against an inferior opponent. But like it did all regular season long, Iowa managed to come away on top.

Nov. 27, 2015: Iowa avoids upset, takes advantage of Nebraska turnovers

The saying goes that it’s better to be lucky than good. Then again, it’s better to be both lucky and good. And Iowa was both lucky and good against Nebraska, the team which handed eventual Big Ten champion Michigan State its only loss.

Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. made poor decision after poor decision, helping Iowa intercept four passes and set up an offense that only needed 250 yards all game to win. Iowa didn’t play significantly better than Nebraska – the Hawkeyes averaged 5.7 yards per play to the Cornhuskers’ 5.2 and were actually outgained by Nebraska by 183 yards – but took advantage of a few of Armstrong’s mistakes and two long touchdown runs from Jordan Canzeri to get the victory, albeit just an 8-point win.

With the victory, the Hawkeyes finished the regular season 12-0 for the first time in their history. No matter the schedule or the margin of the results, that’s a feat that should garner considerable respect.

Dec. 5, 2015: Iowa loses College Football Playoff play-in game in Big Ten Championship

In its only loss of the season – a 3-point loss to Michigan State – Iowa arguably gained more respect around the nation than it did in its 12 wins combined. The Hawkeyes went toe-to-toe with then-No. 5 Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship, showing the poise and the talent of a championship contender, but ultimately fell in the final minute to fall just short of having its dream season end in the Playoff.

The Spartans needed a 22-play, nine-minute drive (those long drives, again) to score the game-winning touchdown with 27 seconds left. The drive forced Michigan State to convert on fourth-and-2 from the Iowa 5-yard line and third-and-goal from the Iowa 1-yard line. If even just one of the 22 plays on that drive turned out differently, Iowa might be the Big Ten champion and get matched up against Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, prompting the Rose Bowl to pick Ohio State instead.

The Hawkeyes’ historic season might have fallen short of the Playoff, but the Rose Bowl berth still feels just as sweet nonetheless.

 

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Road to the Roses: Stanford https://stanforddaily.com/2015/12/30/road-to-the-roses-stanford/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/12/30/road-to-the-roses-stanford/#respond Thu, 31 Dec 2015 03:06:14 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1108701 When Stanford clinched its berth in the 2014 Rose Bowl, it owed some gratitude to the Arizona Wildcats, which knocked off Oregon in the second-to-last week of the season to allow Stanford to win the Pac-12 North and advance to the Pac-12 Championship game.

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When Stanford clinched its berth in the 2014 Rose Bowl, it owed some gratitude to the Arizona Wildcats, which knocked off Oregon in the second-to-last week of the season to allow Stanford to win the Pac-12 North and advance to the Pac-12 Championship game.

This time around, though less obviously, Cardinal fans can send thanks up north to Pullman, Washington, to the Washington State Cougars for twice pushing events in the Cardinal’s favor and allowing Stanford’s dominant conference performance to end in a Pac-12 Championship game.

Let’s take a chronological look back at some of the key events that allowed Stanford to reach the Rose Bowl.

Jan. 15, 2015: Kevin Hogan announces his return for fifth season

Corvallis, Or - Saturday October 26, 2013: The Stanford football team plays the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium.
Fifth-year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan (above) had a record-breaking 2015 season as he now has more wins than any other quarterback in school history. (CRAIG MITCHELLDYER/stanfordphoto.com)

For the Cardinal, the journey to the 2016 Rose Bowl started on Jan. 15, 2015, when quarterback Kevin Hogan announced his return to Stanford for his fifth and final season. At the time, given Hogan’s mediocre play for much of 2014, the announcement didn’t seem to have too much of a bearing upon Stanford’s 2015 fortunes. However, there’s little doubt that Stanford would have faltered short of the Rose Bowl if not for the record-setting play of the All-Pac-12 second teamer.

Sept. 19, 2015: Stanford upsets then-No. 6 USC 41-31

LOS ANGELES, CA -- September 19, 2015: Stanford defeats USC 41-31 at the LA Coliseum.
After a big loss to Northwestern in Week 1, Stanford fell out of the AP rankings and was considered the underdog going into the matchup against the Trojans. Stanford won 41-31. (DON FERIA/stanfordphoto.com)

After losing at Northwestern, Stanford was unranked and forgotten. This win put the Cardinal back on the map and cleared the way for what looked like an easy road schedule the rest of the way. It also gave the Cardinal the confidence and affirmation they needed to chug out six more wins in a row.

Sept. 26, 2015: Utah hammers Oregon 62-20 in Eugene

The Stanford-Oregon game had been the de facto Pac-12 North title game every year since the conference’s expansion in 2011. With Oregon’s loss, Stanford gained a leg up on the Ducks, and Oregon no longer had any room for error. It also made the Cardinal, just three weeks after losing at Northwestern, the favorite to win the North.

Oct. 10, 2015: Washington State upsets Oregon in double overtime

The aforementioned Cougars should have been second – behind Stanford, of course – on every Cardinal fan’s list of football-related things they are thankful for on Thanksgiving, considering that if Washington State lost this game, Oregon wins the Pac-12 and plays Iowa in the Rose Bowl, and Stanford goes to the Alamo Bowl. And this game finished in quite dramatic fashion.

With 1:58 remaining, Washington State trailed 31-24 and took over at its own 30-yard line. A sack and an intentional grounding quickly backed the Cougars up to face a third-and-21 at their own 19-yard line. Washington State converted and managed to march down the field but then faced a fourth-and-3 at the Oregon 30 with just 13 seconds remaining. The Cougars gained 22 yards through the air, converting the first down, and with no timeouts left, hurried up to the 8-yard line to spike the ball. On its next play, Washington State scored with just one second remaining to tie the game and force overtime, where it would go on to win.

If any of those events unfolded differently, Stanford doesn’t play in the Pac-12 Championship game and heads to San Antonio, not Pasadena.

Oct. 15, 2015: Christian McCaffrey bursts onto the stage

Stanford, CA - October 15, 2015: Christian McCaffrey during the Stanford vs UCLA football game at Stanford Stadium. The Cardinal defeated the Bruins 56-35.
Sophomore running back Christian McCaffrey (middle) broke a school record when he rushed for 243 yards against then-No. 18 UCLA, leading Stanford to a 56-35 victory. The Heisman candidate and AP Player of the Year also broke the national record for most all-purpose yards in a season during the Pac-12 Championship Game. (JIM SHORIN/stanfordphoto.com)

Stanford’s 56-35 win over then-No. 18 UCLA obviously helped a great deal in pushing Stanford to the Rose Bowl, but it was a game in which Stanford was largely expected to win. More importantly, sophomore sensation and AP Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey stepped up with his first truly transcendent performance of the season: He notched a school-record 243 rushing yards, tied a school record with 4 rushing touchdowns and finished just 10 yards short of the school record for all-purpose yards in a game. As we all know, McCaffrey would go on to have arguably the best season by any player in Stanford history – and statistically gain the most yards in college football history.

Including kickoff and punt return yardage, McCaffrey gained 50 percent – FIFTY PERCENT – of Stanford’s total yards this season. He led the team in rushing, receiving, kick return and punt return yards. He’s likely going to set the school record for most rushing yards in a season in the Rose Bowl. McCaffrey is undoubtedly the team’s most valuable player and, at least according to the Associated Press, the nation’s most valuable player.

Oct. 31, 2015: Stanford beats Washington State as the Cougars’ last-second field goal goes wide right

Pullman, WA -- October 31, 2015:  Stanford Cardinal defeat Washington State Cougars 30-28 at Martin Stadium.
Kevin Hogan (left) kept Stanford’s Rose Bowl chances alive in Pullman when he scored a 57-yard rushing touchdown, his second touchdown of the night, giving the Cardinal their first lead of the game at 27-22. The fifth-year senior led the Cardinal with 112 rushing yards. (BOB DREBIN/stanfordphoto.com)

Yet again, the Cougars helped the Cardinal remain atop the Pac-12. But this time, it was due to something the Cougars couldn’t do.

Stanford trailed by 12 at two different points in this game, including a 22-10 deficit late in the third quarter. Thanks to lifesaving performances by Hogan and freshman cornerback Quenton Meeks, who twice intercepted Cougars quarterback Luke Falk to set Stanford up in scoring position — including a pick with under four minutes to go and Stanford trailing by one — the Cardinal fought their way to a 30-28 lead. But with four seconds remaining, it sure didn’t seem like Stanford would come away with the victory.

Junior kicker Erik Powell had already had a career day, going 5-for-5 on field goals, including a 46-yarder and a 47-yarder. Now, Powell only needed to nail a 43-yard field goal – with the wind and rain having calmed down significantly from earlier that night – to give Washington State the victory and the lead in the Pac-12 North. Additionally, a Cougars’ win would have opened the door for Oregon, which ultimately would have won the division should Powell’s kick have sailed through the uprights.

Wide. Right.

Stanford’s playoff and Rose Bowl dreams lived on against the odds and the Cardinal remained two games above Oregon in the conference standings.

Nov. 14, 2015: Oregon beats Stanford to mostly end the Cardinal’s playoff hopes

Stanford, CA - November 14, 2015:  Stanford vs University of Oregon football game at Stanford Stadium. The Ducks prevailed over the Cardinal 38-36.
Stanford’s loss to the Ducks in November all but eliminated the Cardinal from Playoff consideration, but the team’s Rose Bowl hopes remained alive. (JIM SHORIN/stanfordphoto.com)

No team should ever be disappointed with a Rose Bowl season, but until the Ducks vanquished Stanford, the Cardinal knew they had a legitimate shot to make the Playoff should they win out. It wasn’t meant to be, as Stanford’s furious rally from a 12-point deficit fell just short due to two fourth-quarter mishandled snaps resulting in fumbles and an incomplete pass on a 2-point conversion that would have tied the game with 10 seconds to go.

Yet, unlike previous seasons, this game did not serve as the Pac-12 North title game. Due to Oregon’s two prior conference losses, Stanford hanged onto control of its Pac-12 destiny, just not its Playoff hopes.

Nov. 21, 2015: Cardinal clinch Pac-12 North with win over Cal

Stanford, CA - November 21, 2015:  Stanford vs University of California football game at Stanford Stadium. The Cardinal beat the Bears 35-22.
Stanford’s 35-22 win over Cal in the 118th Big Game secured the Cardinal’s berth in the Pac-12 Championship.(JIM SHORIN/stanfordphoto.com)

Make no mistake, Stanford remained the heavy favorite to win the North. And yet, the loss to Oregon opened the door slightly for the Ducks.

Stanford quickly shut the door, retaining The Axe for the sixth consecutive season and clinching the Pac-12 North behind yet another otherworldly performance from McCaffrey, who set a then-school record with 389 all-purpose yards.

Dec. 5, 2015: Stanford pounds USC 41-22 to win the Pac-12

Stanford, CA - December 5, 2015:  Stanford vs University of Southern California in the Pac-12 Championship football game at Levi's Stadium. The Cardinal defeated the Trojans 41-22.
Stanford beat the Trojans for the second time this season 41-22 to win the Pac-12 Championship and secure the Cardinal’s trip to the Rose Bowl, marking the third time in four years that Stanford will compete in The Grandaddy of Them All. (JIM SHORIN/stanfordphoto.com)

McCaffrey drove the Cardinal’s season and delivered in his best way on the biggest stage, churning out over 200 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards to go along with a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown on his way to the fifth-best all-purpose yardage performance in college football history. Though Stanford trailed 16-13 midway through the third quarter, it owned the first half and the final 20 minutes to clinch the conference championship win. As the only two-loss conference champion, the committee left Stanford out of the Playoff the following day, officially booking Stanford’s ticket to its third Rose Bowl in four years.

 

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Peterson: Stanford football, you made this college student’s decision the right one https://stanforddaily.com/2015/12/30/peterson-stanford-football-you-made-this-college-students-decision-the-right-one/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/12/30/peterson-stanford-football-you-made-this-college-students-decision-the-right-one/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2015 18:09:57 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1108691 Win or lose in the Rose Bowl, Friday will be the last time in a Stanford uniform for many members of Stanford’s 2012 recruiting class and all remaining members of the 2011 recruiting class.

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Win or lose in the Rose Bowl, Friday will be the last time in a Stanford uniform for many members of Stanford’s 2012 recruiting class and all remaining members of the 2011 recruiting class.

As a senior and member of Stanford’s 2012 “recruiting class” myself, that’s hard to fathom.

Weird as it might sound, Stanford football sort of “recruited” me, too. In choosing a college, I had two criteria: a good engineering program and a good football team. I didn’t apply to any schools that didn’t meet my criteria and I wrote one of my application essays on how I would never miss a home game and would be Stanford’s biggest fan – for the sake of media integrity, I decline to follow up on my success in living up to the biggest fan promise.

At the time, I checked up on Stanford’s roster and 2012 recruiting class to find out the players that would represent my school during my time there and ultimately evaluate how successful I thought the team would be during my four years. I came to the conclusion that Stanford offered the better engineering program and USC offered the best next-four-years football experience – shows you what I knew – and settled on Stanford anyways.

I thought that wins and losses would determine the value of my undergraduate college football experience, that being 10-2 and winning the conference would always be a better experience than being 7-5.

And I was dead wrong.

Don’t misunderstand me here, watching a winning team is great. Three Rose Bowls in four years as an undergraduate? I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Very few people in life will be able to say they watched their football team play in three Rose Bowls.

What I didn’t understand at the time was the value of the journey and the value of watching a team you can truly be proud of, on and off the field.

In my time at Stanford, I’ve had the pleasure of watching the journey and growth of so many players whom I can be proud to have representing me and my university.

I watched as Kevin Hogan fought the unfair shadow of Andrew Luck to lead Stanford to even higher heights than Luck did. Then in 2014, I learned of the terrible tragedy Hogan dealt with throughout his entire time at Stanford – his father’s cancer and eventual passing in December of 2014. Through it all, Hogan never failed to lead his teammates on the field or to give them his all.

It wasn’t the fact that Stanford beat Notre Dame that made the 2015 victory so special. It was watching Hogan, in his last act at Stanford stadium, lead his team against the odds to a win over the school that meant so much to him, his father and his entire family. It was witnessing Hogan’s Stanford journey conclude in the finest of ways, a storybook ending to the career of a man who never let any adversity prevent him from giving his all to the university which gave him the opportunity to play football.

I watched as Blake Martinez grew from a lightly-recruited player in high school who wasn’t offered by his home-state schools – Arizona and Arizona State – into an All-American linebacker and captain of the defense.

I watched as Ronnie Harris, who had only three career starts entering 2015, happily embraced the role of experienced veteran and captained a young secondary, leading them by example in every facet of the game on and off the field.

I watched Kyle Murphy and Josh Garnett take on the responsibility of leading the offensive line and challenging it to grow from its mediocre 2014 performance into the next great version of the Tunnel Workers Union – a feat they accomplished and then some, arguably becoming the greatest offensive line Stanford has ever had.

I watched Rollins Stallworth, Craig Jones, Conrad Ukropina and others walk onto the football team and through hard work not only earn scholarships but play significant roles in the team’s fortunes this season.

Even though I’m breaking from my theme of discussing seniors, I also had the honor of watching Christian McCaffrey represent Stanford in the finest way possible at the Heisman Trophy proceedings in 2015, handling the frenzy and result with class, intelligence and a smile.

It’s players and moments like these that I’ll remember 20 years down the road. It’s because of these guys and similar student-athletes among all Stanford Athletics programs that I support Stanford Athletics with pride. The wins and success that abound through Stanford Athletics just add to the fun.

I might be cheating and returning for one last round at Stanford with a co-term year, but for many of these seniors, they will be finished this Friday at the Rose Bowl.

So here’s to Kevin Anderson, to Brendon Austin, to Devon Cajuste, to Josh Garnett, to Ronnie Harris, to Kevin Hogan, to Blake Martinez, to Kyle Murphy, to Ra’Chard Pippens, to Torsten Rotto, to Brennan Scarlett, to Aziz Shittu, to Rollins Stallworth, to Kodi Whitfield, to Remound Wright and to anyone else who might be playing their final game in a Stanford uniform on Friday. You made this student’s college decision the right one.

 

Michael Peterson never did get to suit up as seventh-string Stanford quarterback as he always hoped to during his four years on The Farm, but he’ll have to make do with the knowledge that he was the voice of a Rose Bowl season and will always be an IM sports legend. Contact him at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Christian McCaffrey’s top 10 plays of the 2015 season https://stanforddaily.com/2015/12/10/christian-mccaffreys-top-10-plays-of-the-2015-season/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/12/10/christian-mccaffreys-top-10-plays-of-the-2015-season/#respond Thu, 10 Dec 2015 10:37:29 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1108469 Stanford sophomore running back Christian McCaffrey had quite the season full of highlights on his way to an invitation to the Heisman ceremony in New York. With the Heisman Trophy set to be awarded this Saturday, take a look back at some of the top plays from McCaffrey’s season.   Madden in real life: Forty-nine-yard […]

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Stanford sophomore running back Christian McCaffrey had quite the season full of highlights on his way to an invitation to the Heisman ceremony in New York. With the Heisman Trophy set to be awarded this Saturday, take a look back at some of the top plays from McCaffrey’s season.

 

  1. Madden in real life: Forty-nine-yard screen pass touchdown catch vs. California

Any Heisman highlight film for McCaffrey must feature this play, which demonstrates every facet of McCaffrey’s game as a runner and a receiver.

McCaffrey takes a screen pass in the backfield and before he can even turn his head completely around, he’s hit and wrapped up by a linebacker, who was all over the play. McCaffrey shows off his strength by staying upright and running through the tackle.

Then, 280-pound defensive tackle James Looney gets two hands on him and appears to be in position to bring him down. The 205-pound McCaffrey keeps his legs churning and escapes the tackle. Despite all the hard work, McCaffrey has only made it back to the line of scrimmage at this point.

Now, it’s all about McCaffrey’s ability to change direction. With linebacker Hardy Nickerson racing in from the right side, McCaffrey slows to a stop before jumping to the right, avoiding any contact with Nickerson, who lunges by him without laying a hand on him.

It’s off to the races for McCaffrey, whose acceleration sends him flying by the defenders who were once at his side. Again, the change of direction — this time with a single firm planting of the left foot — sends Cal safety Griffin Piatt sprawling to the ground and McCaffrey moving back to the middle of the field.

With about 27 yards to the endzone, McCaffrey recognizes he’s miles ahead of just about everyone except for two final players, corners Darius Allensworth and Darius White. He patiently follows the blocking of his receivers, Michael Rector and Francis Owusu, before making one final cut to the right side and plunging into the endzone.

Vision, acceleration, change of direction, strength — it’s all on display for McCaffrey here. As my colleague Vihan Lakshman said on the KZSU call of this play, this was Madden-style moves happening in real life.

https://youtu.be/M8kVQXdp3aY?t=52s

 

  1. The #WildCaff is born: Seventy-yard cutback touchdown run vs. UCLA

Oct. 15, 2015 will forever live on as the night on which the #WildCaff legend was truly born.

McCaffrey put on a show with a school-record 243 rushing yards and a school-record 4 rushing touchdowns, possibly the best single performance of the college football season to that point against the nation’s No. 18 team. And a large portion of that performance came from McCaffrey’s duties as the Wildcat quarterback.

Twice, McCaffrey took a snap directly out of the Wildcat, with no motion whatsoever, and took the carry into the endzone, including a 9-yard score and this 70-yard score.

For that third-quarter 70-yard score, the sophomore initially followed his blocking left. The play appeared slow to develop, but all of a sudden, McCaffrey planted his left foot, pivoted, hit the turbo button and exploded through the huge hole that had opened on the right side. From there, it was all about breakaway speed — no one was catching him at the 5-yard line this time.

Back in his days as an assistant coach, David Shaw talked about how he teaches running backs to deal with cutbacks.

“We teach our backs that sometimes, a giant cutback lane will open on the backside A gap, if they see it they should take it, but they shouldn’t be looking for it all the time,” Shaw said. “It’s like a $20 bill. If you are walking down the block and see a $20, you should take it, but if you spend your whole life walking around looking at the ground hoping to see a $20 bill, you’ll get hit by a bus.”

Well, McCaffrey saw a $100 bill, picked it up and ran away before the bus even turned the corner. And just like that, the #WildCaff was born.

 

  1. The Swiss army knife: touchdown throws

All season long, McCaffrey’s calling card has been his versatility — this week, he was named the Paul Hornung Award winner as the nation’s most versatile player. He can run the ball between the tackles and outside of the tackles, he can take passes out of the backfield and lined up in the slot, he can return kicks and punts, he can run the option and he can run the Wildcat. Yet, the one tool missing from his resume was the ability to throw. Against Colorado, we found out he has that one too.

Despite Stanford already owning a 35-10 lead, Stanford whipped out a new play from the playbook. Hogan pitches the ball to McCaffrey who’s running right on the halfback option. McCaffrey sells the run, then quickly pulls the ball up into a throwing motion before throwing the ball with perfect touch over the Colorado defense and into the waiting arms of Austin Hooper, who takes it into the endzone.

Against USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game, McCaffrey took the ball from a pitch on the reverse while running right. Still moving to the right, McCaffrey sends a beautiful throw to Kevin Hogan in stride for another touchdown pass.

Quite literally, Christian McCaffrey can do it all. His quarterback rating also happens to be higher than DeShaun Watson’s, the Clemson quarterback named a Heisman finalist.

 

  1. Hei5man: Kick-return touchdown vs. California

At this point in the season, the Heisman campaign for McCaffrey was already in full swing. Despite another 7:30 p.m. start time, McCaffrey gave another Heisman-worthy performance to continue vaulting his name up the charts.

The major component missing from his resume was the lack of a kick-return touchdown despite taking kicks back all season long –- he had returned two kicks over 60 yards already, but neither finished in the endzone. Against Cal, that bullet point found its way onto the Heisman resume.

With under a minute left in the second quarter, McCaffrey obliterated the need for the two-minute drill offense by taking the lane given to him by his blockers and showing off superb breakaway speed. He initially took the kick up the middle but kicked out to the right sideline while breaking an arm tackle. From there, it was all about the speed as McCaffrey outraced everyone on his way to a 98-yard kick return touchdown.

The touchdown largely contributed to another school-record performance, this time with 389 all-purpose yards, the record which McCaffrey again broke in the Pac-12 Championship against USC.

https://youtu.be/M8kVQXdp3aY?t=1m36s

 

  1. Who you gonna call? Sixty-seven-yard catch vs. USC in the Pac-12 Championship

For the first (and only) time, Stanford trailed USC in the Pac-12 Championship. The Trojans scored a touchdown to take a 16-13 lead with just over three minutes left in the third quarter. The Stanford offense had sputtered so far in the second half, with just a combined 22 yards on its two drives. On the other side, the USC offense scored back-to-back touchdowns to open the half. Momentum had swung squarely in the Trojans favor, and Levi’s Stadium was rocking for USC.

Stanford had only thrown the ball eight times thus far all game, as opposed to 38 runs. Yet facing a third-and-six, it was absolutely a passing down. With the season on the line, needing to give its defense a breather and retake some momentum, who did Stanford call upon? The #WildCaff.

McCaffrey ran the angle route out of the backfield, shook off linebacker Olajuwon Tucker with a single cut and made the catch in stride right at the first-down marker. From there, it was off to the races.

He cut in-and-out while waiting for Devon Cajuste to come in and deliver a monster block on USC safety Chris Hawkins. Because he waited for the block, USC cornerback Kevin Seymour caught up and made a shoestring tackle to keep McCaffrey out of the endzone, dragging him down at the 6-yard line.

Stanford’s favorite matchup all season long has been an opposing linebacker on McCaffrey, and it paid off yet again with the season on the line.

McCaffrey finished with 207 rushing yards, 105 receiving yards and a grand total of 461 all-purpose, a school-record and the fifth-best total in FBS history, not to mention a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown. Oh, and he broke the 27-year-old record of 1988 Heisman winner Barry Sanders for the most all-purpose yards in a single season in college football history, while needing seven fewer touches to do it.

 

  1. McClutch: Tiptoeing 30-yard run down the sideline at Washington State

With 3:27 remaining, Stanford trailed Washington State by one and had just taken over at the Cougars’ 39-yard line after Quenton Meeks’ interception. However, the Cardinal had struggled to move the ball on offense all day – to that point, the Cardinal had managed just 275 yards of offense, their lowest total since the season opener at Northwestern.

Stanford runs Power to the left side and there didn’t appear to be much room. McCaffrey was first hit at the 38-yard line and should have been brought down for a short gain. He immediately escapes a second tackle aimed at his legs, all while accelerating into the second level of the defense.

Starting at the Washington State 34-yard line, McCaffrey tiptoes down the sideline with incredible speed. He breaks another diving arm tackle at the 25-yard line and manages to stay inbounds while stumbling forward in reacting to the attempted tackle. Finally, McCaffrey is spun down at the 9-yard line.

If McCaffrey is stopped at the line of scrimmage, as most running backs would have been, who knows whether Stanford marches down the field to put Conrad Ukropina in good enough position to hit the game-winning field goal. Without that field goal, Stanford doesn’t win the Pac-12 North.

 

  1. Sometimes-I’m-not-down-at-the-one-yard-line McCaffrey: UCLA touchdown runs

All season long, it seemed like McCaffrey had the propensity to fall just short of the endzone on his runs. When you have Remound Wright, arguably the nation’s best goal-line back, in the wings, it’s not a problem. Even still, though, McCaffrey made a statement by finishing with a school-record 4 rushing touchdowns against UCLA

McCaffrey finished three chances on runs starting in UCLA territory.

First, McCaffrey showed off his own ability to be a power runner, pushing through his own blocker, Bryce Love, and UCLA corner Jaleel Wadood (who later became more infamous as the victim of “The Catch”) at the 1-yard line to plow into the endzone from a 9-yard run out of the Wildcat.

Just six minutes later in the second quarter, McCaffrey took the handoff out of the I-formation and raced through the wide-open lane created by his blockers to sneak into the left side of the endzone untouched for a 28-yard score.

After the 70-yard score that stands at No. 3 in this list, McCaffrey scored his fourth and final touchdown on another handoff out of the I-formation, this time running right. McCaffrey sailed right into the lane created by his blockers and again absorbed contact again at the 1-yard line to plunge into the endzone.

This game and performance put McCaffrey on the national map for the first time, despite yet another 7:30 p.m. start time.

 

  1. Running back or receiver? Fifty-yard touchdown catch vs. Washington

The only FBS player to lead his team in both rushing and receiving yards, McCaffrey put on a show against Washington, finishing with over 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards for the first time in his career.

In the third quarter, McCaffrey ran a wheel right down the right side of the field, blowing through the zone coverage in the flat, making the catch in stride and not losing a step in breaking a final tackle before strutting down the sideline and into the endzone for a 50-yard score.

Though Derrick Henry, the other running back named as a Heisman finalist, might be able to stake claim as the best true running back in the nation — though McCaffrey finished with an equivalent yards per carry average and just 139 less rushing yards — McCaffrey certainly separates himself from Henry when it comes to serving as a receiving threat out of the backfield. McCaffrey finished the season with 540 receiving yards in comparison to Henry’s 97.

 

  1. Off to the races: UCLA 96-yard kick return

McCaffrey largely struggled returning kicks over the first few games before breaking out a 67-yard return the previous week against Arizona. However, this return truly marked his entrance into college football as one of the best kick returners in the nation.

McCaffrey found the lane created for him by his blockers and kicked out to the left sideline at the perfect time. He wasn’t quite able to outrace UCLA kicker Kaimi Fairbairn — if you were averaging 269 all-purpose yards per game, you’d get tired too — for the score and was dragged down inside the 10-yard line.

McCaffrey finished the game with 369 all-purpose yards, just 10 shy of what was then the school-record held by Glyn Milburn.

 

  1. Goodnight, Marvell Tell: Fifty-yard run vs. USC in the Pac-12 Championship

Among the plethora of long runs to choose from, McCaffrey’s 50-yard scamper against the Trojans stands out for the way he made USC safety Marvell Tell completely whiff.

On Stanford’s first drive of the second quarter, McCaffrey takes a first-and-10 carry behind the right guard, splitting the nose tackle and linebacker and speeding into open space. With Tell standing directly in front of him, McCaffrey fakes to the right and cuts slightly to the left, all while maintaining his forward momentum to burst past the defenders at either side. That slight change of direction sends Tell sliding by McCaffrey to the ground without even putting a hand on McCaffrey, enabling him to sprint for another 35 yards before he’s pushed out of bounds after a gain of 50.

McCaffrey’s elite ability to change direction while maintaining speed propelled him to plays just like this all season long.

 

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

 

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Wednesday roundtable: How realistic are Cardinal’s Playoff chances? https://stanforddaily.com/2015/11/25/wednesday-roundtable-how-realistic-are-cardinals-playoff-chances/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/11/25/wednesday-roundtable-how-realistic-are-cardinals-playoff-chances/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2015 10:15:36 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1108061 With two games remaining before the College Football Playoff selection committee releases the bowl matchups, Stanford sits at No. 9 in the committee’s rankings, tops among all Pac-12 teams. Though all other Power Five conferences have at least one team ranked higher, Stanford still has an outside shot at the Playoff — statistical analysis website […]

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With two games remaining before the College Football Playoff selection committee releases the bowl matchups, Stanford sits at No. 9 in the committee’s rankings, tops among all Pac-12 teams. Though all other Power Five conferences have at least one team ranked higher, Stanford still has an outside shot at the Playoff — statistical analysis website FiveThirtyEight gives the Cardinal a 16 percent chance to make it. How realistic is Stanford’s shot at making the Playoff?

Michael Peterson: Don’t get your hopes up for the Playoff, Stanford fans. First things first, Stanford has to beat Notre Dame and beat the Pac-12 South champion. From a pure statistical approach, odds are Stanford doesn’t even win out.

Stanford needs multiple results to go its way in each conference in order to have an argument. In the SEC, Florida would need to lose to Florida State then beat Alabama, or Ole Miss would need to win the conference. In the Big 12, both Oklahoma and Baylor need to lose, and even then it’s questionable with one-loss Oklahoma State. In the ACC, Stanford might have an argument against one-loss ACC Champion North Carolina, but to be sure it would need to have North Carolina finish with two losses and still win the ACC. I could keep going on about the different scenarios, but they start to become even more ludicrous and unlikely. Stanford’s best shot involves the SEC being completely shut out of the Playoff — that’s a scary thought.

Point is, the Playoff is a long shot. Should Stanford win out, it will more than likely finish ranked fifth, which I unknowingly wrote about before the season. But that’s perfectly okay.

If I told you that Stanford could make a Rose Bowl after it was 0-1 with an offense that scored just six points against Northwestern, would you be mad? If I told you before the season that Stanford would lose to Oregon and still win the Pac-12 North, would you be sad that the team just controls its Rose Bowl hopes and not its Playoff hopes? Perspective, perspective, perspective. To even be talking about a playoff possibility is a luxury.

Stanford fans, hope desperately for a Rose Bowl appearance, and should Stanford wake up on Dec. 6 with a spot in the top four, be deliriously surprised.

 

Winston Shi: I agree with Michael that the odds of Stanford making the Playoff are really low. I also believe that if we’re complaining about a scenario where Stanford controls its Rose Bowl destiny, we’re on the road to being Oregon, and nobody wants to be Oregon. But for the sake of argument, let’s do some calculations.

Chaos in the ACC – Clemson loses to both South Carolina and North Carolina. The Tigers would still be in the Playoff over Stanford if they beat USC and lose to UNC unless the Tar Heels annihilate them, and they would almost certainly be in the Playoff if they beat UNC and lose to USC. FSU is only ranked No. 13, so it will not jump Stanford. (10 percent x 35 percent)

Chaos in the B1G – It’s tough to imagine the B1G getting shut out of the playoff in favor of the Cardinal. In any Pac 12-Big Ten argument with equal-loss teams, despite Utah’s win over Michigan, the Pac-12 has the two big anchors of Stanford’s loss to Northwestern and Oregon’s loss to Michigan State. Moreover there is no way that the Big Ten champ emerges with three losses. Unless Stanford bombs Notre Dame back to the Stone Age, you’re basically hoping that:

      a) Iowa loses to Nebraska, wins the conference championship and gets utterly hammered by the committee, even as a one-loss team, for losing to the Huskers (unlikely, given that Nebraska would be a 10-win team if they’d executed in close losses)

      b) Michigan, the only potential two-loss Big Ten champ ranked below Stanford, wins the conference championship. You’d be asking for Penn State over Michigan State and Michigan over Ohio State and then Iowa. Plus the committee would have to pick Stanford over Michigan — and that, I’d say, is a coin flip. (35 percent x 45 percent x 55 percent x 50 percent)

Chaos in the SEC – There’s only one way: Three-loss Ole Miss is the conference champion. A two-loss SEC champ, even with a very unimpressive set of close wins against bad teams (Florida), would make the playoff. So basically, you’re hoping for Ole Miss to beat Mississippi State, Auburn to beat Alabama, and Ole Miss to beat Florida. (70 percent x 15 percent x 40 percent).

Chaos in the B12 A one-loss Oklahoma State, with wins over Oklahoma and TCU, gets the nod over Stanford, which would have better wins but two losses. Regardless of who wins Bedlam, the Big 12 is getting into the Playoff unless Oklahoma gets utterly and irredeemably jobbed by the refs (and we are talking Colorado Fifth Down levels of being jobbed) in a close loss to Oklahoma State. Also, Baylor would need to lose to TCU. The Frogs might well beat the Bears, but the first condition…nah. (All together, 1 percent)

Quick back-of-the-envelope calculation: Stanford has a 10.49 percent chance of making the Playoff.

That’s actually better than I thought. It’s still not great. But there’s hope. (Forget for a moment that it’s the hope that crushes you in the end.)

 

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu and Winston Shi at wshi94 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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The hero Stanford deserves: Ronnie Harris carries Stanford with energy, leadership https://stanforddaily.com/2015/11/05/the-hero-stanford-deserves-ronnie-harris-carries-stanford-with-energy-leadership/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/11/05/the-hero-stanford-deserves-ronnie-harris-carries-stanford-with-energy-leadership/#respond Thu, 05 Nov 2015 10:28:27 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1106346 “A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy’s shoulders to let him know that the world hadn’t ended.” When Batman uttered those words to police commissioner Jim Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” it spoke to more than just […]

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“A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy’s shoulders to let him know that the world hadn’t ended.”

When Batman uttered those words to police commissioner Jim Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” it spoke to more than just Gordon’s comforting of Bruce Wayne as a young child. It spoke to the idea, demonstrated in full by Batman, that no extraordinary capabilities are necessary to be a hero.

Like Batman, Stanford football’s fifth-year senior cornerback Ronnie Harris carries no superpowers, but each day he strives to be the hero Stanford deserves – both literally and figuratively.

“Everything he wears is Batman,” said senior linebacker Blake Martinez. “I think he’s got a Batman girdle. If he could, he would have Batman pants and a jersey and everything. He’s crazy.”

“You go in his room and he’s got Batman stuff everywhere,” added senior center Graham Shuler. “He’ll tell you he’s the Batman.”

Though he was dubbed Batman by his teammates for his obsession with the superhero, Harris shares more similarities with the Dark Knight than first meet the eye.

“Batman really doesn’t have any superpowers, but he’s very aware of his surroundings, very aware of his body,” Harris said. “He knows how to take on evil. For me, evil is any other team we’re facing. I know I’m not the biggest guy, the strongest guy, the fastest guy, but I got a lot of utilities in my utility belt that I like to use sometimes. The Dark Knight. A lot of people don’t know about me so I like being in the shadows and making plays.”

This season, those utilities have been anywhere but in the shadows.

After losing five players with significant starting experience from last season with the departures of Alex Carter, Jordan Richards, Wayne Lyons, Kyle Olugbode and Zach Hoffpauir, Stanford essentially flashed the Bat-Signal to the skies in search of secondary help.

And Harris came to the rescue.

Harris has done more than his fair share in stepping up as a No. 1 corner for the defense, routinely matching up and succeeding against some of the best receivers in the country like JuJu Smith-Schuster of USC, Jordan Payton of UCLA and Gabe Marks of Washington State.

“I would say I’m a lot more comfortable this year,” Harris said. “The game’s slowing down tremendously for me. I’m trusting my feet. I feel like I’m at 100-percent body-wise. I’m just listening to my great defensive backs coach, Coach Akina. He drills me and drills me and drills me, it’s perfect.”

Thanks in large part to the play of Harris, who leads the Pac-12 with 10 pass breakups, Stanford has limited opposing quarterbacks to a pass efficiency rating of just 114.8, the second-best mark in the conference. Considering that Stanford’s opponents have mostly been trailing and needing to throw the ball so far this season, that’s no small feat.

“[Harris] has really delved into the fundamentals and techniques of the game but also the intellectual side of the game,” said defensive backs coach Duane Akina. “Understanding splits, understanding receiver tendencies, understanding down-and-distance tendencies, formation tendencies, just trying to play the percentages in the game to give him a little bit of a shortcut.

“He’s always had such great energy. Now he’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s really been playing well. I think it just kind of oozes into the rest of the team.”

Voted a team captain at the start of the year, Harris’ leadership has also been on full display this season, whether it’s breaking down the team huddles, leading the team’s “C-House” chants postgame, instructing a young secondary or leading by example in practices and team meetings.

“He asks everyone else to bring it all the time, but he does bring it every single day,” said fifth-year receiver Devon Cajuste. “He goes 100 percent every single day. Since he’s been out here – Coach Shaw can vouch for me, anyone can vouch for me – there’s not a day that he does not bring it.

“He leads by example and not just by voice. The fact that he is a combination of both, it’s something awesome.”

“He could have had one hour of sleep last night and he’s coming out here and giving it his all,” Martinez added. “That just kind of flows through every single person on the defense. We’re going to bring ourselves to that next level just because he doesn’t lower his standards ever.”

The stories of Harris’ leadership are practically endless.

He once made the required time on an offseason sprint despite starting from much farther away – he was getting water — because he was throwing up. He attends special teams’ meetings and answers the questions posed by the coaches despite not even playing on special teams this season. He screams and runs across the practice field to congratulate his young secondary counterparts when they make plays in practice. He’s referred to as “Coach Harris.” Of course, he’s also the one who convinced David Shaw into showing his emotions during games, a noted change for the usually stoic Shaw.

His teammates identify him as the “spark” of the team.

“There were plenty of times when I’ll come out here or a teammate will come out here having a bad day and Ronnie will just come over and yell, ‘Hey, hey it’s practice time right now, you can’t be sad! We only get to do this one time a day!’” Cajuste said. “Just something like that, very motivating, that just uplifts you and makes you remember that you can’t play this game forever. You only get one time during this day and it could be your last time.

“He’s a little fireball, I love it.”

On a team historically captained by behemoths like 6-foot-3, 245-pound Shayne Skov, 6-foot-5, 267-pound Trent Murphy, 6-foot-4, 240-pound Andrew Luck and more, it’s especially striking that the 5-foot-10, 172-pound Harris – the second smallest player on the team’s roster – has stepped into the lineage of Stanford leaders.

However, his dedication and attitude make it clear why he earned the captaincy.

“Now that he’s grown up a lot, when he speaks up, his teammates listen, they trust him, they follow him, they believe him,” added head coach David Shaw. “He’s got a skill. Part of it is just what you come with and it’s been nurtured and he’s done a phenomenal job with it. He’s one of those guys that whatever he does after he leaves here he’s going to be a leader.”

“Ronnie a lot of times is taking 19 or 20 units in the offseason, trying to catch up and stay on top of his school stuff,” Shuler said. “It’s just absolutely wild, to come out here with a guy like that who’s getting less sleep than everybody and is the one still standing, the one pushing people, the one holding everybody to the high standard. That’s Ronnie Harris and that’s always Ronnie Harris.”

Just as Batman believes that compassion is what separates him from his enemies, Harris spares no expense when it comes to caring for his teammates, whether it’s through encouragement, support or even cooking meals for teammates.

“Ronnie has been by my side through every family thing I’ve gone through, through everything,” Shuler said. “He’s just beyond a class-act guy. He sat there and cried with me and had his arm around me. I’ve had my rough patches in my development here. My sophomore year, another time, I was just having a really rough time. He put his arm around me. He just started talking to me and speaking life into me. That’s what Ronnie does. He just speaks life into me all the time, in ways I don’t even notice sometimes but in our everyday interactions.”

“He’s the most energetic, uplifting individual that we have on this field for sure,” Cajuste mentioned. “He’s a warm light that if you come around it’s always brightening up your day no matter what.”

“He’s Joe Cool. He’s like a big brother,” added sophomore cornerback Alijah Holder.

Palo Alto may not be Gotham and the “evil” Stanford faces differs greatly from the villains of superhero stories, but to his teammates and coaches, it’s clear who Ronnie Harris is: He’s the watchful guardian, the protector, the caretaker. The Batman.

“I don’t know all the stories behind that thing, but I’ll tell you it’s got something with being quick and intelligent and being able to take on as many guys as you need to and outsmart them and outleverage them and do all those different things you see Batman do. I’m cool to call him that,” Shuler said.

 

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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With Oregon State looming, Stanford looks past emotional USC victory https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/24/with-oregon-state-looming-stanford-looks-past-emotional-usc-victory/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/24/with-oregon-state-looming-stanford-looks-past-emotional-usc-victory/#respond Thu, 24 Sep 2015 07:07:31 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1103725 Stanford football faces a tough task this week in heading to Corvallis – a place which has historically caused the Cardinal some trouble – to face Oregon State while also dealing with the first week of school, having a shorter week of practice, and trying to move past an emotional win. To top it off, […]

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Stanford football faces a tough task this week in heading to Corvallis – a place which has historically caused the Cardinal some trouble – to face Oregon State while also dealing with the first week of school, having a shorter week of practice, and trying to move past an emotional win.

(CRAIG MITCHELLDYER/stanfordphoto.com)
Senior safety Kodi Whitfield (center) was one of the many Stanford players originally from Southern California who particularly relished the team’s win over USC, as several of these players’ former high school teammates currently play for USC. (CRAIG MITCHELLDYER/stanfordphoto.com)

To top it off, Stanford could be without starting quarterback and reigning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week Kevin Hogan, who may be a game-time decision with a sprained ankle.

Hogan has started in 35 straight games for Stanford and thrown 886 passes in his career. The two men vying to replace him in case of an injury, sophomore Keller Chryst and junior Ryan Burns, have a combined total of two attempted passes.

However, head coach David Shaw and Stanford are fully confident in the team no matter who plays under center against the Beavers.

“They’re young quarterbacks,” Shaw said. “They get you really excited about their potential. You try and push them towards that potential every day. Both guys have a chance to be very good. Both guys are on the verge of being ready. We’ll see if we have to see how ready this Friday.”

“It doesn’t matter who we have out there, everyone has their job and the assignments stay the same,” said senior offensive tackle Kyle Murphy about potential adjustments the line would need to make if Hogan can’t play. “I’m fully confident in everyone on our team to do the job. Whoever has to be called up will be ready at any position.”

Additionally, Stanford will most likely be without another one of its team captains in fifth-year senior outside linebacker Kevin Anderson, who has been bothered by an undisclosed injury. Anderson leads the team with 2.5 tackles for loss and is second with 20 tackles.

The Cardinal will be boosted by the return of senior defensive end Nate Lohn and sophomore inside linebacker Bobby Okereke. Lohn was held out of Saturday’s game against USC due to injury while Okereke was cleared to play towards the end of last week but still sat out the USC game. Both should see the field against the Beavers.

***

Though a victory over a top-10 foe is special to all participants, Saturday’s win over USC felt especially sweet to a few members of the Cardinal who grew up in Southern California.

Junior guard David Bright, who saw extensive action as an extra lineman in the win, attended Mater Dei High School in Orange County, one of the hotbeds of talent that feeds the USC pipeline.

“It was a great experience, probably honestly one of the best days of my life so far,” Bright said. “I just loved it and enjoyed it, and to be able to do that in front of my friends and my family down there and carry that win with me until next year is awesome.”

Kyle Murphy, who went to San Clemente High School in Orange County, faced three former classmates on USC’s roster. Like nearly every Southern California football player, he also grew up following USC football.

“Obviously that’s a huge game every year, especially going down to the Coliseum,” Murphy added. “They’re always a great team – year in and year out one of the most talented teams in the country.

“Particularly being from SoCal I kind of grew up a USC fan – most people down there do especially because there’s no pro team down in Los Angeles. That was a huge win in front of tons of family and friends and just in front of the whole scene of the Coliseum with the people and the torch.”

Senior safety Kodi Whitfield not only faced three former teammates from Loyola High School, but he also directly matched up with several friends who lined up at receiver. Of the 18 receivers on USC’s roster, 14 went to high school in Southern California.

“It’s huge. It’s always huge to play down in LA specifically,” Whitfield said. “It’s funny because the Coliseum is probably ten minutes tops from my high school, because you can just go straight down Venice. But knowing all those guys too, sure there’s some innocent trash talk going back and forth, but to come out on top against the hometown team just feels great.”

“I knew a couple of the receivers too so even getting those 1-on-1 matchups was stressful cause I was like, ‘This is all my trash talk on the line.’”

Of course, the danger of an emotional win lies in focusing on it for too long. Whitfield acknowledged the need to move past the win and focus on the next opponent.

“The biggest thing is we can’t let that win be too big in our mind,” he said. “You have to attack each week with the same focus. You don’t want to win games that people say you’re not going to win and think it’s your Super Bowl.

“This week we came out focusing on Oregon State, but really the biggest thing is to play our best football each week no matter who’s in front of us.”

Stanford faces Oregon State at 7:30 p.m. this Friday on Fox Sports 1.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Peterson: OSU could be perfect trap game for Cardinal https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/23/peterson-osu-could-be-perfect-trap-game-for-cardinal/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/23/peterson-osu-could-be-perfect-trap-game-for-cardinal/#respond Thu, 24 Sep 2015 06:55:46 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1103739 As I took in the final moments of Stanford football’s win over USC, it was hard for me to determine which part of the victory was the sweetest: the deafening silence of the USC fans, the joy emanating from the Stanford sideline, the ability to proudly proclaim the Cardinal as kings of California, the trash […]

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As I took in the final moments of Stanford football’s win over USC, it was hard for me to determine which part of the victory was the sweetest: the deafening silence of the USC fans, the joy emanating from the Stanford sideline, the ability to proudly proclaim the Cardinal as kings of California, the trash talk I previously made now being validated or the pure schematic beauty of Stanford’s performance.

There was just so much that seemed right about that victory. The Cardinal’s immaculate execution rivaled that of Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. David Shaw and Mike Bloomgren’s play-calling turned from Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jekyll. The USC fan base became quieter than Marshawn Lynch at a press conference.

Admittedly, I grew up rooting for USC, and the last time I had been in the Coliseum, which was in 2010 to watch USC play Oregon, I was wearing a No. 10 Trojans jersey and a USC hat. Thus, you can imagine how this win was particularly special for me – and to loyal readers of The Daily who now desire my excommunication, I’ll reference you to Taylor Swift, who sang about how my mad love quickly changed to bad blood.

Even as the week moved on, I couldn’t stop watching highlights from the game or bothering my friends – particularly those from USC – with my ramble about how fantastic the game was.

I hadn’t felt this good about Stanford football since Nov. 7, 2013, right after Stanford beat Oregon.

Uh oh…

We all remember what happened after that monumental victory: Stanford went on the road to face a conference rival that it should have beaten and fell flat, earning its second loss and moving out of the national championship picture. We all also remember how that week was possibly the biggest emotional swing in recent Stanford football memory.

I’m not saying that 2015 Oregon State is 2013 USC – on paper, the former is certainly inferior to the latter – but I am of the opinion that this week’s matchup against the Beavers has “trap game” written all over it.

Like my inability to move past the glory of last week’s victory against USC, the Cardinal have historically struggled to move past emotional upset wins over top-ranked opponents to take on teams they should theoretically beat.

Since 2009, the Cardinal have been double-digit underdogs only four times and have won all four games, quite an outstanding feat. A lesser-known stat is that in the weeks immediately following the three upsets prior to this weekend’s win against USC, Stanford lost twice, to Cal in 2009 after beating USC and to USC in 2013 after beating Oregon – both games that Stanford entered as the favorite.

Moving past an emotional win in a game you weren’t even supposed to be competing in is no easy task, especially when the next opponent doesn’t have the same allure. When you add in the fact that Stanford could be missing its quarterback in Kevin Hogan, is playing the game a day earlier than normal, is dealing with the first week of class and is traveling on the road to play in a feisty environment, it becomes significantly harder.

It’s hard to blame the Cardinal for reflecting on a big win. Who doesn’t want to think more about that game against USC? No offense to the Beavers, but it’s hard to mention them in the same breath as USC this season, which is expected to be a rebuilding year for Oregon State. A primetime game against USC certainly garners more excitement than a Friday-night matchup against a team that went 5-7 last season.

From the Beavers’ perspective, though, this is a chance for a young team with a brand-new coach to announce itself to the nation with a statement win against a rival. You can bet it’ll be fired up and ready to go.

But will Stanford? That’s the question that will ultimately determine the game’s outcome.

Stanford heads on the road to a raucous atmosphere to face a probably-overmatched-on-paper rival while coming off of an emotional, taxing win and dealing with injuries to key players.

Sure sounds like a trap game to me.

So far this season, we’ve seen the full range of emotion from the Cardinal. Against Northwestern, the team seemed complacent, lackadaisical and unmotivated. Against USC, those feelings changed to passion, confidence and hunger.

In order to avoid the trap and beat Oregon State, the Cardinal will need every ounce of that passion, confidence and hunger, even as 15.5-point favorites. If the Card can muster that same emotion, there’s no doubt in my mind that Stanford walks off the field as the victor, probably by a wide margin.

But if even a hint of the complacency that showed up on Week 1 is present, this game could prove to be yet another pitfall.

Proceed with caution, Cardinal fans.

Michael Peterson is more than ready to suit up for the Cardinal and play quarterback in case Kevin Hogan, Keller Chryst, Ryan Burns, Dallas Lloyd and Jay Tyler are all unable to do so on Friday. Tell Michael to keep dreaming big at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Football podcast: Stanford at OSU preview https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/23/football-podcast-stanford-at-osu-preview/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/23/football-podcast-stanford-at-osu-preview/#respond Thu, 24 Sep 2015 05:54:25 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1103783 How will No. 21 Stanford respond after its upset-win over USC? Will Oregon State be the much-dreaded loss-to-an-unranked-team that Stanford has often dropped after big wins? Or will the Cardinal run over the Beavers? Michael Peterson and Vihan Lakshman discuss in this week’s Stanford Football Insider Show.

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How will No. 21 Stanford respond after its upset-win over USC? Will Oregon State be the much-dreaded loss-to-an-unranked-team that Stanford has often dropped after big wins? Or will the Cardinal run over the Beavers? Michael Peterson and Vihan Lakshman discuss in this week’s Stanford Football Insider Show.

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Hogan misses practice Monday, may be game-time decision for OSU https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/22/hogan-misses-practice-monday-may-be-game-time-decision-for-osu/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/22/hogan-misses-practice-monday-may-be-game-time-decision-for-osu/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2015 07:55:14 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1103590 After suffering an ankle sprain against USC on Saturday, fifth-year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan did not practice on Monday and may be a game-time decision for Friday night’s game against Oregon State. “[Hogan] probably won’t practice until late in the week,” said head coach David Shaw. “I will not have an update for you until Friday and […]

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After suffering an ankle sprain against USC on Saturday, fifth-year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan did not practice on Monday and may be a game-time decision for Friday night’s game against Oregon State.

“[Hogan] probably won’t practice until late in the week,” said head coach David Shaw. “I will not have an update for you until Friday and maybe not even until Saturday, but it is an ankle sprain.”

On Stanford’s first drive of the second half, USC linebacker Anthony Sarao sacked Hogan on a third-and-11 play and in the process of dragging Hogan to the ground, Sarao rolled over Hogan’s ankle.

The injury appeared devastating on replay.

“I still can’t watch it,” Shaw said. “It looks worse than it was, it could have been really bad. No broken bones, it’s an ankle sprain, but it’s significant.”

Even though he suffered the injury early in the third quarter, Hogan played for the remainder of the game and wore a brace on his ankle.

“Adrenaline is something special on gameday,” Shaw added. “In his mind, he’s playing. We’re going to do the smart thing for him medically.”

If Hogan is unable to play, then either sophomore Keller Chryst or junior Ryan Burns will start in his place. Shaw would not reveal which quarterback is next in line for the starting job after Hogan, but he did indicate that he may have already made the decision.

“Some combination of Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns will be taking basically the majority of the reps all week,” Shaw said. “If Kevin’s ready to play on gameday, he’s going to play. If he can’t play then some combination of the two of those guys will play.”

Despite his inability to practice, Shaw has full confidence that Hogan will be mentally prepared for Oregon State and even mentioned the possibility that he could play in specific situations.

“We’re not talking about a kid here, we’re talking about a fifth-year senior who’s played a lot of football,” he added. “We filmed a lot of stuff today in our virtual reality that he’ll be able to go through and make sure he gets those visual reps.”

I’m not worried about him mentally or emotionally, it’s just physically. If he can do it he’ll play. There might be some of combination of maybe he can play but he can’t do everything, we’ll see how it goes.”

Stanford kicks off against Oregon State on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford in the NFL: Catching up with Andrew Luck https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/17/stanford-in-the-nfl-catching-up-with-andrew-luck/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/17/stanford-in-the-nfl-catching-up-with-andrew-luck/#respond Thu, 17 Sep 2015 10:56:21 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1103380 Though the pressure Luck faces no longer stems from Saturdays in Stanford Stadium, Stanford continues to have a major impact on Luck’s development.

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If Andrew Luck can do one thing, it’s to take a program from havoc and build it up to become something special.

That’s what he did at Stanford, leading the Cardinal, which during the two seasons prior to his arrival had gone 5-7 and 4-8, to the Sun, Orange and Fiesta Bowls. After being picked No. 1 overall in the 2012 NFL draft, he brought the 2-14 Colts back to its past glories of the Peyton Manning era, as Luck has led the team to three straight playoffs in his first three years in the NFL and has the Colts being called favorites to appear in — and perhaps win — the Super Bowl.

A major part of the reason the Colts have been featured in conversations about potential Super Bowl teams is Luck’s continued development as a passer. His completion percentage and passer rating have improved each year in the NFL, and last season he demolished his career-high in passing touchdowns with 40, 17 more than his previous high.

“I think you learn stuff every year and that obviously goes without saying, but it includes operationally and how you operate in training camp, how you take care of your body, your slate schedule,”  Luck said about his growth. “I’d like to think I’m a little more efficient with my time going into my fourth year and what we’re studying and the plan we have.”

Not only do the Colts return a majority of last year’s AFC runner-up, but the offense added veteran offensive weapons in running back Frank Gore and wide receiver Andre Johnson in free agency and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett in the first round of the NFL Draft. Along with Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, these new additions form the core of what certainly looks like the best offense Luck has ever had.

“It’s a bunch of great players,” Luck said. “I know it’s a bunch of good guys, a bunch of fun guys who are really good football players. I’m excited to get going with them.”

Because of his improvement and the talent-rich roster around him, Luck enters the season with what many see as the highest expectations he’s faced in the NFL. But he doesn’t see it quite that way.

“I think as an athlete, professional or not, you put pressure on yourself constantly,” he said. “So I don’t think the pressure is necessarily any different than it was my rookie year or sophomore year at Stanford or junior year.”

“You want to win. That’s part of it. Pressure can be a good thing as long as it’s not being dictated by factors outside of your coaches, your teammates, family and maybe close friends.”

Though the pressure Luck faces no longer stems from Saturdays in Stanford Stadium, Stanford continues to have a major impact on Luck’s development. Luck returned to campus this offseason to train with fellow Cardinal alums Zach Ertz, David DeCastro, Coby Fleener, Tyler Gaffney, and Ben Gardner.

“It’s great to go back. [Strength and conditioning] coach [Shannon] Turley in the weight room, Coach Shaw, they provide a locker room for us. It’s a great setting,” Luck said. “Why would you go to school there? It’s one of the same answers to that question. It’s a great place, it holds a special place in my heart and I love coming back.”

In addition to training with former Stanford teammate of his, Luck has had the chance to play with several Cardinal alumni on the Colts, including Coby Fleener, Griff Whalen and Delano Howell. This year, the Colts added former Cardinal Henry Anderson and David Parry in the NFL Draft to join Fleener, Whalen and Luck and give the Colts five Cardinal alums on the roster.

“It’s been awesome, it’s been really, really fun,” Luck said about playing with former Cardinal in Indianapolis. “Griff [Whalen] and I were roommates for three years in college. It’s a special relationship and it’s cool to continue…[Coby Fleener], I was with him for three years at Stanford and here for three years so it’s been a lot of fun. Henry [Anderson] and David [Parry], I remember them as freshmen in the locker room so it’s been great to see how they’ve grown now as rookies in the NFL. It’s special and I think we all have a great relationship.”

“But shoot we got five guys on the roster right now,” he added. “Delano Howell was here and had to retire because of an injury. We count Coach Pep [Hamilton] as an honorary alumnus. The more the Cardinal fans love the Colts the better.”

Luck and the Colts look for their first win of the season this Sunday against the New York Jets at 5:30 p.m.

Thanks to DIRECTV, The Daily’s Michael Peterson had a chance to catch up with Andrew Luck and discuss his time in the NFL and his reflections on Stanford. DIRECTV provides students the ultimate, affordable package for college students to watch all the NFL action every Sunday via their NFLST.TV service, which is available to college students for under $100.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Peterson: David Shaw faces immense coaching test over the next two weeks https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/09/peterson-david-shaw-faces-immense-coaching-test-over-the-next-two-weeks/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/09/peterson-david-shaw-faces-immense-coaching-test-over-the-next-two-weeks/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2015 07:58:34 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1103157 On paper, this Saturday’s Stanford-UCF matchup offers little excitement: two 0-1 teams with sporadic offenses coming off of stunning upset losses. And yet, despite the lack of apparent intrigue, this Saturday’s clash is arguably the most important game that David Shaw has ever coached. Over the past four years, Stanford football has faced several must-win […]

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On paper, this Saturday’s Stanford-UCF matchup offers little excitement: two 0-1 teams with sporadic offenses coming off of stunning upset losses.

And yet, despite the lack of apparent intrigue, this Saturday’s clash is arguably the most important game that David Shaw has ever coached.

Over the past four years, Stanford football has faced several must-win games. However, for the first time in his now five-season tenure, Shaw faces his very own must-win game – and it’s not even a Pac-12 Championship game or a Rose Bowl.

The aura of invincibility that surrounded the two-time conference coach of the year took a minor hit last season but mostly stayed intact after a successful three-game finish in which Shaw’s team looked every bit of the contender most thought it would be.

The loss at Northwestern to start the 2015 season, however, severely damaged that aura and restored doubts about the state of the team. A second straight loss to a double-digit underdog and Stanford’s first 0-2 start to a season since 2006 would completely shatter the invincibility.

Shaw doesn’t have the benefit that head coaches like Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern have: He wasn’t at the helm to create the success that he is now tasked to maintain. That success was started, of course, by Jim Harbaugh.

Harbaugh set the bar high for future head coaches at Stanford, and while Harbaugh’s recruits roamed the field, Shaw kept the high standards and even pushed them to new limits. Yet, as Harbaugh’s remaining effects on the program diminished, the Stanford program has perhaps descended from its peak – though that’s still to be determined.

In terms of recruiting star rankings, which admittedly are somewhat flawed, last year’s offense was the most talented Shaw ever had at his disposal to that point and was the first unit without anyone who played a snap under Harbaugh. Seven of the 2014 offense’s featured players – Andrus Peat, Ty Montgomery, Kyle Murphy, Josh Garnett, Devon Cajuste, Christian McCaffrey and Austin Hooper – were NFL draft picks or will be NFL draft picks in the future, while several more have the potential to be. Despite the talent, that group ranked as the second-worst offense in the Pac-12 and largely contributed to the team’s 8-5 record.

Now, an offense that has only ever seen Shaw as head coach features five of those seven players and adds at least two more future NFL draft picks – Dalton Schultz and Casey Tucker – to its core. There’s no question about the talent on offense, especially given that it is largely composed of Shaw’s famed 2012 recruiting class, possibly the best in school history. Still, it couldn’t even muster a touchdown against a team that finished 5-7 last season.

Don’t get me wrong, every coach deserves a school that is willing to weather the storm for a down season or two, especially David Shaw. Shaw might be the most successful coach in Stanford history – he’s won two Pac-12 championships, reached three BCS bowls and sent more players to the NFL in his four-year tenure than any other Pac-12 coach. Stanford and athletic director Bernard Muir would be ridiculous not to give Shaw the benefit of the doubt.

Yet, there’s no denying the talent Shaw has on offense, and its severe underachievement over the last season and a week point to Shaw’s inability to create a winning scheme for this unit.

With a loss at home to Group of Five foe UCF, what once started as a critique of Shaw’s ability as a playcaller after the 2014 Rose Bowl and grew to whispers about Shaw’s ability to develop players with an 8-5 season in 2014 and a loss to Northwestern to open 2015 would reach a full outcry among boosters and fans about his ability to be a head coach. 

If Stanford fails to beat its first two opponents, arguably two of the five easiest matchups on its schedule, it’s difficult to imagine the Card turning around to win more than four or five games this season. A bowl-less season at Stanford, with the prodigious talent on the roster, is enough to cause any coach in the country to worry about job security.

On the other hand, a win over UCF and a subsequent win over USC – with an already-injured defensive line, no less – would dispel any rumblings against Shaw and restore his status as one of the top coaches of the Pac-12.

No coach’s status stands more to gain or lose over the next two games than David Shaw’s.

Buckle up Stanford fans, because this Saturday might be a defining game for the David Shaw era at Stanford, one way or the other. I, for one, am excited to see what Shaw and Stanford have in store.

Michael Peterson has a lot to gain over the next couple games as well, as he further eases into his role as play-by-play announcer for Stanford football on KZSU. His hope for more inspired offensive playcalling from Stanford is fueled by a desire to say things outside of the typical “McCaffrey will take it up the middle,” or “Alex Robinson lines up to punt.” Give him some suggestions for a signature radio catchphrase at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu and Tweet him @m__petes.

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Peterson: Was Stanford football a playoff-worthy team from 2010-14? https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/03/peterson-was-stanford-football-a-playoff-worthy-team-from-2010-14/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/03/peterson-was-stanford-football-a-playoff-worthy-team-from-2010-14/#respond Fri, 04 Sep 2015 03:13:08 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1103063 It’s year two of the College Football Playoff era and it’s safe to say that year one was a resounding success. The Big 12 might disagree, but few question Ohio State’s legitimacy as champion – a result that would not have happened in the BCS system – and the excitement that came from adding two […]

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It’s year two of the College Football Playoff era and it’s safe to say that year one was a resounding success. The Big 12 might disagree, but few question Ohio State’s legitimacy as champion – a result that would not have happened in the BCS system – and the excitement that came from adding two semifinals to the mix while still maintaining the integrity of the college football regular season.

The institution of the new playoff system causes one to wonder, what would college football have been like for the last decade and a half if the four-team playoff was in place instead of the BCS system? Specifically for Stanford, taking a look at the Cardinal’s four-year BCS bowl run provides interesting thought.

Because we’re only one year into the committee era, it’s very difficult to forecast how the committee would have picked finalists in several intriguing scenarios which we haven’t yet seen the committee deal with. However, I’ll take you through how each year could have been different in a playoff format and give my best guess as to what the playoff would have ultimately looked like.

2010-11

Undefeated Auburn, Oregon and TCU undoubtedly deserved the top-three seeds in the playoff, and much like the first real edition of the playoff, the only debate centered around which one-loss team was best qualified for the fourth spot. As the BCS No. 4 team and AP No. 5 team, Stanford certainly had a claim to the position.

The decision would have boiled down to Stanford and three one-loss, co-champion Big Ten teams – Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State. Wisconsin beat Ohio State and Michigan State beat Wisconsin, but Wisconsin seemed to be the consensus favorite in the polls and was ultimately the Big Ten’s representative in the Rose Bowl. For simplicity, let’s boil the debate down to Stanford and Wisconsin.

Reflecting on this choice four years later, it’s exceedingly difficult to separate the two sides. Sure, Wisconsin was a “co-champion,” but Stanford finished 11-1 with a loss to 11-1 Oregon and Wisconsin finished 11-1 with a loss to 11-1 Michigan State – it just so happened that the Pac-10 used head-to-head to award an outright champion while the Big Ten declared the three 11-1 teams as co-champions.

Wisconsin might have owned a slight advantage in strength of schedule with victories over two ranked teams, against then-No. 1 Ohio State and then-No. 13 Iowa, while Stanford only had a single victory over ranked opposition, against then-No. 13 Arizona. Both teams’ sole loss came on the road against top-10 opposition. Stanford outscored opponents by 22.9 points per game and Wisconsin was just behind at 21.0 points per game.

Most likely, the committee would have chosen Wisconsin and given the playoff a Big Ten team rather than two Pac-10 teams. But just imagine the scenario if Stanford made the playoff: the Heisman runner-up facing off against the winner in a game of grand implications. Sound familiar? Maybe Stanford, like Vince Young and Texas against USC, would have come away victorious against Cam Newton and Auburn. Then, a rematch with the Oregon Ducks and a chance for Andrew Luck to solve the “Oregon problem” on the world’s biggest stage could have been waiting if the Ducks knocked off the Horned Frogs. Wow, the drama that could have been for Stanford.

Would all this – Stanford squeaking into the playoff and beating Auburn to face Oregon in an all-Pac-10 final – have happened? Realistically, no. But it’s a fun hypothetical.

For the 2010 season, I would have given Stanford a 25 percent chance at making the playoff and forecast that the committee would have rated them fifth.

2011-12

Another year and another hot debate would have emerged as to whether Stanford should be in the playoff.

According to Phil Steele, who went in-depth on why the four-team playoff is the best system in his recent college football magazine, it would have been a relatively easy choice to pick undefeated LSU and the only three one-loss teams in Power 5 conferences – Alabama, Oklahoma State and Stanford – to go to the playoff. Virtually every poll, including the BCS and AP, agreed and ranked Stanford at No. 4 heading into bowl season.

However, Stanford didn’t win its conference. That distinction for the now-Pac-12 belonged to No. 5 Oregon, which had losses to two-loss USC and undefeated LSU. Despite holding two losses, Oregon might have garnered praise from the committee for being the conference champion and owning the head-to-head advantage with Stanford. Additionally, the fact that it lost to LSU might not have been counted against it, since the Ducks scheduled a top-notch out-of-conference opponent and still won their conference.

On Stanford’s side, though, was the fact that whoever gained the No. 4 spot would face LSU, and Oregon had already lost to LSU that season. Would that be enough for the committee to give the nod to a Pac-12 team that didn’t win the conference over the one that did? Who knows.

My guess, which is bound to be unpopular among Stanford fans, is that today’s committee would choose Oregon. That being said, this season certainly was Stanford’s most deserving and I believe its best chance to get in, and it’s probably a toss-up as to whether the Card would have made it or not.

Hypothetically, even in a playoff, I don’t think Stanford stood much of a chance of taking down Alabama and it has already been determined that Oklahoma State would win that matchup (yes, we could throw more hypothetical situations here about Jordan Williamson, but there are already way too many “ifs” for me to delve further into this).

For the 2011 season, I would have given Stanford a 45 percent chance at making the playoff and forecast that the committee would have rated them fifth.

2012-13

Unexpectedly, I believe Stanford might have had a serious chance in 2012.

Undefeated Notre Dame and one-loss Alabama would have been shoo-ins. Four one-loss teams were also all in the mix and were all ranked higher than Stanford – Big-12 champ Kansas State, Florida, Georgia and Oregon. As a one-loss conference champion, Kansas State probably would have been included – besides, there would have been an uproar if three SEC teams were chosen. In 2012, the Pac-12 wasn’t considered the behemoth that it is now – only three Pac-12 schools finished in the AP Top 25 – so I doubt a two-loss Pac-12 champion could overcome a one-loss Big-12 champion for a spot.

No. 7 Stanford, though, would have been in the mix for that final spot because, unlike the three one-loss teams ranked higher than it, it was a conference champion. The same argument I applied for Oregon making the playoff in 2011 applies to Stanford here. Though the Cardinal finished with one more loss, they were the conference champion, owned the head-to-head matchup and only earned that extra loss by playing the nation’s top team in an out-of-conference game. By similar reasoning, I’d argue that the committee would slot Stanford over Oregon.

The final decision would have boiled down to Stanford or a one-loss SEC team that didn’t win its conference. Again, this is a decision that we haven’t yet seen the committee make: a two-loss conference champion versus a one-loss team that didn’t win its conference but did hail from football’s best conference. Because of the SEC’s reputation in 2012, odds are that Florida or Georgia would have made it.

However, the committee does appear to be valuing conference champions much higher than the BCS rankings did. Stanford’s biggest arguments would have been its status as a conference champion and the fact that Georgia had already lost to Alabama, another team in the playoff.

If the Cardinal did earn that No. 4 spot, I would absolutely pick them to beat Notre Dame in a rematch and advance to the national championship game against Alabama. But I don’t think that anyone could have beaten Alabama in that game.

For the 2012 season, I would have given Stanford a 35 percent chance of making the playoff and forecast that the committee would have rated them sixth.

2013-14

Despite Stanford’s No. 5 standing entering the bowl season, this year appears like it was Stanford’s worst chance at making a playoff.

Undefeated Florida State and one-loss SEC champ Auburn clearly earned the top-two spots. Michigan State, a one-loss Big Ten champion who had just knocked off undefeated Ohio State, would have made it. Similar to 2012, Stanford would have been up against a one-loss SEC team for the final spot, but this time it was defending national champion Alabama. Also in the discussion would have been one-loss Big 12 Champion Baylor, so the Cardinal would have had to overcome a one-loss conference champion and a one-loss defending national champion as a two-loss team. I couldn’t see that happening, especially considering the SEC’s still-dominant standing in the conference world.

For the 2013 season, I would have given Stanford a 10 percent chance at making the playoff and forecast that the committee would have rated them fifth.

Summary

Sadly, it’s extremely possible that Stanford might have been the No. 5 team in each one of these four-team playoff discussions. Could you imagine how devastating that would have been to the program? Though initially the thought of a playoff during Stanford’s four-year run sounds tantalizing for a team that just narrowly missed out on national title games, on closer examination, Stanford fans might be glad the playoff didn’t come until 2014.

Michael Peterson’s pessimism regarding Stanford’s playoff chances seems to have continued this year, as he recently predicted that Stanford would enter bowl season with three losses after losing the Pac-12 championship. If you think he needs to believe in the power of David Shaw a little bit more, send him an email at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford in the NFL: 2015 by the numbers https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/11/stanford-in-the-nfl-2015-by-the-numbers/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/11/stanford-in-the-nfl-2015-by-the-numbers/#respond Tue, 11 Aug 2015 15:57:42 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102705 With the NFL preseason officially underway, we take a look at several eye-popping statistics detailing Stanford’s growing influence in the NFL.

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Stanford football preview: Offense roundtable https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/05/stanford-football-preview-offense-roundtable/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/05/stanford-football-preview-offense-roundtable/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2015 13:41:07 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102624 With Stanford football set to open its season exactly one month from today, Daily football writers Michael Peterson, Do-Hyoung Park and Vihan Lakshman offered their opinions on several questions regarding the 2015 Stanford offense in the first part of their roundtable preview series for the upcoming campaign.

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With Stanford football set to open its season exactly one month from today, Daily football writers Michael Peterson, Do-Hyoung Park and Vihan Lakshman offered their opinions on several questions regarding the 2015 Stanford offense in the first part of their roundtable preview series for the Cardinal’s upcoming campaign.

Fifth-year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan (above) has led the Cardinal to two Rose Bowls, two Pac-12 titles and three straight eight-plus win seasons. However, Stanford fans have never been fully sold on Hogan's ability to take the Cardinal to the next level. Can he break that stigma in his final year at the helm? (DON FERIA/isiphotos.com)
Fifth-year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan (above) has led the Cardinal to two Rose Bowls, two Pac-12 titles and three straight eight-plus win seasons. However, Stanford fans have never been fully sold on Hogan’s ability to take the Cardinal to the next level. Can he break that stigma in his final year at the helm? (DON FERIA/isiphotos.com)

Can a notoriously inconsistent Hogan keep his late-2014 success going, or were those performances outliers?

Michael Peterson (MP): Hogan can absolutely replicate the overall performance he displayed late in 2014, but it would be unfair to him to expect gorgeous throws like the touchdowns he threw to Devon Cajuste and Michael Rector against UCLA on every play — he’s still going to make a few errant throws like we’ve seen throughout his career. However, Hogan demonstrated that with quality play from the offensive line and a decent running game, he can make all the throws Stanford needs to win and be dominant at times. That should continue in 2015.

Do-Hyoung Park (DHP): It’s been interesting to watch Hogan develop through his three years as a starter. In his 2012 and 2013 campaigns, he had a tremendous running game and offensive line but was held back by his playbook command and difficulty with his technique. Last year, he looked better mechanically and more comfortable in the system but was held back by a mental block (staring down Montgomery) and the pieces around him. This is the year it all comes together for Hogan — as a fourth-year starter, his playbook command and his improved mechanics will be at an all-time high, and all of the pieces around him will be running on all cylinders. Hogan will never be a world-beater, but he’ll be accurate and efficient. And that’s all Stanford needs.

Vihan Lakshman (VL): It’s easy to write off Hogan’s stellar finish to 2014 against Cal, UCLA and Maryland as a statistical aberration, but that would both discredit the huge strides Stanford made over the course of the season and overlook the challenges Hogan faced behind-the-scenes. Several reports have indicated that Hogan suffered a leg injury against Notre Dame, which clearly affected one of the hallmarks of his game: his mobility. We also know now that he played much of the 2014 season as his father battled cancer before passing away in early December. In short, those last three games for Hogan stand out as a triumph over adversity and the moment where the new-look offense began to click. Almost all of those key pieces return for the Cardinal, and Hogan personally is bringing a new level of confidence into the 2015 season. He won’t be a name at the center of the Heisman discussion, but he will bring years (wow, I feel old) of big-game experience and near-mastery of the playbook, which should give Stanford a huge boost.


 

By being selected with the 13th overall pick by the New Orleans Saints, Andrus Peat '16 (left) was the Cardinal's first top-20 selection in the NFL Draft since Andrew Luck. Even with Peat anchoring the left side of the line, though, the Tunnel Workers' Union suffered from arguably one of its worst seasons in the Harbaugh-Shaw era. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)
By being selected with the 13th overall pick by the New Orleans Saints, Andrus Peat ’16 (left) was the Cardinal’s first top-20 selection in the NFL Draft since Andrew Luck. Even with Peat anchoring the left side of the line, though, the Tunnel Workers’ Union suffered from arguably one of its worst seasons in the Harbaugh-Shaw era. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

Biggest loss from the 2014 offense?

MP: Not to discredit the incredible play of Andrus Peat and Ty Montgomery, but Stanford’s offense appears perfectly capable of replacing both players’ production in 2015. All-Pac-12 tackle Kyle Murphy shifts into Peat’s old spot with former five-star recruit Casey Tucker likely to take over on the right side, and Stanford has Cajuste, Rector, Christian McCaffrey and four future NFL tight ends at its disposal in the passing game. Montgomery’s loss will hurt just a bit more now that Stanford no longer has a single receiver who clearly requires a double team, or at least extra attention.

DHP: I hate the cop-out answer, but I really can’t identify any of Stanford’s offensive losses as “big.” Like Michael said, the loss of Peat shouldn’t hurt the Cardinal too much since Stanford is stacked on the line and should be able to fill in at tackle adequately. I’m also not worried about the loss of Montgomery — as much as I hate to say it, Hogan seemed to go through his progressions much more effectively when Montgomery was hurt last year, making him a better quarterback. Lee Ward is also a big loss but Daniel Marx is a great fullback. If I really had to pick one, I’d have to go with Peat just because the depth on offensive line is least proven, particularly with the injury to Nick Davidson. But Stanford’s track record with offensive line health has always been pretty good, so I’m not horribly worried there either (knock on wood).

VL: There’s only one answer to this question. At 6-foot-7, 313 pounds, Peat is by far the “biggest” loss from the 2014 offense. Do and Michael are spot-on when they mention that Stanford’s envious offensive line depth, especially the number of underclassmen with game experience, will likely soften the blow of losing Stanford’s first top-15 NFL draft pick since Andrew Luck. Nevertheless, Peat is a special talent, who anchored the left side of the line since his sophomore year. Kyle Murphy and Casey Tucker are more than ready to step into their new roles, but that doesn’t discount the fact that losing a player of Peat’s caliber will always hurt.


 

Stanford fans were upset that sophomore Christian McCaffrey (right), who quickly emerged as one of the most dynamic playmakers on Stanford's offense, wasn't given more opportunities to make plays by head coach David Shaw. With Shaw having gone on record to say that the offense will run through McCaffrey in 2015, the hype for the young running back is off the charts. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)
Stanford fans were upset that sophomore Christian McCaffrey (right), who quickly emerged in 2014 as one of the most dynamic playmakers on Stanford’s offense, wasn’t given more opportunities to make plays from head coach David Shaw. With Shaw having gone on record to say that the offense will run through McCaffrey in 2015, the hype for the young running back is off the charts. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

What is Christian McCaffrey’s role in the offense going to look like? What’s his ceiling?

MP: McCaffrey is now the Ty Montgomery of the offense, except as a much more frequent runner. Running up the middle, running to the outside, receiving screen and swing passes, lining up as a slot receiver, serving as the wildcat quarterback — it will all be used to get McCaffrey’s hands on the ball as often as possible. McCaffrey is one of the most valuable players in the Pac-12, and if Stanford gets him at least 20 touches a game as it should, he could be touted as one of the best all-around offensive players in the nation.

DHP: I’m really wary of the “get one guy the ball as much as possible” philosophy, because it really simplifies decision-making for defenses. I mean, just look at what happened last year with Ty — defenses knew that Stanford would try to force him the ball no matter what, so they doubled him and forced Hogan into bad, bad throws and decisions that could have been avoided without the “get Ty the ball no matter what” philosophy. I think McCaffrey should be kept in a similar role as last year — line him up in the slot occasionally, use him on perimeter runs, get him Wildcat touches — even if he isn’t the primary back out of Stanford’s backfield, there will be many, many opportunities to get him touches and make him into one of the Pac-12’s most dynamic threats. Just as long as Stanford doesn’t overdo it and try to force McCaffrey the ball when it shouldn’t.

VL: McCaffrey will likely enter the season as the centerpiece of an offense that makes no secret over what it hopes to do: run the ball down your throat. The sophomore running back has worked on bulking up in the offseason to handle the rigors of carrying a heavier load and becoming more adept in pass protection, a necessity for any feature back in David Shaw’s system. I’m actually a fan of the “get McCaffrey the ball as much as possible” strategy because, thus far, no team has proven it can stop him. More than seven yards per carry as a freshman, even with a limited amount of touches, is awfully impressive. McCaffrey also has a different skill set from Montgomery and won’t be involved in as many deep throws into double-coverage as Do alluded to. Instead, he will likely receive a steady diet of handoffs, pitches and screen passes, which should re-establish the run game and bring back the play-action pass, which went missing in 2014.


 

Junior tight end Austin Hooper (top) gave a refreshing rejuvenation to Stanford's tight end position after a combination of Davis Dudchock, Charlie Hopkins, Luke Kaumatule and Eddie Plantaric gave Stanford essentially no production from the position in 2013. Hooper now spearheads an electric position group that's poised to be among Stanford's most talented ever. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)
Junior tight end Austin Hooper (top) gave a refreshing rejuvenation to Stanford’s tight end position after a combination of Davis Dudchock, Charlie Hopkins, Luke Kaumatule and Eddie Plantaric gave Stanford essentially no production from the position in 2013. Hooper now spearheads an electric tight end group that’s poised to be among Stanford’s most talented ever. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

Will the presence of four highly-touted tight ends change Stanford’s offensive approach?

MP: If there’s any team in college football that knows how to effectively use four different tight ends, it’s Stanford. We should see Austin Hooper and Dalton Schultz split out wide more often, allowing Greg Taboada and Eric Cotton to join the tight-end party on the field lined up adjacent to the offensive line. Stanford certainly isn’t lacking for red-zone weapons this year and will have no excuse if poor play persists in the red zone.

DHP: I think each of them will have his own tightly-defined role. I don’t think Cotton will get as involved in the passing game, while Taboada will continue to see time in the red zone on fades and jump balls. I honestly have no idea how big of a role Schultz will have before fall practices start, so it’ll be really interesting for me to see if and how they work him into the offense. As for Hooper, well, I’ve made no secret of the fact that I think he’ll be one of the most effective players in the country this year. He’s effectively a second Devon Cajuste out there and eerily reminiscent of Zach Ertz, playing as a big possession receiver most of the time while also retaining lethal effectiveness in medium-to-deep passes up the seam. I don’t think the offense will be all too different from the end of last year, and that’s great, because that’s where Stanford is at its best.

VL: Stanford has been notorious in past seasons for putting out more formations than just about any team in the country, and having four play-making tight ends has to make the mad-scientist side of David Shaw a little giddy. We’ll see a lot of two- and three-tight end sets and maybe even all four on the field at once to throw defenses a look no one else in the Pac-12 can hope to replicate. I like Do’s point that Cotton, Hooper, Taboada and Schultz should each have well-defined roles, similar to what the Cardinal had with the Tree Amigos: Fleener was the burner on the outside, Ertz was the route-runner and Toilolo was the best blocker and jump-ball specialist. At this point, it’s a little too early to say where each of the current four will fit, but the possibilities certainly look appetizing.


 

Seniors Graham Shuler (52), Kyle Murphy (78) and Josh Garnett (51) were, along with Peat, part of the ultra-touted 2012 recruiting class, which gave Stanford its most talented offensive line haul in history. However, the line struggled to live up to otherworldly expectations in 2014, as the unit had trouble with penalties and inexperience. Can the line rebound in 2015? (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)
Seniors Graham Shuler (52), Kyle Murphy (78) and Josh Garnett (51) were, along with Peat, part of the ultra-touted 2012 recruiting class, which gave Stanford its most talented offensive line haul in history. However, the line struggled to live up to otherworldly expectations in 2014, as the unit had trouble with penalties and inexperience. Can the line rebound in 2015? (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

Can the offensive line return to the traditional dominance of old?

MP: The 2014 offensive line faced unrealistic expectations for essentially a group full of first-year starters due to the number of stars attached to its 2012 recruiting rankings. This time around, the unit appears to be in much better shape, with last year’s experience and three impeccable performances at the end of 2014 under its belt. Putting last year’s expectations on this group might result in more disappointment, but the offensive line should clearly improve and at least approach the success of past units, if not quite exceed that success as once expected.

DHP: Can it? Absolutely. On paper, this is one of the best offensive lines in the country. But as we saw last year, that doesn’t really mean much because the game isn’t played on paper. So will it return to traditional dominance? Unlike last year, I can’t see why not. If nothing changes from the end of last season and the line plays like it did against Cal, UCLA and Maryland, there aren’t many better units in the country. All it needs to do is keep up that form and stop committing stupid penalties (and given the significant experience the linemen have now, I think they should make significant strides in that area) and it should be fine.

VL: I don’t know about “return to the traditional dominance of old” because that’s a bar set awfully high, but I do expect 2015 edition of the Tunnel Workers’ Union to be among the best offensive lines in the conference and perhaps even the entire country. With the exception of Peat, all of the starters from last year’s unit are returning and we can’t understate how valuable that cohesion can be with the struggles we saw the young line face at the beginning of last season. The left side featuring Murphy and Josh Garnett will be something special, and I expect Stanford to routinely run the ball in that direction. I also expect the jumbo package to live on in all of its glory and Brandon Fanaika, a 6-foot-3, 321-pound sophomore, might become a household name when it comes to picking up those tough yards. Ultimately, Stanford’s O-line will be good in 2015, but there’s no need to keep comparing it to its predecessors.


 

Sophomore Isaiah Brandt-Sims has made more of a reputation for himself on the track than on the gridiron, but has the raw talent and potential to be an explosive player if he is worked into the offense. Five-star wideout recruit Trent Irwin could also see action as a true freshman and start to make his mark on the Cardinal offense early in his career. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)
Sophomore Isaiah Brandt-Sims (above) has made more of a reputation for himself on the track than on the gridiron, but has the raw talent and potential to be an explosive player if he is worked into the offense. Five-star wideout recruit Trent Irwin could also see action as a true freshman and start to make his mark on the Cardinal offense early in his career. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

Most likely newcomer to make an impact?

MP: A true freshman earning a consistent role on offense at Stanford is a rarity, despite McCaffrey’s showing last season, so while five-star receiver Trent Irwin brings great talent to the Farm, I don’t expect him to play a significant role in 2015. Former top tight-end recruit Dalton Schultz, ready for play after redshirting in 2014, should earn plenty of playing time, though. Even in the midst of three other talented tight ends, all signs point to Schultz being another star in the Cardinal’s long line of successful tight ends.

DHP: I’m going to go with the high-risk, high-reward pick in Isaiah Brandt-Sims. It’s easy to overlook him because of how deep Stanford’s receiving corps is, but I’m still shocked that nobody has been talking about the guy that’s been smashing Stanford sprinting records left and right. If used properly, he could be one of the most electric home-run threats on Stanford’s offense, and I’m really excited to see if and how he plays his role on the 2015 Cardinal. In terms of newcomers, I think he’s got the biggest impact potential. Schultz is a good pick, but I think his touches will be hard to come by with Austin Hooper set to become one of the top tight end producers in the nation. As a footnote, remember that Daniel Marx and Chris Harrell are the only listed fullbacks on the roster, meaning that I’d give incoming freshmen Reagan Williams and Houston Heimuli pretty good shots at seeing meaningful action as well.

VL: In the last decade, an average of four receivers per year have earned a five-star rating on 247Sports. Out of those receivers, a little over a quarter of them have gone on to make the NFL. Trent Irwin, labeled a five-star recruit by some experts, is obviously far from a lock to make it to the NFL or even guaranteed to play in his true freshman season, but the fact is that five-star receivers don’t grow on trees and Irwin’s talent is undeniable. With the loss of leading receiver Montgomery as well as sure-handed contributors in Jeff Trojan and Jordan Pratt, Stanford might be starving for an additional playmaker who can stretch the field and make plays down the stretch. At Pac-12 Media Day, Shaw even said that Irwin is the most likely freshman to see the field this season — and training camp hasn’t even started. It’s very possible that we won’t get a look at the jewel of the 2015 class until next season, but there’s definitely a chance he can make an impact this year.


 

Many pointed fingers at Stanford's offensive line for the Cardinal's offensive inconsistency last season. With four of five starters returning, though, the group may be poised to turn the corner and again become the unit known around the nation for its physical dominance of its opponents. (ROBIN ALAM/isiphotos.com)
Many pointed fingers at Stanford’s offensive line for the Cardinal’s offensive inconsistency last season. With four of five starters returning, though, the group may be poised to turn the corner and again become the unit known around the nation for its physical dominance of its opponents. (ROBIN ALAM/isiphotos.com)

Player most critical to the offense’s success?

MP: The biggest difference in Stanford’s play over 2014’s final three games, in my opinion, was the performance of the offensive line. Stanford needs a similar high-level of play this year, and that all starts with left tackle Kyle Murphy. Murphy not only protects Hogan’s blind side but also paves the way for the running game, as the Cardinal will again look to run behind the left side because of Murphy, Josh Garnett and Graham Shuler. Succeed in that, and Stanford’s offense clicks just like in the conclusion of 2014.

DHP: I couldn’t agree more with Michael on this one. We saw last year just how critical the success of the offensive line is to Stanford’s offense. That will dictate how effectively the running backs are able to operate out of the backfield and how much time Hogan will have to set his feet and find his playmakers in space. I think the most important in there will be Josh Garnett. The guards play such an important position in Stanford’s offense due to the importance of the pulling offensive lineman in Stanford’s bread-and-butter power run, and Garnett in particular had major struggles with penalties last season, meaning that improvement in his discipline will make a huge difference in Stanford’s affinity for drawing the laundry this year.

VL: I’m going to go with senior wide receiver Michael Rector. After bursting on the scene in his redshirt freshman season with an insane 30.8 yards per catch, the explosive receiver started out a little slower in 2014 before — as with the rest of the offense — rebounding with a huge month of November, recording 11 catches for 120 yards. If Rector can continue to establish himself as one of the top receiving threats in the conference, Stanford will have another major weapon to turn to if teams start to lock in on the running game or direct more of their attention towards Devon Cajuste. This season could be a breakout one for Rector, one that could elevate this offense significantly.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu, Do-Hyoung Park at dhpark ‘at’ stanford.edu and Vihan Lakshman at vihan ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Football podcast: 2015 offense preview https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/05/football-podcast-2015-offense-preview/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/05/football-podcast-2015-offense-preview/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2015 12:57:42 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102640 Can Kevin Hogan play like he did at the end of 2014? Can the offensive line regain its dominance? Who is most critical for the offense’s success? With football season exactly one month away from today, Daily football writers Michael Peterson, Do-Hyoung Park and Vihan Lakshman answer these questions and more as they offer their […]

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Can Kevin Hogan play like he did at the end of 2014? Can the offensive line regain its dominance? Who is most critical for the offense’s success?

With football season exactly one month away from today, Daily football writers Michael Peterson, Do-Hyoung Park and Vihan Lakshman answer these questions and more as they offer their insights on this year’s Cardinal’s offense in the latest installment of the Stanford Football Insider Show.

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Stanford shares high expectations for 2015 at Media Day https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/30/stanford-shares-high-expectations-for-2015-at-media-day/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/30/stanford-shares-high-expectations-for-2015-at-media-day/#respond Fri, 31 Jul 2015 01:40:19 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102586 Hours after receiving a No. 21 ranking in the preseason Coaches’ Poll and as Pac-12 teams gathered in Hollywood for Media Day, the Cardinal expressed optimism about their explosive offense, up-and-coming defense and the goals they aim to accomplish in 2015. Represented by head coach David Shaw, senior offensive tackle Kyle Murphy and senior linebacker […]

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Hours after receiving a No. 21 ranking in the preseason Coaches’ Poll and as Pac-12 teams gathered in Hollywood for Media Day, the Cardinal expressed optimism about their explosive offense, up-and-coming defense and the goals they aim to accomplish in 2015.

Represented by head coach David Shaw, senior offensive tackle Kyle Murphy and senior linebacker Blake Martinez, the Cardinal discussed their desire to build upon the momentum they gathered in their final three games of the 2014 season — victories over Cal, then-No. 9 UCLA and Maryland.

“You look at the way we finished the end of the year, we played as well as any team in college football,” Shaw said. “Kevin [Hogan] played as well as any quarterback in college football at the end of the year; he was outstanding. He still didn’t throw the ball 30 times in any of those games, but what he was was efficient. He made great plays with his arms and his legs, he controlled the game, he operated in the pocket unbelievably.”

Shaw seemed noticeably excited about the offense, which returns eight starters, and about Hogan in particular.

“Since he’s come back, he’s calmer, relaxed, confident,” Shaw said. “You feel that fifth-year senior, fourth-year starter presence in the huddle. He doesn’t let little things get to him. He’s been a positive force for all of our young guys. it’s been awesome to have him back.”

The Cardinal enter 2015 with a more established identity on offense, in large part due to electric sophomore running back Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey’s presence will allow Stanford to return to having balance in both the running and passing games while also being versatile and explosive.

Shaw also quickly put to rest notions of another running back-by-committee approach and declared McCaffrey as Stanford’s lead back.

“He’s put on weight, he’s stronger now, he’s more physical now, he can pass protect, he can run the ball between the tackles, we feel more comfortable about him being a complete back,” Shaw said about McCaffrey.

“I’m not going to talk about being a ‘by-committee’ group because I do think that Christian McCaffrey has some stuff that he does that other guys in college football can’t do,” Shaw added. “You can work all you want, but he’s just got it. Whatever it is, he’s got it.”

Though McCaffrey exploded on the scene as a freshman with 9.3 yards per touch, by all accounts, he has significantly improved over the offseason.

“Just sitting down and talking to him and watching him this offseason in particular, there’s no one on this team who works harder than him and there’s no one who cares about being great like he does,” Murphy said. “With all that combined, there’s no doubt that he’s going to have a great year this year and a great career.”

Additionally, senior wide receiver Devon Cajuste is expected to return to full health from a high-ankle injury during fall camp, giving the offense its No. 1 receiver back. Joining him on the field may be freshman wide receiver Trent Irwin, who Shaw said is currently the most ready of the true freshmen to play this season.

Adding to the Cardinal’s playmakers, Stanford has four tight ends “who are all going to be playing this game for money down the road,” according to Shaw.

In addition, Shaw shared his excitement over the improving offensive line as well as the development of senior running back Barry Sanders, who was “the best pass protector [Stanford] had” at the running back position in the spring.

Shaw named execution and efficiency as the keys for the Cardinal offense to avoid repeating the subpar performances they faced at the beginning of last season.

Of course, the major questions for the Cardinal entering 2015 revolve around the departure of nine starters from last season’s defense. The outlook became even more bleak when Shaw announced that senior linebacker Noor Davis, one of the more experienced returners, would be out until midseason with a lower leg injury. However, Shaw is not worried about this version of the defense any more than in previous seasons.

“For me, college football is a progression, but it’s a progression that happens every single year,” he said. “I remind guys I’ve answered so many times about replacing Toby Gerhart and Andrew Luck and Shayne Skov and Trent Murphy but what we do on the front end is we recruit like crazy, we recruit depth. We put a lot of pressure on these guys to play on a high level, which we believe they have the ability to do.”

A large part of Shaw’s confidence comes from having Martinez at the heart of the defense. Martinez, Stanford’s leading tackler in 2014 and an All-Pac-12 honorable mention, might be poised for an even-bigger breakout season.

“By midseason, everyone’s going to know about Blake Martinez,” Shaw said. “By midseason, you’re going to see that Blake Martinez is as good as anybody playing college football. He’s as good as any linebacker.”

While the rest of the defense has considerable talent to replace, Martinez is confident that his teammates can step into bigger roles.

“These guys coming in are going to shock the world,” he said. “After a couple games, people are going to be like ‘Wow, where did these guys come from?’ We have D-linemen that no one’s seen before: Solomon Thomas, Brennan Scarlett, Harrison Phillips — he’s gained over 20 pounds this offseason. We have secondary guys that are young and haven’t played yet but seeing them out there against our No. 1 offense and making plays has been incredible.”

The defense will be boosted by the return of senior Aziz Shittu, who is now “completely healthy” according to Shaw, and the addition of Cal graduate transfer Scarlett, who, after tearing his ACL last season, should return to full health sometime during fall camp.

With a young secondary that lost both starting corners, both starting safeties and the starting nickelback, Martinez expressed the importance of having fifth-year senior cornerback Ronnie Harris help the young unit out.

“[Harris] is going to step in and hype us up when we need it,” Martinez said. “I know all the young secondary guys look at him for film work or for extra things on the field…They look at him and say, ‘What can I do next to get better?’”

Stanford’s defense won’t have much time to come together before it needs to be playing at its best. Just three weeks into the season, the Cardinal face possibly their stiffest test — a road date with No. 10 USC, the media’s selection to win the Pac-12.

While Stanford still finished with eight first-place votes in the Pac-12 North and one vote to win the conference, the emphasis at the Pac-12 Media Day was clearly on the conference’s improved depth and the crowd of teams now contending for the conference title.

“Everyone will be better,” Shaw stated. “If you play your ‘B’ game against anyone in our conference, there’s a good chance you’re going to lose.”

Four years ago in 2011, the Pac-12 placed just two teams, Oregon and Stanford, in the preseason Coaches’ Poll. In 2015, six Pac-12 teams made the poll, with Arizona State, Arizona, UCLA and USC joining Oregon and Stanford.

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott believes the nation is beginning to respect the conference and see it as the best in the country.

“When you look at Marcus [Mariota] being the Heisman Trophy winner, when you look at our 15 AP All-Americans, more than any other conference,” Scott said, “many are seeing us as the best. Many are seeing the Pac-12 South as the best division in all of college football.

“I definitely see us making a lot of progress and there being a greater respect shown nationally to the Pac-12.”

Part of that respect comes from the grueling schedules Pac-12 teams face. Not only do the schools play nine conference games each, as opposed to the eight played by the SEC, ACC and Big Ten, but the Pac-12’s nonconference schedules are some of the most difficult in the nation. Michigan State, Michigan, Texas and Texas A&M are just a few of the Power 5 opponents lined up for the Pac-12 this year.

To top it off, after nine conference games, the Pac-12 division winners must play in the conference championship game, unlike the Big 12, which does play nine conference games but does not have a conference championship game.

“This is why I have confidence standing up in the front of the room like this saying no one has a tougher schedule and the Pac-12 champion has the toughest road,” Scott added.

During the course of last season, eight different Pac-12 teams were ranked in the top 25 of the AP Poll at some point. While the conference has always seemed to have an elite program at the top — USC in the early-to-mid 2000s, Oregon since the late 2000s and Stanford since 2010 — the increased depth is relatively new.

“Five years ago, we didn’t have the same depth but we weren’t even close to getting the recognition or respect,” Scott said. “[Now] I’m really proud of the depth that we’ve got. To me that’s been the defining characteristic of our conference the last few years and it’s the mark of an elite conference.”

Despite the conference’s improvement, Shaw remains confident in Stanford’s chances at competing for the title.

“When we’re efficient in the red zone, when we’re efficient on third down and our quarterback’s efficient and we run the ball efficiently, we can beat anybody in the nation,” he said.

Fall camp begins on August 10 for the Cardinal, with the season opener looming not far off in the distance on September 5 in Evanston, Illinois against Northwestern.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

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Cardinal once again sends six prospects to the NFL https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/03/cardinal-once-again-sends-six-prospects-to-the-nfl/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/03/cardinal-once-again-sends-six-prospects-to-the-nfl/#comments Mon, 04 May 2015 06:28:27 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100318 Andrus Peat, Jordan Richards, Alex Carter, Henry Anderson, Ty Montgomery and David Parry became the members of the Cardinal’s 2015 draft class.

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For the second straight year, six former Stanford football players were selected in the NFL Draft.

Andrus Peat, Jordan Richards, Alex Carter, Henry Anderson, Ty Montgomery and David Parry made up the Cardinal’s 2015 draft class, as Stanford tied for the sixth-most draftees of any school in the nation.

On Thursday night, offensive tackle Andrus Peat became the Cardinal’s first draftee of the 2015 NFL Draft when the New Orleans Saints picked him in the first round with the 13th overall pick. He was the school’s highest pick since Andrew Luck was taken first overall in 2012.

“That’s such a huge honor to play for the Saints and block for Drew Brees,” Peat said. “I grew up watching the Saints and him, and it’s pretty special to be playing with them. I’m excited to come in, work, and just get better as a football player.”

Peat was the third offensive lineman taken in the draft following the Washington Redskins’ selection of Iowa tackle Brandon Scherff and the New York Giants’ selection of Miami tackle Ereck Flowers.

Jordan Richards reunites with his former Cardinal teammates Cameron Fleming and Tyler Gaffney in New England. (TRI NGUYEN/The Stanford Daily)
Jordan Richards reunites with his former Cardinal teammates Cameron Fleming and Tyler Gaffney in New England. (TRI NGUYEN/The Stanford Daily)

In the second and third rounds on Friday, the Cardinal saw four players drafted – three more than were taken in the same rounds last year – including three on defense. Safety Jordan Richards was the Cardinal’s first draftee on Friday after the defending champion New England Patriots made him their second round draft choice with the 64th overall pick. Though the pick came as a surprise to many, New England head coach Bill Belichick had high praise for Richards.

“[He] has been a good player at Stanford,” Belichick said at a press conference at Gillette Stadium. “He kind of plays both strong safety and free safety. [He’s] been a real productive guy for them. I think he’s a guy we’ll like [and] you’ll like having around here.

On his phone call with Richards after the Patriots drafted him, Belichick said, “Congratulations, you’re a New England Patriot. You’ll be here with your boys Cam Fleming and Tyler Gaffney. We’ll have a big Cardinal reunion here.”

Sixteen picks later, the Detroit Lions took cornerback Alex Carter in the third round with the 80th overall pick.

“He will come in and be tried out at different positions and on special teams and on defense,” Lions’ general manager Martin Mayhew said. “We will see how he does. He certainly has the ability and he is a sharp guy. He will learn very fast.”

Along with Peat, Carter was one of the two Stanford players who forfeited a final year of eligibility to enter the draft.

Henry Anderson, who production over four years in the Stanford defensive line was incredibly consistent, was chosen in the 3rd round by Indy. (TRI NGUYEN/The Stanford Daily)
Henry Anderson, who production over four years in the Stanford defensive line was incredibly consistent, was chosen in the 3rd round by Indy. (TRI NGUYEN/The Stanford Daily)

Later in the third round, the Indianapolis Colts and the Green Bay Packers selected Cardinal players with subsequent picks. The Colts took defensive end Henry Anderson with the 93rd overall pick, and the Packers took wide receiver Ty Montgomery with the 94th pick.

Anderson should challenge immediately for a starting spot on the Colts defensive line – a position of need for the team – while Montgomery will almost assuredly factor into the Packers’ return game right away. He may even see time on offense as a weapon at the disposal of last season’s MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

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David Parry joins five other Cardinal alums, including former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck, on the Indianapolis Colts. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

On the final day of the draft, the Colts drafted defensive tackle David Parry in the fifth round with the 151st overall pick. With the selection, the Colts now have five former Cardinal on their roster – along with Anderson, Parry and Luck, Griff Whalen and Coby Fleener also play for the Colts – which is the highest number of former Cardinal players on any NFL team.

In the aftermath of the draft, the Buffalo Bills signed linebacker A.J. Tarpley as an undrafted free agent, while the Packers also signed linebacker James Vaughters as an undrafted free agent.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Football podcast: Previewing the Spring Game https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/08/football-podcast-previewing-the-spring-game/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/08/football-podcast-previewing-the-spring-game/#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2015 06:57:18 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1098641 Daily football writers and KZSU broadcasters Michael Peterson, Vihan Lakshman and Do-Hyoung Park answered some pressing questions on the special pre-Spring Game edition of the Stanford Football Insider Show.

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Who’s going to shine in Stanford’s 2015 Spring Game? Who’s going to burst onto the stage and make a big name for himself? Just how good will Stanford’s offense be this season behind a fifth-year Kevin Hogan, Devon Cajuste, an experienced offensive line and a terrifying quartet of tight ends? And finally, will the defensive line be able to weather the continued injuries?

Daily football writers and KZSU broadcasters Michael Peterson, Vihan Lakshman and Do-Hyoung Park answered those questions — and more — on the special pre-Spring Game edition of the Stanford Football Insider Show.

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Kevin Hogan returning to Stanford for 2015 season https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/15/kevin-hogan-returning-to-stanford-for-2015-season/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/15/kevin-hogan-returning-to-stanford-for-2015-season/#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:09:22 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1093216 Stanford senior Kevin Hogan, who has started the last 32 games at quarterback for the Cardinal, announced on Thursday afternoon that he will return to Stanford for his fifth season. Ready to get back to work on the farm for the 2015 season — Kevin Hogan (@khoagie8) January 15, 2015 Hogan capped off his senior […]

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Stanford senior Kevin Hogan, who has started the last 32 games at quarterback for the Cardinal, announced on Thursday afternoon that he will return to Stanford for his fifth season.

Hogan capped off his senior season by throwing for two touchdowns and 189 yards and leading Stanford to a 45-21 win in the Foster Farms Bowl, earning the game’s offensive MVP honors. In the victory, he moved into a tie for fifth place all-time in Cardinal history with 48 passing touchdowns and also became the first Cardinal quarterback ever to lead the team to two bowl wins.

“I ultimately decided I wasn’t ready to leave this place, and that I could continue to grow here,” Hogan said in an athletic department statement. “Some of the guys I talked to said to rely on your gut and don’t make a decision you might regret down the road. This is something I can’t regret. Coming back to Stanford really was a win-win situation for me.”

“A lot of my decision wasn’t necessarily related to the football program,” he added. “It was the school in general. I feel I can further dedicate myself academically and possibly get my master’s degree next year. There’s no better locker room in the country and I wasn’t ready to leave these guys.”

After redshirting his first year on the Farm, Hogan began to see playing time as a sophomore, initially as a change-of-pace quarterback who would come in to run the option. However, in the ninth game of the 2012 season, a road win against Colorado, Hogan replaced starter Josh Nunes and immediately led the team to a 48-0 victory over the Buffs, going 18-for-23 with 2 touchdowns, 184 passing yards and 48 rushing yards in his first extended period of time at quarterback.

Hogan then subsequently led the Cardinal to victories over No. 13 Oregon State and No. 1 Oregon – in Eugene, no less – on the way to helping clinch a Pac-12 title and Stanford’s first Rose Bowl win since 1972. Hogan finished the year with a 72 percent completion rate and 9 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions.

In his junior season, Hogan started every game and finished with 22 total touchdowns and almost 3,000 yards combined passing and rushing. With wins over Arizona State (twice), Washington, UCLA, Oregon and Notre Dame, Hogan moved to 8-0 in his first eight games against top-25 opponents before falling to Michigan State in the Rose Bowl.

Though Hogan shouldered some of the blame for the offense’s disappointment in his senior season as the team faltered to finish 8-5, he rebounded to go 45-for-59 (76 percent completion rate) with four touchdowns and 618 passing yards over his final three games, all Stanford victories.

“I want this team to reach its ceiling,” Hogan said. “We’re talented in every part of the game and have never really fulfilled our potential. I think we saw signs of it at the end of the year.”

Hogan returns along with much of the same offensive core from the 2014 Cardinal. With his return, the Cardinal boast nine returning starters on offense, only losing left tackle Andrus Peat and wide receiver Ty Montgomery.

In the statement, Hogan was dismissive of the rumors that have swirled in recent weeks that he was considering transferring elsewhere for his final season.

“I thought it was kind of funny at times because I had no idea where it came from,” he said. “You’d have to be crazy to transfer from Stanford. I love this place.”

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Peterson: How will Stanford fans remember Kevin Hogan? https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/04/peterson-how-will-stanford-fans-remember-kevin-hogan/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/04/peterson-how-will-stanford-fans-remember-kevin-hogan/#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2015 07:50:16 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1093225 Five or 10 years from now, how will you remember Kevin Hogan?

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Five or 10 years from now, how will you remember Kevin Hogan?

Surely some Stanford fans will recall memories of Hogan plunging into the end zone in Eugene to put the Card ahead in their eventual upset of the Ducks or Hogan’s masterful performance in the 2013 Pac-12 Championship Game, in which he guided Stanford to its second consecutive conference title. Stat lovers may instead reflect on Hogan as the only Stanford quarterback ever to guide the Cardinal to two bowl wins or as the holder of Stanford’s second-best career completion percentage and passing efficiency rating (ahead of John Elway and Jim Plunkett).

However, there will also be some Stanford fans that reminisce on Hogan’s role in the 2014 Stanford offense’s underperformance or his questionable play in the 2013 loss to USC or 2014 losses to Notre Dame and Arizona State. And to some, Hogan might have never reached the potential he flashed in the magnificent 2012 run in which he guided Stanford to a Rose Bowl victory.

But five or 10 years from now, how should you remember Kevin Hogan? And as the time for him to make his decision on whether to return for his final year of eligibility approaches, should you want him back?

***

Kevin Hogan was always going to be tied to Andrew Luck, no matter how his career turned out and despite the fact that Josh Nunes was technically Luck’s successor. That’s just the reality for any quarterback who takes over less than a year after the departure of a legend – just ask John Brantley at the University of Florida, who took over after Tim Tebow.

In the shadow of Andrew Luck, no quarterback could have lived up to expectations.

Luck was a once-in-a-lifetime quarterback to come through Stanford, bringing exceptional play to the quarterback position every time he stepped on the field. It was inevitable that once he left, a gaping void would be left under center for the Cardinal. Stanford fans knew it too.

And yet, even when Kevin Hogan entered and led Stanford to back-to-back Rose Bowls and turned a ridiculously difficult schedule into an eight-win season without much of a running game, pundits questioned Hogan and blamed many of Stanford’s slip-ups on him because he couldn’t play at the same level as Luck, despite everyone knowing it was likely that no one ever would. Hogan seemingly went from being Stanford’s savior and “the next Luck” as a sophomore, when he took over for Nunes, to the cause of its problems as a senior, at least in the eyes of many fans, students and media.

But imagine a Stanford to which Andrew Luck never came. Maybe he accepted one of his other offers, from Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Purdue or somewhere else. In this world, modern-day Stanford followers never saw near-perfection at the quarterback position. Additionally, Hogan would no longer have his every throw compared and contrasted with those of Luck. He would never have borne the burdensome title of being “the next Luck.”

In that world, Hogan would be hailed as one of the best quarterbacks in Stanford history, a title that he has rightfully earned in my opinion.

Admittedly, Hogan has several flaws: His throwing motion could use some work, he rarely goes through all of his progressions and he has a tendency to stare down receivers. Because Luck never seemed to have these flaws, they are pointed out and blamed as the reasons for Stanford’s failures.

However, Hogan also possesses many outstanding traits as a quarterback, traits that get overlooked because Luck might have done them better: He’s always a threat to run, he rarely makes a big mistake, he has tremendous accuracy throwing the deep ball and he wins games.

In his first two career starts, he beat two top-15 teams, including a road win over No. 1 Oregon. He started his career 8-0 against top-25 teams. As mentioned above, he ranks second all-time in Stanford passing efficiency and completion percentage. And, though this year’s offense struggled for a large portion of the season, once the offensive line came together, Remound Wright emerged as a lead back and Christian McCaffrey saw more playing time, Hogan went 3-0 over the season’s final three games with a 76 percent completion rate, 4 touchdowns and 618 passing yards. Asking Hogan to replicate the results of 2012 and 2013 with a young offensive line, no lead back and a torturous schedule would be like asking a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta to accelerate at the same speed as a 2014 Lamborghini.

Before you criticize Hogan and eagerly await the arrival of Stanford’s next quarterback, remember to reflect on Hogan without the distorting lens that is Andrew Luck and appreciate him for the quarterback that he is – arguably one of the six or seven best quarterbacks in Stanford history and the leader of the offense during one of the school’s most successful runs.

Though Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns may be great quarterbacks someday, tabbing either as “the next Luck” only dooms them to the same criticisms heaped upon Hogan. There is no “next Luck,” and that’s the reality that Cardinal fans must embrace. Looking forward to these future quarterbacks also only lessens the value of Hogan.

One in the hand is worth two in the bush, and Kevin Hogan is a talented quarterback that flashed his own greatness with Stanford’s full arsenal in games against Cal, UCLA and Maryland to end the season.

I don’t know about you, but I hope to see Hogan under center for the Cardinal in 2015.

Michael Peterson is printing t-shirts that read, “Keller Chryst is the next Hogan.” For more information, contact Michael at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Peterson: NFL teams starting young quarterbacks early in their careers may hurt their development https://stanforddaily.com/2014/12/03/peterson-nfl-teams-starting-young-quarterbacks-early-in-their-careers-may-hurt-their-development/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/12/03/peterson-nfl-teams-starting-young-quarterbacks-early-in-their-careers-may-hurt-their-development/#respond Thu, 04 Dec 2014 04:18:24 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1092808 Whether or not Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been the best quarterback in the NFL over the past few years is up for debate, with the answer fairly likely being no. But after the Packers’ 26-21 victory over the Patriots, and with Rodgers’ astounding performances as of late, namely 12 straight home games […]

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Whether or not Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been the best quarterback in the NFL over the past few years is up for debate, with the answer fairly likely being no.

But after the Packers’ 26-21 victory over the Patriots, and with Rodgers’ astounding performances as of late, namely 12 straight home games without an interception, an NFL-leading 119.3 passer rating and a 30-3 TD-INT ratio, there’s little debate as to who currently stands as the NFL’s most valuable player and top quarterback. It’s almost certainly Rodgers this year, even though Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady loom right behind and stand ready to wrest that honor away at any moment. And if you disagree, you have to at least acknowledge that Rodgers is in the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the NFL. I’ll leave debating the finer points of quarterback value to people more qualified than myself.

How Rodgers reached this position is really rather mysterious.

Among the 32 starting quarterbacks from this past weekend’s games, the only quarterbacks who have not started at least 13 games in one of their first two seasons (or for rookie quarterbacks, be projected to start 13 games this year) are Brian Hoyer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Drew Stanton, Philip Rivers and Rodgers. Not exactly shining company, except maybe Rivers.

Looking at a third season, only Hoyer, Stanton and Rodgers didn’t reach the 13-start plateau in their third year either. And, considering the fact that Stanton only starts because of a season-ending injury to Cardinals’ quarterback Carson Palmer, and Hoyer may be benched in favor of Johnny Manziel in the future, Rodgers might stand alone in this regard among current starting quarterbacks.

Nowadays, teams tend to start young, talented quarterbacks earlier and earlier in their careers. Three of the top four quarterbacks in the 2014 draft have made a start, and Manziel, the only one not to, might make his first next Sunday. The top three quarterbacks drafted in 2013 have also recorded a start, along with seven of the top eight taken in 2012.

Yet Rodgers, the second quarterback taken in the 2005 draft, didn’t start until his fourth season, largely because of the legendary quarterback starting ahead of him, Brett Favre. However, even though the Packers faced a favorable situation in which they could sit Rodgers for a few years and play a Hall-of-Famer in Favre, Rodgers’ meteoric rise raises doubts about the quarterback development process for every young quarterback, no matter the situation.

Is the path Rodgers took just an exception due to fortunate circumstances, or should his path be the norm?

The question ultimately boils down to whether playing a young quarterback early will spur or stunt growth and, if a slight stunt in growth is the belief, whether sacrificing future wins is worth gaining wins this season, at least for teams with an otherwise subpar starting quarterback.

It’s almost impossible to determine how playing a quarterback early in his career affected his development. Would Andrew Luck be as good as he is now if the Colts had decided to sit him behind Peyton Manning for two seasons? Would David Carr still be quarterbacking the Texans if they waited a couple years to start him? How good would Rodgers be now if he started in his first three seasons?

At Stanford, David Shaw, and Jim Harbaugh before him, abides by the belief that a quarterback needs time to adjust to the system and the college game before he can take over the starting reins. This is clearly evident in the case of Andrew Luck, and even slightly in the case of Keller Chryst. This notion could seemingly apply to the NFL as well, and yet, most teams don’t follow this principle. Along with the previously mentioned current starting quarterbacks, only Tony Romo and Tom Brady didn’t start a single game their rookie year.

It’s time for NFL teams to strongly consider sitting most rookie quarterbacks for at least a year.

It’s doubtful that Kevin Hogan would still be the starter if he played from day one at Stanford. According to Shaw and the coaching staff, the “light came on” for Hogan during the middle of his second season. Starting before that time could have been permanently damaging to Hogan’s confidence and fundamentals.

NFL quarterbacks experience the same process. I’m sure former first-round pick Blaine Gabbert didn’t appreciate the lackluster talent, especially on the offensive line, surrounding him while he was trying to develop his fundamentals, as Gabbert was constantly under pressure and lacked playmakers around him. Blake Bortles, the Jaguars next iteration of top-young-quarterback-starting-on-a-terrible-team, might be playing even worse. Given a couple years to hone fundamentals and learn the playbook better, Gabbert and Bortles might have played completely different.

For every Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck, who were both clearly ready to play on day one, there is a Jake Locker, a JaMarcus Russell, a Matt Leinart and a Vince Young. Is it worth the risk of possibly discovering a Wilson or Luck a season or two earlier to risk creating a Gabbert or Leinart?

It will never be proven beyond a doubt, but letting young quarterbacks, even really, really good ones, sit behind really, really bad placeholders, might give a team the best chance to produce the next elite quarterback. And, considering the almost unquantifiable value of a truly elite quarterback, it’s worth the risk. Just consider the curious case of Aaron Rodgers.

Based on Michael’s column, his admiration for Aaron Rodgers almost rises to the seemingly insurmountable levels previously  reserved for Mike Trout. To discuss with Michael how Rodgers, in the words of the Stephen A Smith, is a “bad man!”, email him at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Football predictions: Stanford vs. Utah https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/14/football-predictions-stanford-vs-utah-2/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/14/football-predictions-stanford-vs-utah-2/#comments Fri, 14 Nov 2014 09:57:12 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1092035 Stanford (5-4, 3-3 Pac-12) vs. No. 23 Utah (6-3, 3-3) Michael Peterson: Utah 20, Stanford 16 Utah could easily be 8-1, and had Kaelin Clay not infamously dropped the ball in an early celebration on the 1-yard line as he waltzed into the end zone (which Oregon subsequently picked up and ran 99 yards for […]

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Stanford (5-4, 3-3 Pac-12) vs. No. 23 Utah (6-3, 3-3)

Michael Peterson: Utah 20, Stanford 16

Utah could easily be 8-1, and had Kaelin Clay not infamously dropped the ball in an early celebration on the 1-yard line as he waltzed into the end zone (which Oregon subsequently picked up and ran 99 yards for its own touchdown), Utah could have led Oregon 14-0, and at least pushed the Ducks down to the wire. Last year, the Utes troubled Stanford’s defense with their wide-receiver screens and consistent running game, and though the passing game has been a struggle for them this year, Stanford’s banged-up front seven may not be able to slow down Devontae Booker. Additionally, an improved defense this time around for Utah should pose problems for Stanford offensively. The Card’s red-zone struggles continue and the game becomes a display of one program on the rise and another on the decline — with Stanford on the wrong end.

Do-Hyoung Park: Utah 23, Stanford 13

In case you’re not already familiar with my stance on Utah, I was the guy that predicted that they would win the Pac-12 South and upset Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship. That’s obviously not going to happen, but I’m still very high on Utah as a team regardless of how the quarterback situation plays out. Utah doesn’t ask much of its quarterback, and that’s apparent in how it kept winning despite the struggles of both Kendal Thompson and Travis Wilson this season. Utah operates under the 2012 Stanford mentality of “let’s just give the ball to our running back and mix in some quarterback runs and short passes.” It also helps that Utah’s running back is Devontae Booker, who is as bruising and fast as they come. Utah’s scary front seven will stop Stanford’s offense more often than not, and the option offense with whoever plays quarterback for Utah and Booker will be effective because of Stanford’s battered defensive line. Utah wins the trenches; Utah wins the game.

George Chen: Stanford 20, Utah 13

There’s no doubt that Utah is a really good team, with a nasty front seven and one of the conference’s best running backs in Devontae Booker. That being said, Stanford has never lost two games in a row under David Shaw, and despite how this season has turned out, I think the Cardinal will keep that streak alive this Saturday. The Cardinal’s conference titles have been flushed down the toilet, but Stanford is still fighting for bowl eligibility —  that alone should give the players motivation for the next three games. I expect Stanford’s defense to return to form and play much better than they did against Oregon. I doubt Kevin Hogan and company will put up more than 30, but if they can find the end zone twice and tack on a couple of field goals, the defense will take care of the rest.

Jordan Wallach: Utah 20, Stanford 17

Like Do mentioned, it seems as if Utah’s offense this year is everything Stanford’s offense was over the last couple of seasons: a power running game with a complimentary passing attack. The drop off of the Cardinal’s rushing offense, which was the 22nd best in the nation last season but has dropped to 97th this year, is one of the main reasons behind the team’s red zone struggles (21 of Stanford’s 30 red-zone touchdowns in 2013 came on the ground) and the heightened pressure and increased responsibilities for Kevin Hogan. All in all, it’s safe to say the loss of downhill back Tyler Gaffney is the principal reason for the decline. Meanwhile, the Utes’ offensive success is mainly due to their sturdy downhill back Devontae Booker, which has minimized the need for their inconsistent quarterbacks to take the reins of the offense. This game will come down to execution, especially with the quality of both defenses, and unfortunately, Stanford has not shown that it can capitalize enough on its opportunities.

Ashley Westhem: Stanford 17, Utah 14

I decided to go with the Cardinal, not because I necessarily think that they can win but because I want to believe that the team can win. So when I saw that the spread for this game has Stanford winning by 7 points I was pretty surprised. There’s something about playing at Stanford Stadium that does wonders for the Card and hopefully the added motivation of every game being a fight for bowl eligibility and that this game is redemption for last year’s upset will be extra incentive to put on a show at home. Also, Stanford is coming off a bye week so in terms of preparedness, the Card have another advantage. Utah is by the far the more consistent team, however, so unless Hogan can gel the offense together and the defense can keep up their staunch efforts, it’ll be tough for Stanford to pull off the win. Tough, but doable.

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The country’s most unlikely rivalry? https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/30/the-countrys-most-unlikely-rivalry/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/30/the-countrys-most-unlikely-rivalry/#respond Fri, 31 Oct 2014 05:59:31 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1091045 Eight years ago, the college football world could not have cared less about Stanford or Oregon. To open the 2006 football season, Oregon squashed Stanford 48-10, picking up its fifth straight victory in the series and continuing the series’ trend of one-sided affairs: The last eight matchups between the two schools had been decided by […]

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Eight years ago, the college football world could not have cared less about Stanford or Oregon.

To open the 2006 football season, Oregon squashed Stanford 48-10, picking up its fifth straight victory in the series and continuing the series’ trend of one-sided affairs: The last eight matchups between the two schools had been decided by an average of 22 points.

The Ducks would finish the year a modest 7-6, while the Cardinal sank to a miserable 1-11. Neither program generated much interest — certainly not when they played each other, as there had never been a matchup between them when both were ranked in the top 25. The two schools had combined for only seven Pacific conference titles in the conference’s 38-year existence. The only rivalry between Stanford and Oregon revolved around which school could lay claim to Phil Knight and his accomplishments.

Apparently, four years must truly be a lifetime in college football.

From 2010 to 2013, the winner of the Stanford-Oregon matchup — all games in which the Cardinal and Ducks were both ranked in the top 15 — went on to win the conference and play in the Rose Bowl or the national championship game, with the winner arguably laying claim to the title of “Best in the West” each year. The series reached a peak last season when No. 3 Oregon and No. 5 Stanford squared off at Stanford Stadium in November with 5.73 million viewers watching the 26-20 thriller on television.

Though we now know Stanford-Oregon to be a premier game of the college football season, its development into a rivalry was really quite unlikely.

***

When it comes to rivalries in college football, most are founded upon proximity, history or similarities. Stanford and Oregon have almost nothing in common, both on and off the football field.

(CRAIG MITCHELLDYER/isiphotos.com)
Fifth-year senior kicker Jordan Williamson (#19) silenced Autzen Stadium two years ago with the game-winning field goal in overtime. But Williamson has been consistent this season, missing 6 of his 14 attempts and also misfiring on two field goals of less than thirty yards. (CRAIG MITCHELLDYER/isiphotos.com)

The two campuses are located 560 miles apart. It rains, on average, on 139 days in Eugene, while only on 56 days in Palo Alto. Stanford is a private school, ranked fourth on this year’s US News and World Report College rankings, while Oregon is a public institution, ranked 104th on the same list. Heck, in Oregon, people fill your gas tanks up for you. In California, you’ll find no such courtesy.

On the football field, the differences remain. Stanford runs a pro-style, traditional offense and relies on its suffocating defense. Oregon operates an up-tempo spread offense at a blistering pace while its defense just hopes to survive. The Cardinal will wear, at most, three different uniforms throughout the season. On the other hand, Oregon has over 500 different combinations of uniforms to choose from and is likely to never wear the same one twice.

“I think it’s a very different style of football,” said senior receiver Jordan Pratt, an Oregon native, about the contrast in styles between the two teams. “It’s been kind of the fast guys versus the guys who are going to play hard-nosed football.”

Unlike most college football rivalries, though, this assortment of differences between the two schools and the two football teams actually fuels the intrigue of the matchup.

“Obviously, there’s traditional uniforms, traditional pro-style offense versus new-age offense, new-age uniforms, so they’ve kind of been playing back-and-forth on all that,” said Stanford football head coach David Shaw.

“I think the power run team we’ve been against their up-tempo and spread type of offense, that’s added to the rivalry,” added fifth-year senior defensive end Henry Anderson.

However, the most important ingredient to any rivalry is the relevance of both teams. This relevancy was absent for much of Stanford and Oregon’s history, but in the late 2000s, an influx of talent on both the coaching staffs and the rosters of both programs brought swift change.

“The players that have gone through both programs have really elevated the game itself,” said senior running back Kelsey Young. “On both teams, there have been spectacular players that have lit up the scoreboards and just showed out during all the games. [The rivalry] had a lot to do with the players and also the programs both took a turn for the best.”

Though former Oregon head coach Mike Belotti is credited with establishing Oregon as a great program — the Ducks won the Pac-12 in 2000 and 2001 — the team lingered in the middle of the Pac for much of the late 2000s, recording as many fourth- and fifth-place conference finishes (three) as second- and third-place finishes from 2002 to 2008. When Chip Kelly took over the helm in 2009, though, Oregon became elite, beginning a run of four straight BCS bowls, including two Rose Bowls and a national championship appearance. Oregon may not have had to climb as big of a hill as Stanford to reach the top, but it certainly was not a regular at the top until 2009.

At the same time, Stanford’s well-documented rise took place, as Jim Harbaugh and his staff reinvigorated a stagnant program and David Shaw continued right where Harbaugh left off, with the two coaches combining to deliver Stanford to four straight BCS bowls from 2010 to 2013.

Both teams became conference and national contenders, and simultaneously, the final component necessary for any rivalry developed: competitive, intense battles on the field.

In 2009, for only the second time in 10 years, Stanford beat No. 7 Oregon 52-41, ending the Ducks’ hopes at a national championship and providing the initial spark in a series that had previously been one-sided.

“It really became a rivalry when we won in 2009 here because up until then, they had really dominated us,” Shaw said. “Andrew [Luck] played a phenomenal game, Toby Gerhart rushed for 200 yards, it wasn’t until then that we actually became somebody that Oregon actually had to look out and account for.”

In 2010, the matchup pitted undefeated, top-10 teams, with Oregon coming away victorious. Then in 2011, No. 6 Oregon ruined undefeated No. 3 Stanford’s bid for the Rose Bowl and the national championship.

Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, the Stanford-Oregon game was one of the most intriguing and relevant games not only in the Pac-12, but in all of college football.

“The fact that it’s been competitive and they’ve been exciting, nationally-televised games that have been some of the highest-rated games of the year, nationally it’s been exciting to watch and locally it’s been exciting to watch for both the fan bases,” Shaw said.

The blowout nature of the 2010 and 2011 matchups gave reason to think the rivalry was only one-sided, despite Stanford’s upset in 2009, as it seemed like Stanford “had an Oregon problem.” In 2012, though, Stanford took the beatings to heart.

“In the offseason after my freshman year, when [the Oregon game] was our one game that we really felt like we got beat…you just remember that feeling of ‘Wow, we just got it taken to us,’” Pratt said. “It was definitely that offseason where we were really preparing for them and gunning after them.”

That season, an unlikely hero in Jordan Williamson provided the turning point in the rivalry with a game-winning field goal for No. 14 Stanford against undefeated No. 1 Oregon in Eugene.

“It was a really tight game, our backs were against the wall, we had lost two games already at that point, Oregon was undefeated. Everybody thought Oregon was going to score 100 points on us. We fought through the end and came away victorious. That was a really defining moment for my Stanford career against Oregon,” said Young about the 2012 game.

“That 2012 game when we shut them down was definitely the turning point in the rivalry,” Anderson added.

Of course, last season, the rivalry only grew as Stanford thwarted undefeated Oregon’s dreams at a national championship for the second straight year. And for the fourth year in a row, the game saw an undefeated team fall while the winner stole the other’s dream and won the conference.

“Stanford is rivals with everybody in the Pac-12 but Oregon-Stanford, that rivalry has determined champions in the Pac-12 over the past few years,” Young added.

The past two years flipped the script, with Oregon now seen as the school that has “a Stanford problem.” Each school’s period of dominance only served to infuriate the other, producing a mutual fire to win.

“Two good football teams competing for the Pac-12 championship makes it a big game every year,” Pratt said. “It’s always been that game that’s circled on the schedule with a little extra incentive to bring it.”

***

Did anyone see this coming in 2006?

The concurrent meteoric rise of two relatively mediocre programs — mediocre is even a generous description of the 2006 Stanford team — combined with the rapid development of one of college football’s most intense rivalry games on a yearly basis is almost unprecedented in college football.

“It’s two of the top Pac-12 teams battling it out,” Anderson said. “The crowd’s always electric, the atmosphere’s always really fun and it’s a hard physical game that’s a lot of fun to play in.”

The fact that this year’s Stanford-Oregon game seems lackluster since the two programs have a combined four losses already speaks only to how good the rivalry itself has truly become. Even more prominently, the fact that both fan bases point to the Stanford-Oregon game as the season’s biggest game — not rivalry games against Cal or USC for Stanford and Oregon State or Washington for Oregon — signifies the rapid change from even just several years ago, when neither school really cared about the other.

Considering the state of the programs in the mid-2000s and the drastic differences between the two sides, could this rivalry be any more unlikely?

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Senior Sit Down: A.J. Tarpley, football https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/29/senior-sit-down-a-j-tarpley-football/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/29/senior-sit-down-a-j-tarpley-football/#respond Thu, 30 Oct 2014 06:39:04 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1090934 Fifth-year senior inside linebacker and team captain A.J. Tarpley has recorded the most tackles (269) of any Cardinal player over the past four years while helping build Stanford into a defensive juggernaut and two-time defending Pac-12 champion. Ahead of Stanford’s game against Oregon this Saturday, The Daily’s Michael Peterson talked with Tarpley to reflect on […]

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Fifth-year senior inside linebacker and team captain A.J. Tarpley has recorded the most tackles (269) of any Cardinal player over the past four years while helping build Stanford into a defensive juggernaut and two-time defending Pac-12 champion. Ahead of Stanford’s game against Oregon this Saturday, The Daily’s Michael Peterson talked with Tarpley to reflect on his five years on the Farm.

Michael Peterson (MP): How crazy does it feel to know that you’re already more than halfway through your last season at Stanford?

(SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)
Senior inside linebacker A.J. Tarpley (right) is currently second on the team with 53 tackles, only behind fellow inside linebacker Blake Martinez. (SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)

A.J. Tarpley (AT): Yeah, you know, time flies. You’re sitting there as a redshirt freshman thinking ‘When am I going to play?; it’s going to be forever,’ and then next thing you know you’re a fifth-year senior and you have just a few games left. It’s crazy, but at the same time you want to have the same mentality throughout your career that you’re going to play every down, every game like it’s your last. Football is a game that can be taken from you in a second. That’s something that I think our team understands and that’s why we work so hard because it really could go away at any second.

MP: When you came to Stanford, Stanford was on a bit of an up-swing but still wasn’t quite there yet. Now, you’ve been to four straight BCS bowls and you guys are in control of your fate in the Pac-12 this season. How far has the program come while you have been here?

AT: It’s been turned around completely. Credit that to [former head] coach [Jim] Harbaugh, coach [David] Shaw and everybody that had something to do with it. [Strength and conditioning] coach [Shannon] Turley is a guy that never gets enough credit for that. I committed to Stanford even before we went to the Sun Bowl. Our class is a class that even though we have been to BCS bowls every year, we try not to take that for granted. You learn from the older guys when you are a freshman because those are the guys that worked year through year where getting to a BCS bowl wasn’t a reality; it didn’t happen for them. You have to learn those lessons from them that nothing comes easy. Just because you’re Stanford, you’re not going to go to the BCS bowls. It’s all about how hard you work and the kind of stuff you put in. It’s something that we’ve tried to take and understand and put it on the younger guys as well.

MP: You were here when Andrew Luck and the offense was the highly touted unit and now it’s transitioned to where the defense is the more highly regarded unit. How has it been seeing this defense go from being a second thought behind Luck to being the core of this Cardinal team?

AT: It’s been fun, being on defense especially you like to see that. I still remember when I was a redshirt coming in, [former Stanford defensive coordinator] Vic Fangio, the defensive coordinator for the 49ers, he brought out his PowerPoint and said ‘we have to build the blueprint and lay the bricks for a great defense because we haven’t had one in the past.’ He spoke to us and year by year we’ve kind of added the next layer of that game plan, of that blueprint. That’s what’s great to see. It’s great to see that you have a plan and the coaches set it out and even though we’ve had different coaches and different players come through here, it’s the same message that’s been preached. That’s how we’ve been able to build up each year and hopefully just get better every year and so far this year I think we’ve done a great job but we’re definitely not satisfied and we hope to continue to get better.

MP: What’s it been like this year being a captain and being a clear leader on this team?

AT: It’s been awesome. You try not to change too much. The guys that are captains like to think that our body of work has gotten us here. It’s not because we’re fifth-year seniors that we’re captains it’s because of how we’ve carried ourselves throughout our careers. There’s leaders everywhere, we have four captains but there’s leaders on offense, defense – you can talk about Henry Anderson, David Parry, I could go on – but it’s a team leadership thing. It’s nice to be a fifth-year and be recognized for it but at the end of the day, you’re just a player.

MP: I can think of a lot of memorable moments from your career here at Stanford. Obviously, one that comes to mind is when you pounced on that fumble in the Coliseum to seal the triple-overtime victory against USC in 2011. Also, Marcus Mariota has only thrown 11 interceptions in his collegiate career and you have one of them. Reflecting back on your time at Stanford, do you have a moment that stands out in your mind?

AT: That game against USC is one I’ll never forget. And that’s because it was my fourth start or something. I was a freshman playing. That was what really brought me onto college football and gave me that confidence. It showed me and showed everyone what I can accomplish. The team moments, you talk about winning the Rose Bowl and that win up in Oregon two years ago just because in both those scenarios, it was such a team effort. That’s really what you’re trying to achieve after everything’s done.

MP: What are you going to miss most about Stanford?

AT: Probably just the locker room. You’ll hear it from a bunch of guys, the guys that you meet in here are guys that you’ll be friends with for the rest of your life. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a good experience in terms of success on the football field but at the end of the day it’s about the guys that you meet, the players that you get to play with and hangout with.

MP: And what would be the picture-perfect ending to your career here at Stanford?

AT: To win every one of our last games we have here. No matter who we play, no matter who we line up against, we’re just trying to go 1-0. All we’re focused on right now is Oregon and hopefully that will carry through.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

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Stanford in the NFL: Taylor growing into threat https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/27/stanford-in-the-nfl-taylor-growing-into-threat/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/27/stanford-in-the-nfl-taylor-growing-into-threat/#respond Tue, 28 Oct 2014 06:00:38 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1090709 It wasn’t long ago that a 5-foot-9, 214-pound running back by the name of Stepfan Taylor consistently out-muscled defenders and ran power up the middle despite a slightly smaller frame for the job description. Taylor, the only Stanford running back ever to record three seasons with at least 200 carries and 1000 yards, is now in the midst of his second season in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals.

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At its current pace, Stanford football will finish the 2014 season without a rusher that records 100 carries for the first time since 2005.

This season’s running-back-by-committee approach has largely been attributed to the lack of a big running back, like 6-foot-1, 227-pound Tyler Gaffney ’14 or 6-foot, 230-pound Toby Gerhart ’10.

However, it wasn’t long ago that a 5-foot-9, 214-pound running back by the name of Stepfan Taylor ’13 consistently out-muscled defenders and ran power up the middle despite a slightly smaller frame for the job description. Taylor, the only Stanford running back ever to record three seasons with at least 200 carries and 1000 yards, is now in the midst of his second season in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals after his selection in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft.

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Former Cardinal Stepfan Taylor is starting to grow into his role on the Arizona Cardinals (SIMON WARBY/ The Stanford Daily)

“I’m a lot more confident,” said Taylor about his second year. “I’m getting a better feel for the system as far as everything – meetings, off time, practice time, offseason, things like that. I know what to expect now. And also just more chemistry with the teammates.”

In the Cardinals’ 24-13 victory over the Raiders last week, Taylor recorded his first ever two-touchdown game, hauling in a 2-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and dashing in for a 4-yard touchdown run in the third. His 40 rushing yards marked a career-high, and his 12 carries were the most on the season.

“I came in very confident in my abilities. I control what I control and work hard in practice and make sure every day in practice I’m getting better so when the time comes, I make the most out of my opportunities when I’m out there on the field,” said Taylor about his recent successes. “That just comes with preparation and having a lot of confidence in myself.”

Though he ranks second on the depth chart behind starting running back Andre Ellington, Taylor’s second season in the NFL has seen him establish himself as a consistent weapon, especially in the red zone. He attributes much of his quick transition to the NFL to his experiences at Stanford.

“Stanford prepared me very well [for the NFL],” he said. “A lot of NFL coaches that have experience in the NFL, running in an NFL-type offense. Just everything they did at the program was good to help us get to the NFL, as far as meetings, walkthroughs, how to read defensive coverages and blitzes, things like that.

“You gain a lot of respect coming in from Stanford. A lot of them say, ‘There’s just nerds out there,’ but I came in, they had a lot of respect for me. They always said good things like ‘you pound the ball up there,’ things like that. We have a lot of respect.”

While at Stanford, Taylor became the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,300 yards and also the all-time leader in carries with 843. The lead back in his final three seasons, Taylor never really experienced Stanford’s new rushing-by-committee attack.

“I mean, it’s tough. Especially in that type of the offense, the more carries you get the more flow of the game is,” said Taylor about the running-back-by-committee system. “You know as a running back out there you have to prove yourself. I haven’t been able to watch too many of the games because I’m usually in meeting when the game’s going on so I can’t really say what I’ve seen but I know they do what they do for a reason. They’ll pick it up.”

***

Elsewhere in the NFL, Andrew Luck ’12 and the Colts offense couldn’t keep pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 51-34 loss that ended their five-game winning streak. Despite throwing for 400 yards and three touchdowns, Luck’s counterpart on the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger, set career highs with six touchdowns and 522 passing yards.

Stepfan Taylor’s Cardinals beat Zach Ertz ’13 and the Philadelphia Eagles 24-20 in a battle of the NFC’s best. Ertz caught five passes for 48 yards in the loss. Taylor, unfortunately, has been suffering from a calf injury and was afforded zero touches in that game.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

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Wednesday roundtable: Has this year’s football season turned into a rebuilding year? https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/22/wednesday-roundtable-has-this-years-football-season-turned-into-a-rebuilding-year/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/22/wednesday-roundtable-has-this-years-football-season-turned-into-a-rebuilding-year/#comments Wed, 22 Oct 2014 07:05:15 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1090283 Arizona State trounced Stanford 26-10 only a season after the Cardinal beat the Sun Devils twice by a combined margin of 38 points. With Stanford having three losses already on the year, we asked football writers Joseph Beyda, George Chen and Michael Peterson: Can the Cardinal salvage the season or is it time to call […]

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Arizona State trounced Stanford 26-10 only a season after the Cardinal beat the Sun Devils twice by a combined margin of 38 points. With Stanford having three losses already on the year, we asked football writers Joseph Beyda, George Chen and Michael Peterson: Can the Cardinal salvage the season or is it time to call this season a rebuilding year? Or even worse, is this the end of the great run that we’ve seen over the past five years?

Michael: Yes, Stanford has overcome early-season struggles in the past, pushing past two losses in the first six games of the 2012 season to win the Rose Bowl and a loss to Utah early on in 2013 to reach the Rose Bowl. It is certainly not unthinkable that the Card could rebound to win the rest of their conference games and make the Pac-12 Championship.

Devon Cajuste (left) and the talented Stanford receiving corps need to provide greater production in order to help jumpstart the struggling Stanford offense. (ROGER CHEN/ The Stanford Daily)
Devon Cajuste (left) and the talented Stanford receiving corps need to provide greater production in order to help jumpstart the struggling Stanford offense. (ROGER CHEN/ The Stanford Daily)

However, what alarms me is that when Stanford has lost in the past, it has generally been to teams that play a similar physical style and that have the talent on both sides of the line to match Stanford in the trenches (like Michigan State, Notre Dame and USC). Losing to Arizona State is a completely different story.

Just a week ago, we were discussing whether Stanford was built to beat Arizona State and the rest of the Pac-12’s fast-paced offenses after two seasons of domination against Oregon, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington. Now, the same fast-paced offense that Stanford slowed to a crawl last year had its way at the line of scrimmage against Stanford. A defense that is not even considered one of the best in the Pac-12 and lost nine starters from last season (a defense that surrendered 80 points over two games to Stanford in 2013 at that) completely shut down the Cardinal on offense. This loss represented a stark change from the Stanford losses of old and even the Stanford losses to USC and Notre Dame this season.

Though mathematically anything is possible in the Pac-12, the Stanford we have seen this season is a major downgrade compared to the teams that went to four straight BCS bowls and I do not think this team has what it takes to salvage the season, especially with Oregon looming in two weeks, and underappreciated Oregon State and Utah still set to come to Stanford Stadium. Whether or not this is merely a rebuilding year or a sign of things to come may not be known until next season. 

Joseph: Michael is right: The Cardinal’s questions on offense have only gotten more pressing as the season’s gone on, and I doubt they will find the answers in time to sweep their last five conference games. I do not just mean Oregon; how is this Stanford team going to even outscore Cal if it plays the way it did in Tempe?

However, there is something that Stanford still can — and must — salvage this season: its attitude. People have been wondering for a year or two whether the Cardinal would become complacent, given that their touted incoming recruits were inheriting a perennial winner. This year, there have been signs that entitlement may be beginning to creep in.

Two years ago, when Stanford suffered a gut-wrenching loss at Notre Dame, multiple players said the defeat was still gnawing at them the following Monday. That team shocked the college football world by finishing its season with eight straight wins. This year, when Stanford suffered a gut-wrenching loss at Notre Dame, multiple players said that the Cardinal had moved on by the time they landed back home. That team lost another game two weeks later.

None of us are in that locker room. We do not know whether the personalities are different than in the past. But the fact of the matter is that after each of Stanford’s first two losses, the team did not do what it had to in order to right the ship. If it is because of a lack of caring, the Cardinal’s leaders better fix their team’s attitude sooner rather than later, because otherwise, the problem will only get worse.

George: Stanford’s run as one of the elite teams in college football is not over, but this season is most certainly a rebuilding year. Joey disagrees with me, but I just do not think Stanford is equipped with the weapons needed to be a legitimate Pac-12 title contender — much less a College Football Playoff candidate — this season. Early in the 2012 season, the Cardinal struggled offensively, but all the pieces were in place: a reliable target who could always get open in Zach Ertz, a workhorse running back in Stepfan Taylor and one of the best offensive lines in the country. The only change that Stanford needed was to switch out Josh Nunes for Kevin Hogan.

Right now, none of the pieces are there on offense. Ty Montgomery has not been able to touch the ball on offense, Devon Cajuste is coming off an injury, the running backs never play long enough in a game to find a rhythm and the offensive line has not made visible improvements since the season opener. Maybe David Shaw was right in blaming himself today for his team’s woes on offense, but I’m not sure better play-calling would have made much of a difference against Arizona State.

Stanford needs to fix its problems quickly. It is not inconceivable that the Cardinal fail to make a bowl game this year, so if you are a Cardinal fan, I would worry about a 6-6 record first before mentioning Stanford and “Pac-12 title” in the same sentence.

Michael Peterson, Joey Beyda and George Chen spent all day Sunday crying and eating ice cream after this weekend’s tough loss. To inquire whether they have moved on after Saturday’s contest, or whether the defeat is still gnawing at them, contact them at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu, jbeyda ‘at’ stanford.edu and gchen15 ‘at’ stanford.edu.  

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Football predictions: Stanford vs. Washington State https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/10/football-predictions-stanford-vs-washington-state-2/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/10/football-predictions-stanford-vs-washington-state-2/#comments Fri, 10 Oct 2014 07:47:10 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1089401 Washington State (2-4, 1-2 Pac-12) vs. No. 25 Stanford (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) Michael Peterson: Stanford 31, Washington State 20 It was just two years ago that Washington State took Stanford down to the wire, with the Card needing a goal-line stand to avoid overtime in Stanford Stadium. Of course, last year Stanford rolled over the […]

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Washington State (2-4, 1-2 Pac-12) vs. No. 25 Stanford (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12)

Michael Peterson: Stanford 31, Washington State 20

It was just two years ago that Washington State took Stanford down to the wire, with the Card needing a goal-line stand to avoid overtime in Stanford Stadium. Of course, last year Stanford rolled over the Cougars, so you never know what you’re going to get out of this matchup. This time around, Stanford faces a red-hot Wazzu offense fresh off a 59-point performance against Cal, though the Card will easily prove to have the toughest defense Washington State has faced all season. The Stanford offense will probably continue to look a little clumsy, but the win should come rather handily. A strong defensive performance will only be slightly marred by the Cougars tacking on late points to make the score appear closer than it actually was.

Winston Shi: Stanford 28, Washington State 14

Stanford’s pass rush is terrifying, but a pass rush can’t do much damage against a quick passing game. I believe in Stanford’s defense, however, and sacks or no sacks, the Cardinal will put a lid on explosive plays and slow the game down to their favored pace. Facing a defense that is not top-tier, the Cardinal offense should put some points up on the board as long as they don’t cough up the ball; to be quite frank, Stanford can likely out-talent the vast majority of its opposition, the Cougars included. This is a game that Stanford should be expected to win, and I think that Stanford will come away with the victory and some much-needed confidence.

Do-Hyoung Park: Stanford 35, Washington State 10

If Stanford’s secondary was able to handle the fast passing game of Connor Halliday last season, I have zero doubts that it will be able to quench the red-hot Halliday and his Air Raid attack. The issue for me lies with the offense. Shaw said in his press conference that he wouldn’t try to attack Washington State through the air any more than usual and would just maintain his balance of run and pass, but I’d like to see the offense get back on track via Hogan’s arm more than anything else. Seeing as how Stanford’s passing attack has shifted from a play action-focused one to a more traditional one, Hogan quite frankly needs the experience against a weak pass defense to get back in his rhythm. We saw Wazzu muscle up against the run against Oregon and give about as much resistance as a sneeze to a good Cal passing attack. I think if Stanford commits to riding Air Hogan, the scoreboard and I will be happier than we would be after trying to force a balanced attack out of this offense.

Ashley Westhem: Stanford 27, Washington 14

After the hellacious weekend that both teams underwent last weekend, they’re either going to come in both emotionally and physically spent or motivated and thirsty for blood. For the sake of the fans, I hope it’s the latter because we haven’t seen that fire yet in the Card’s eyes since the loss to USC. If coming home after losing in the last minute to Notre Dame halfway across the country to play in the rain doesn’t spark some kind of determination for Stanford, I don’t know what will. All this being said, I’m going to be optimistic this week because the team has been verbally assaulted enough the past two weeks. The Cardinal defense will overpower the Cougars and the Cardinal offense will catch the Cougs’ defense off guard, winning back the crowd and the hearts of their fans (again). WSU QB Connor Halliday will be the Cougs’ only saving grace in this game, but the Card shut him down last year and will surely do so this time around. It might be a bit too ambitious to crown Stanford 18-point winners, as Vegas predicts, but this game certainly won’t be a nail-biter in the final minutes.

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Shaw cautions against going pass-happy versus WSU https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/08/shaw-cautions-against-going-pass-happy-versus-wsu/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/08/shaw-cautions-against-going-pass-happy-versus-wsu/#respond Thu, 09 Oct 2014 05:41:16 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1089326 Washington State likes to throw the football. The Cougars have certainly made no secret of that, not after fifth-year senior quarterback Connor Halliday set an FBS record with 734 yards in last week’s 60-59 loss to Cal, bringing his total for the season up to 3,052 yards through only six games and earning Pac-12 Player […]

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Washington State likes to throw the football. The Cougars have certainly made no secret of that, not after fifth-year senior quarterback Connor Halliday set an FBS record with 734 yards in last week’s 60-59 loss to Cal, bringing his total for the season up to 3,052 yards through only six games and earning Pac-12 Player of the Week honors in the process. The team also leads the FBS with 523 passing yards per game, 90 more than the next closest team.

However, despite the Cougars’ tendency to air it out offensively and their poor passing defense on the other side of the ball (they rank 107th in the FBS with 280.2 passing yards allowed per game), Stanford football head coach David Shaw insists that the Cardinal don’t feel the need to throw the ball equally as much to keep up offensively.

“That’s almost a trap to a certain degree,” said Shaw of the Cougars’ statistically porous passing defense. “They had the lead so a lot of teams had to throw it on them. I think when you play this team you feel compelled to try and keep up. Hopefully, I think if we play good defense we’ll still be able to be balanced, run and pass.”

Just last week against Cal, Washington State surrendered 527 yards through the air in an offensive showcase for both sides. For Stanford, which hasn’t posted more than 216 yards passing since its 13-10 loss to USC, the contest against Washington State could be the best opportunity to regain its rhythm and success in the passing game.

“We kind of just have our base game plan and work beyond that,” said sophomore tight end Austin Hooper. “In terms of statistics, we haven’t really looked at that area. We’re just going to try and take advantage of them as if they were any other opponent.”

After opening up the season with 312 passing yards against UC Davis, the Card’s passing yardage has declined in each of their subsequent games, culminating in a season-low 158 against Notre Dame. To fix an offense that has also struggled as a whole, Shaw believes that most of the changes will come from behind the scenes.

“I don’t know that it’s going to be anything noticeable to anybody,” said Shaw about how the offense will change. “’Simplifying’ is probably not the right word as much as it is sticking to our core, doing things that we do and we believe in, and being efficient and not doing as much. I wouldn’t say ‘simplifying,’ but doing a little less and hopefully doing it better.”

Senior receiver Devon Cajuste (89)
Senior receiver Devon Cajuste (89) will be looking to find the end zone for the first time since Stanford’s romp over Army when Washington State visits the Farm on Friday evening. (ROGER CHEN/The Stanford Daily).

Senior receiver Devon Cajuste (89) will be looking to find the end zone for the first time since Stanford’s romp over Army when Washington State visits Stanford Stadium on Friday evening.

“Yeah, we always talk about potential, but potential doesn’t matter,” added senior wide receiver Devon Cajuste, who is second on the team with 223 receiving yards and tied for first with three receiving touchdowns. “You just have to execute and that’s what we have to work on…It’s really just about execution, just coming together and knowing the playbook better,”

At least for the moment, the offense must improve in practice without the full services of senior quarterback Kevin Hogan, who has been limited in practice while nursing a leg injury. Senior Evan Crower has taken some of the first-team snaps in Hogan’s place. Though Hogan may not be able to practice to his full extent, Cajuste doesn’t think the offense will miss a beat.

“They’re both the same. A quarterback’s a quarterback,” he said about practicing with Crower rather than Hogan.

***

For the second time in as many seasons, junior Luke Kaumatule is making a position change.

Shaw revealed at practice on Tuesday that Kaumatule has officially moved from defensive end to outside linebacker, just under a year after moving from tight end to defensive end.

“He’s more natural for it,” Shaw said. “I mean when you really look at him, he reminds you of [former Cardinal outside linebacker Trent] Murphy. Very similar build – long and athletic, 6-foot-6 and 258, 260 pounds – and he can do some of the same things. I think it’s a natural position switch for him.”

Kaumatule will continue to take snaps at the defensive end position in nickel formations but will also serve as a backup to senior starting outside linebacker Kevin Anderson.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Peterson: Surveying a most unpredictable MLB postseason https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/08/peterson-surveying-a-most-unpredictable-mlb-postseason/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/08/peterson-surveying-a-most-unpredictable-mlb-postseason/#respond Thu, 09 Oct 2014 03:43:17 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1089297 The MLB postseason has finished its first round, and already just about every follower, including myself and nearly every MLB analyst out there, has thrown his predictions out the window. Seriously, the chances that you predicted the outcomes of this postseason correctly so far – only four series and two wild-card games – are probably […]

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The MLB postseason has finished its first round, and already just about every follower, including myself and nearly every MLB analyst out there, has thrown his predictions out the window.

Seriously, the chances that you predicted the outcomes of this postseason correctly so far – only four series and two wild-card games – are probably lower than the chances that you picked Cal and Arizona to have a better record than Stanford football at this point in the season.

The teams with the two best records in baseball and the home-field advantages in their leagues combined to win only a single game between them, losing to the two teams with the worst records in the playoffs. Only one of the four higher-seeded teams advanced. The four teams with arguably the best starting rotations – long considered the key to winning in the playoffs – in all of baseball, the Tigers, the A’s, the Dodgers and the Nationals, were all sent home packing.

The Tigers, a team with the last three A.L. Cy Young winners and the back-to-back A.L. MVP winner, couldn’t even win a game against the Orioles, a team that lacks a starting pitcher with a sub-3.30 ERA and is also missing two of its best hitters in Manny Machado and Chris Davis.

Even though the A’s and Tigers were declared the “winners” of the trade deadline and the midseason World Series favorites after trading for aces Jon Lester and David Price, respectively, neither team won a game in the postseason.

This postseason saw a pitcher surrender seven runs in back-to-back starts for the first time ever (one of those came in 2013, the other in 2014). That pitcher was Clayton Kershaw. Yes, the likely National League Cy Young and National League MVP who posted 41 consecutive scoreless innings at one point this season, went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA and allowed more than three runs only once in all 27 starts this season. Kershaw lost only one start from June onwards, yet he lost two in the span of five days in the playoffs. After surrendering only one home run to a left-handed hitter all season long, he gave up two in the 2014 playoffs, including a game-winner to a player that hadn’t hit a home run off of a left-handed pitcher since July 7.

The player that led the Dodgers in batting average and OPS in the regular season, Yasiel Puig, struck out seven times in a row, one shy of the postseason record, and was benched for the final game of the series.

After leading the league with 773 runs during the regular season, the Angels managed only six over the course of their three-game series with Kansas City. Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols and all $509 million between them combined to go 3-for-37. Ouch.

I don’t know whether to be frustrated or enthralled. That’s the playoffs for you.

In the NBA, the best team from the regular season, or at least one of the top two or three, generally wins the championship. In the NFL, a little more randomness pervades, but as the Seahawks showed last year, a dominant team still tends to come out on top. In the MLB, it’s anybody’s to win come playoff time.

Billy Beane’s had it right all along: The playoffs really are a crapshoot. Records are cast aside, the names on the jerseys are cast aside, home field is cast aside, stats are cast aside and randomness takes center stage. Despite the five- and seven-game series format, the playoffs produce a top-seeded winner about as often as March Madness.

As a disgruntled Angels fan, it’s disheartening to follow a team that performs so well over the course of 162 games only to completely disappear over the course of three games, despite an obvious talent edge on offense and arguably an even matchup on the mound. Just think, how awesome would it have been for Mike Trout to become the first player ever to win the MVP, the All-Star-Game MVP and the World Series MVP in the same season?

But, as a fan of baseball, it’s tough not to sit back and marvel at the events taking place this postseason. Nothing other than college basketball boasts as unpredictable, crazy and intriguing of a playoff than the MLB.

Even if you’re a bitter fan at the moment like me, learn to appreciate the wild nature of the MLB playoffs so that when your team finally comes out on top, it makes it that much more amazing.

Michael Peterson’s “disgruntled” state might be the perfect opportunity for the temptations of Dodger-dom to creep into his psyche. If it’s ridiculous payroll he’s looking for, Ned Colletti and Co. have exactly what he needs! Tell Michael why he should start Thinking Blue at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Peterson: What if Hogan played against Washington, Notre Dame in 2012? https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/21/peterson-what-if-hogan-played-against-washington-notre-dame-in-2012/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/21/peterson-what-if-hogan-played-against-washington-notre-dame-in-2012/#comments Mon, 22 Sep 2014 04:17:28 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1088035 Over the course of the next two weeks, we’re going to find out a lot about the 2014 Stanford football team. This weekend, Stanford travels to the noisy Husky Stadium to take on an undefeated Washington Huskies team that has given Stanford fits in each of the last two seasons. After that, the Card travel […]

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Over the course of the next two weeks, we’re going to find out a lot about the 2014 Stanford football team.

This weekend, Stanford travels to the noisy Husky Stadium to take on an undefeated Washington Huskies team that has given Stanford fits in each of the last two seasons. After that, the Card travel to South Bend to take on what will likely be a top-10 team in Notre Dame, another team that always seems to bring out the worst in Stanford.

But, as much as we will learn about this year’s team from these two weeks, it’s hard not to think about how much we will learn about what the 2012 Stanford football team could have been.

For those unfamiliar with the 2012 season, the Card cruised to a 12-2 record, a Pac-12 championship and a Rose Bowl win — a phenomenal, program-defining season.

And yet, could it have been even better?

Those two marks in the loss column came in road contests against Washington and Notre Dame in eerily similar scenarios to what is shaping up this year.

Exactly two years ago this Saturday, when Stanford plays Washington in Seattle, the No. 8 Cardinal also played an unranked Huskies team in Washington, losing 17-13 after holding a 10-point lead late in the third quarter. Two weeks later, No. 17 Stanford lost 20-13 in overtime against a top-10 Notre Dame team in South Bend.

If the scorelines don’t provide enough of an indicator, those two games were really close. Like one-yard-away-from-tying-the-game-in-overtime close. (At least against Notre Dame. Against Washington it was 30 yards more for the win.)

Though two years change a lot in college football, the relative talent levels of Stanford, Washington and Notre Dame all appear to be about the same as two years ago, according to each team’s ranking. Stanford still makes a living off of a stifling defense and a methodical offense, like Notre Dame, while Washington may have undergone the biggest changes due to a coaching switch.

So, it only seems fair that we can ask the question and maybe finally have it answered: Could Kevin Hogan have made the difference between a Rose Bowl appearance and, dare I say, a national championship matchup against Alabama in 2012?

Then-senior Josh Nunes quarterbacked the Card in each of their two losses — though, to his credit, he also provided a huge spark in Stanford’s upset of USC — and in the first eight games of the season before ceding the majority of playing time at quarterback to Hogan in the ninth game against Colorado.

In the first narrow defeat to Washington, Nunes went 18-for-37 (49 percent completion rate) with 170 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He failed to ignite a Stanford offense that didn’t record an offensive touchdown in the game. Stanford went 5-of-18 on third downs and on the game’s biggest play, a fourth-and-4 with two minutes on the clock and Stanford trailing, he overthrew Levine Toilolo, who had over half a foot in height on his defender, for an interception.

The loss was by no means on Nunes’ shoulders, as the entire offense notably struggled, but even just a slight improvement from the quarterback might have been enough to provide the difference in that tight game.

Against Notre Dame, Nunes finished 12-for-25 (48 percent completion rate) with 125 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. The Card managed only three points in four red-zone trips. Safe to say, the offense was the culprit in the loss, not just Nunes. But again, it’s possible that a slightly better performance from the quarterback position could have brought about a win.

At that time, Kevin Hogan was only a redshirt freshman whose playing time experience consisted of time as an option quarterback in change-of-pace formations for the Card. Nearly a month passed between when Stanford lost to Notre Dame and when Hogan made his first start against Oregon State. Hogan might not have been ready to play a month prior to when he did and he could have been worse than Nunes against Washington and Notre Dame.

Still…what if?

In the first three games that Hogan played significant time (he replaced Nunes after two series against Colorado and made his first start the following week), he had a 74 percent completion rate and averaged 216 yards passing, 2.3 total touchdowns, 45 yards rushing and one interception, against Colorado, No. 13 Oregon State and No. 2 Oregon, no less. Those numbers give him 52 more yards passing, 38 more yards rushing, 1.0 more total touchdowns and 21 percent more passes completed per game than Nunes, according to Nunes’ season averages.

In games that were as close as Stanford-Washington and Stanford-Notre Dame, that improvement might have been more than enough to secure a victory.

Though the numbers argue that Stanford could have won with Hogan at quarterback, we’ll get to see firsthand over the next two weeks how Stanford does against Washington and Notre Dame with Hogan. Even though many things have changed, the eerie similarities between the teams and the games from two years ago will give us somewhat of a look at how Hogan could have been in those scenarios.

Maybe soon we will have a better idea as to whether the 2012 team under Hogan could have given Alabama a run for its money in the title game.

Michael Peterson is too quick to forget that without Josh Nunes at the helm, Stanford would not have beaten a high-flying, Matt Scott-led Arizona team in overtime at home behind a sparkling quarterback performance. Remind him of your favorite Josh Nunes memories at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Wednesday roundtable: Examining early-season surprises https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/17/wednesday-roundtable-examining-early-season-surprises/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/17/wednesday-roundtable-examining-early-season-surprises/#respond Wed, 17 Sep 2014 09:07:09 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087988 On Saturday, Stanford football closed out the first chunk of its 2014 schedule — a three-game homestand — with a 35-0 victory over West Point. With a quarter of the season now complete, we asked football writers Michael Peterson, Winston Shi and Jordan Wallach: Which player or position group has been the most impressive overall for the Card, and the performance of which player or position group has been the biggest surprise (either good or bad)?

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On Saturday, Stanford football closed out the first chunk of its 2014 schedule — a three-game homestand — with a 35-0 victory over West Point. With a quarter of the season now complete, we asked football writers Michael Peterson, Winston Shi and Jordan Wallach: Which player or position group has been the most impressive overall for the Card, and the performance of which player or position group has been the biggest surprise (either good or bad)?

Michael: Although the homestand only provided one true test against USC, we’ve certainly learned a lot about the 2014 version of the Card because of it, especially just how dominant this secondary can be.

Heading into the season, we knew the secondary boasted NFL-caliber talent in preseason All-American Jordan Richards and 2013 All-Pac-12 honorable mention Alex Carter, but the play of the rest of the secondary has made the unit as a whole one of the nation’s best (statistically speaking, the best with only 66 passing yards allowed per game). Wayne Lyons recorded two pass breakups and a forced fumble against UC Davis, Zach Hoffpauir’s physical play has earned him a starting spot alongside Richards at safety and Ronnie Harris has emerged not only as a leader but also as a solid contributor at both nickelback and cornerback. USC, which averaged 371 passing yards in its other two games so far this season, managed only 135 against the stout secondary. With top passing teams like Oregon, Arizona State and UCLA looming on the schedule, the secondary has given Cardinal fans more confidence that Stanford can compete with the rest of the best in the Pac-12.

The biggest surprise so far this season, other than maybe the previously discussed struggles of the offensive line, has been the breakout performance of freshman Christian McCaffrey. After Shaw and the coaching staff raved about him in the preseason, it was clear that he would make an impact someday, it just wasn’t clear that that day was right now. Through three games, McCaffrey has three tackles on special teams, ranks sixth on the team with 64 receiving yards, has become one of the Card’s two consistent punt returners along with Ty Montgomery and is averaging 7.8 yards on five carries in a crowded backfield. With Kelsey Young now at running back, McCaffrey fills the old Young role — a potential slot receiver that provides the threat of a jet sweep every time he’s on the field. He’s explosive, and his impact on the offense should only grow as he grows stronger and learns more of the playbook.

Winston: I’m going to talk about the sexiest subject in football: special teams defense.

The first question is a bit hard to answer. Without question, the most impressive part of Stanford has been its defense — say whatever you want about Stanford’s win-loss record, but when you lead the nation in scoring defense with 4.3 points per game, you’re doing your job right. But I’m reluctant to say this early in the season what has been the best part of that fantastic defense. The old mantra of defense is that you are only as strong as your weakest link, but regardless of competition, what can you say when Stanford has shut out two out of three opponents? Foreshadowing the deep offensive diversity of the Pac-12, Stanford played an option running team a week after containing a bruising, up-tempo pro-style offense, and both times the defense proved itself to be playoff-caliber.

One special bright spot that I’ll mention is Stanford’s utter dominance in the field position game. Stanford’s wonderful return units are already notoriously excellent, but the special teams defense has been even better. Excluding times when Stanford’s offense coughs up the ball, the average opposing drive begins at the offense’s 18. Moreover, that field position has been remarkably consistent in its dominance. Only one kickoff or punt this year has let the opposing defense begin beyond their own 25 – and that was a flubbed kickoff against Army, with the game well in hand.

Stanford’s special teams were the difference time and time again last season, and this season looks to be no exception. I feel completely secure in saying that Jordan Williamson and Ben Rhyne’s kickoff and punt defense teams are the best unit in the country.

As for surprises — you can argue for a while about whether a redshirt freshman ought to be called a “freshman” (Stanford calls them sophomores; everybody else except Notre Dame calls them freshmen), but freshman or not, it’s still impressive how Austin Hooper has firmly entrenched himself as the top tight end in Stanford’s offense. Hooper’s 12 receptions are good for second on the team. He’s already one of Kevin Hogan’s favorite targets in the passing game, and his emergence promises to add some much-needed reliability to Stanford’s intermediate passing game. Roster management is always a controversial issue, and the season is still young, but I can see why David Shaw refused to burn Hooper’s redshirt.

Jordan: Speaking of Austin Hooper, the integration of Stanford’s tight ends back into the team’s offensive scheme early this season has not necessarily been a surprise, but it’s a welcomed change for the school once known as Tight End U. Since the likes of Jimmy Dray, Coby Fleener, Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz all departed for the NFL, the Cardinal have struggled to regain their dominance in the intermediate passing game.

Stanford Tight Ends: Receiving, Year-by-Year

Receptions Yards Touchdowns
2011 86 1,356 20
2012 94 1,300 10
2013 10 69 0
2014 (through three games) 16 226 1

Yet this season, the trio of redshirt freshmen Austin Hooper, Eric Cotton and Greg Taboada has already surpassed Stanford’s reception total by tight ends in 2013, and have more than tripled last season’s total yardage.

And at least by the eye test, Hogan has looked much more comfortable in the pocket through the team’s first three games in 2014. He has been able to target his tight ends early, as eight of Hooper’s 12 receptions so far have been on first downs, gaining important chunks of yardage to set up further plays. Come time for the Cardinal’s big road tests, even starting next week in Seattle against Washington, look for the connections between the tight end corps and Hogan to get even stronger, as familiar targets in medium range are easy to fall back on in tough situations.

Michael Peterson and Jordan Wallach aren’t the only ones that are surprised that the normally critical Winston Shi went with a positive surprise for this roundtable. Ask them what they think softened Winston’s heart at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu and jwallach ‘at’ stanford.edu or ask Winston himself at wshi94 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Peterson: Time for student section to get wild https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/16/peterson-time-for-student-section-to-get-wild/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/16/peterson-time-for-student-section-to-get-wild/#respond Wed, 17 Sep 2014 05:00:14 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087959 Take note, new freshmen: The Stanford you enter this week is not the same as the Stanford of five or 10 years ago. Sure, the outstanding academics still place the school among the best in the nation, the campus looks as beautiful as it always has and we’re still better than Cal in every category, […]

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Take note, new freshmen: The Stanford you enter this week is not the same as the Stanford of five or 10 years ago.

Sure, the outstanding academics still place the school among the best in the nation, the campus looks as beautiful as it always has and we’re still better than Cal in every category, but over the past several years, a new dynamic has emerged here: We have a ridiculously good football team.

You’ve probably already heard many of the accolades. Stanford is the only team to have played in a BCS bowl in each of the final four years of the BCS era. Stanford has won the Pac-12 in back-to-back years. For four years running, Stanford has finished the season in the top 10 of the Coaches Poll. From Richard Sherman to Andrew Luck, Stanford is taking the NFL by storm.

However, good football hasn’t always been the case at Stanford. From 1942 to 2008, Stanford went a mediocre 332-346-17. Until last season, Stanford hadn’t reached back-to-back Rose Bowl games since 1971. In fact, Stanford had never even been to four straight bowl games (generally achieved by boasting a record above .500) until 2012.

Then Jim Harbaugh happened. Toby Gerhart happened. Andrew Luck happened. David Shaw happened. Shayne Skov happened. Over the last five seasons and the start of this one, Stanford has gone 56-14, achieving the kind of success that hasn’t been experienced here since Pop Warner left the coaching sideline in 1932. Stanford has officially obtained football powerhouse status.

Yet, we’re still somewhat waiting for one more appropriate trend to follow.

To put it bluntly, Stanford Stadium and the surrounding area can be a little quiet during gameday, as I constantly hear from opposing fan bases.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the Stanford community. It’s among the most diverse, talented and friendly in the world. But come Saturdays in the fall, we’ve still got some work to do.

Football players have referred to Stanford Stadium as “the library,” due to its tendency to remain relatively calm. Students commonly arrive halfway through the game or leave halfway into it. Fans standing up and screaming support has yet to become the norm outside of major contests. In 2012, the year after we went to the Fiesta Bowl and the season when we won the Rose Bowl, attendance dropped by 12 percent (granted, three home games occurred before school started). As Fox Sports noted in an article on the Stanford-Oregon game last season, there’s little buzz around campus on gameday relative to other schools.

At a school in which we excel in nearly everything, why can’t we excel in supporting our football team?

I don’t think we should conform to some notion that we have to get loud, we have to tailgate before games, we have to stand, we have to scream until our throats hurt or anything of the matter. Stanford is certainly its own unique place that does things its own way, and that’s a good thing.

But do it for your peer in your engineering classes who happens to be a wide receiver on the football team. Do it for the 250-pound, Mohawk-rocking programmer who leapt over the back of one of the fastest players in college football and stripped away the ball last season to save a touchdown. Do it for the political science major who has put in five years of relentless work here to become one of the best defensive linemen in college football. Do it for your roommate, your friend or your classmate.

These players — our fellow students — put in countless hours of extra work to deliver a spectacular product for us on Saturdays, in addition to balancing their academic workloads. Whether Stanford is set to face UC-Davis, Oregon, Bowling Green or Alabama, they put in the same amount of work. Why should our level of support vary with the opponent?

Last year when Stanford faced Oregon, Stanford Stadium erupted, becoming a truly electric college football atmosphere. It’s time for that environment to spread to every game and to the entire gameday experience.

It doesn’t matter whether or not you can name the five starters on the offensive line or you don’t know a fumble from an interception; you can stand, scream in support and get loud just the same. These players — your colleagues and friends — deserve it.

Teams are scared to face Stanford, but they aren’t yet scared to play at Stanford Stadium. It’s on you to change that.

Michael Peterson tried out for the cheerleading squad as a freshman but was turned down after the first round of auditions, much to his shock and dismay. Instead, hes now forced to use his rhetoric to egg on the team. Tell Michael that hed look better with pom poms in his hands at mrpeters atstanford.edu.

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Stanford’s secondary prepared for difficult task ahead https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/04/stanfords-secondary-prepared-for-difficult-task-ahead/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/04/stanfords-secondary-prepared-for-difficult-task-ahead/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2014 09:04:13 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087835 When No. 13 Stanford and No. 14 USC clash to open conference play, two of the nation’s best receiving groups — if not the two very best — will be on full display.

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To NFL teams seeking talent at the wide receiver position: look no further than Stanford Stadium this Saturday.

When No. 13 Stanford and No. 14 USC clash to open conference play, two of the nation’s best receiving groups — if not the two very best — will be on full display.

Stanford’s wealth at the wide receiver position was widely discussed in the preseason and was certainly evident against UC-Davis, as senior Ty Montgomery showcased his Heisman-level talent and junior Michael Rector flew by the secondary for a 40-yard score, all with starting wide receiver Devon Cajuste, a senior, on the bench. Of course, there’s also senior Jordan Pratt, who seems to catch anything that comes his way, and explosive sophomore wideout Francis Owusu.

However, Stanford’s unit may have found its match in USC.

Senior cornerback Wayne Lyons (2) has developed into a dependable player for the Card in the secondary. Stanford will need him at his best against USC. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)
Senior cornerback Wayne Lyons (2) has developed into a dependable player for the Card in the secondary. Stanford will need him at his best to be successful against USC. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

“They are up there, there’s no question about it,” said Stanford head coach David Shaw, when asked how USC’s receiving corps compares with others he’s faced. “They have all the things you’re looking for — they have size, they have speed, they have versatility, they can run after the catch, they can be physical blockers. If they’re not the best group, they might be the most complete as far as being able to do a little bit of everything.”

Despite graduating a game-breaking receiver in each of the last two seasons (second-round NFL Draft picks Robert Woods and Marqise Lee), USC boasts a deep, incredibly talented pool of wideouts with arguably even more star power at the top than it ever had with Woods and Lee.

Aided by last year’s leader in receiving yards and touchdowns, junior Nelson Agholor, USC posted 394 yards passing and had six different players record three receptions against Fresno State.

At the start of the season, the 6-foot-1 Agholor was named to several watch lists, including the one for the Walter Camp Award watch list, which is given to the player of the year in college football. Agholor, USC’s counter to Stanford’s Montgomery, had 918 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns last season in addition to a 19.8-yard punt return average and two punt return touchdowns.

Additionally, senior wide receiver George Farmer attended the same high school as Woods and Lee and was actually the best college prospect of the three receivers coming out of high school (the No. 3 overall recruit in the class of 2011), though he has battled injuries while at USC. His return from these injuries and his improving professional potential were documented in a recent Sports Illustrated feature.

6-foot-1 sophomore Darreus Rogers, who had 257 receiving yards as a freshman despite missing several games due to injury, and 6-foot-2 freshman JuJu Smith, who led the team with 123 receiving yards in week one, bring plenty of size to the group. On the other hand, 5-foot-11 freshman Adoree’ Jackson, the No. 6 recruit according to Yahoo, plays on both sides of the ball and brings his 4.4 40-yard dash speed to the offense.

Safe to say, Stanford’s secondary will have its hands full on Saturday, much like USC’s.

“[The defensive backs] are going to be challenged by really, really good receivers,” Shaw said.

However, in spite of USC’s exceptional talent at wide receiver, Stanford feels like its secondary is up to the task.

“I think [the secondary] matches up well. The bottom line though is being in position every play,” Shaw said. “You can match up physically but we all know if you are out of position on one play against a really good group of receivers, that’s a touchdown. Our guys know that every play we need to be in the right position, every play we need to make sure the ball’s getting funneled where we want it to get funneled and not going over our heads, and that’s team defense.”

With junior Alex Carter returning to his starting role after playing off the bench against UC-Davis in his return from a hip injury, Stanford’s secondary will be at full strength to face USC. That includes an improving Wayne Lyons, the senior cornerback starting opposite Carter, who had three tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble against UC-Davis.

“I think he’s confident now and I think he’s comfortable now. I think he understands the whole defense and not just his position anymore, which is huge, knowing where his help is coming from,” Shaw said of Lyons. “I think he’s been aggressive, he’s not shying away or trying to be careful. He’s playing physical and he’s playing smart but he’s also playing aggressively.”

At safety, next to senior leader and preseason All-American Jordan Richards, junior Zach Hoffpauir will earn his first collegiate start after excelling in his week one performance, which included a big hit that brought down a runner for a loss.

“[Hoffpauir’s] such a playmaker,” Shaw said at Tuesday’s press conference. “He’s so dynamic and he’s so explosive. He was great in the nickel. His speed and his physical nature are extremely impressive.”

Hoffpauir will split time at safety with fifth-year senior Kyle Olugbode and will also see time at nickelback along with senior Ronnie Harris, who returns to the nickelback position after starting at cornerback in week one.

Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Explosive offenses set to write new chapter in heated rivalry https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/02/explosive-offenses-set-to-write-new-chapter-in-heated-rivalry/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/02/explosive-offenses-set-to-write-new-chapter-in-heated-rivalry/#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2014 01:54:53 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087812 Both Stanford and USC operated with traditional, pro-style offenses in each of the previous meetings. However, both units have seen changes over the offseason that make this Saturday's showdown unlike any other.

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When naming the best rivalries in college football over the past several years, it’s hard to make a list that does not include Stanford vs. USC.

Regional proximity. Dramatic upsets. Wins for both sides. Field stormings in each of the last two meetings. The Stanford-USC rivalry has really seen it all.

In 2007, Stanford sparked the rivalry with “The Biggest Upset Ever,” ruining the Trojans’ chances at a national championship by miraculously winning at the Coliseum as a 41-point underdog.

Then in 2009, after a USC victory the previous year, the Card infuriated the traditionally dominant Trojans by running up the score in a 55-21 win in USC’s own home.

The next three meetings, all Cardinal victories, included a game-winning drive by Andrew Luck, a triple-overtime thriller and a take-down of the preseason championship favorite and No. 2 team in the nation. Safe to say, the team from down south had grown to hate the new powerhouse up north, and it showed in an emotional USC victory last season that caused a fan base that had seen 11 national championships to storm the field for the first time in 14 years.

(DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)
Senior Ty Montgomery (7) flashed his skills as a wide receiver, punt returner, kick returner and a runner against UC-Davis and will need more explosive plays if the Card hope to be successful against USC. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

“Rivalry is created when you go back-and-forth and they are fast-paced, fun, exciting games to watch,” said head coach David Shaw, “and that’s what we have going on between us and USC.”

“It’s just a good California rivalry, north and south,” added senior quarterback Kevin Hogan. “We have a lot of Southern California players, they have a lot of Northern California players. Players might have grown up rooting for different teams.”

As No. 13 Stanford prepares to face No. 14 USC this Saturday at Stanford Stadium, a new chapter in the burgeoning rivalry unfolds.

Both Stanford and USC operated with traditional, pro-style offenses in each of the previous meetings. However, both units have seen changes over the offseason that make this Saturday’s showdown unlike any other.

With new head coach Steve Sarkisian at the helm, USC implemented an up-tempo offense that resulted in a Pac-12 record 105 plays – more than hurry-up innovator Oregon has ever run – and over 700 yards of offense in USC’s 52-13 week one victory over Fresno State.

“I think it’s going to be big this week to stop that offense before it gets started,” said fifth-year senior defensive end Henry Anderson. “We’ve kind of had the same gameplan for Oregon the past few years…just to try and get those three-and-outs early so their offense doesn’t get rolling and they don’t really get into that up-tempo offense.”

On the other side of the ball, Stanford’s wealth at the wide receiver and tight end positions and its lack of a true power running back has the Card’s offense looking more like an aerial attack than it ever has before, although the Card still run the same brand of offense. Against UC-Davis, Stanford had five scoring drives of under three minutes and three touchdowns on pass plays of 40 yards or more.

Even though each team possesses a dominant and talented defense, their talented offenses could make this year’s version of the Stanford-USC dogfight look a lot like the combined 104-point shootout in 2011.

“Our style of football, we want to avoid the shootout,” Hogan said. “I think defensively we’re going to hold them. Our mentality is to keep as many points off the board as possible. But offensively, I think that we have to get the ball to our playmakers. If that means scoring a bunch of touchdowns, that’s fine. I know it’s going to be a dogfight but I think they’re two very good defenses that are going to try and keep points off the board.”

As if the rivalry needed another subplot, head coaches Shaw and Sarkisian will meet on the football field for the first time since Sarkisian accused Stanford of faking injuries after the Cardinal beat Sarkisian’s Washington Huskies last season. Shaw vehemently refuted Sarkisian’s claims by beginning  the following press conference with an unusual and firm opening statement.

However, Shaw insists that there is no animosity between him and Sarkisian.

“There is no hatchet to bury,” Shaw said. “That situation was what it was last year. We’ve both moved on…There’s no animosity between me and Steve.”

Regardless of the fuel behind each team’s drive to win this year’s contest, one thing is for certain: Shaw doesn’t need to provide any motivation.

“This is one of those games where I don’t need to motivate them, I just get out of the way,” he said. “The emotions are going to be there, the energy’s going to be there. They’re going to feel it in the stadium as soon as they walk in. It’s going to be a great atmosphere because this is a rival for us. The big thing for us is controlling our emotions and doing our jobs and being efficient and being smart and doing the things that win football games while playing a very emotional football game. I don’t need to give a speech for this football game; we just need to open the doors and let them play.”

***

Though Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley garner most of the attention for Pac-12 quarterbacks, Hogan and USC quarterback Cody Kessler have quietly been establishing themselves as elite quarterbacks in the conference as well.

“[Kessler’s] one of those guys that doesn’t get mentioned in this great crop of quarterbacks in our conference, but then again neither does Kevin Hogan, but when you watch these two guys play they’re really good quarterbacks,” Shaw said.

In 2013, Kessler and Hogan’s combined 21-win total matched that of Mariota and Hundley, while Hogan’s 151.5 rating and Kessler’s 148.8 rating finished just behind Hundley’s 153.7 mark (still well behind Mariota’s 167.7).

With Kessler running a new, up-tempo offense and Hogan surrounded by arguably the best receiving weapons in the conference, the two quarterbacks could have their greatest opportunity yet to prove Sports Illustrated’s recent claim that Hundley is “the best college quarterback in California” wrong.

In week one, Kessler and Hogan arguably outplayed Hundley as UCLA’s offense struggled on the road, albeit against the best opposition faced among the three quarterbacks.

***

It took senior Ty Montgomery about all of seven seconds to erase concerns regarding his offseason shoulder surgery.

Montgomery took the first touch of his senior season 60 yards for a touchdown on a punt return against UC-Davis despite never returning a punt at Stanford previously.

“First time he ever started working it was in the summer,” said Shaw of Montgomery’s new role as a punt returner. “We had never put him back there. He had never really done it, not really in high school. It just wasn’t one of those things he wasn’t even asking to do. He loves kickoff returns and I can’t state that strongly enough. I introduced punt returns to him and he said, ‘You know, I think I’d like to do that.’”

Montgomery’s all-around talent will likely see him line up all over the field this season as a wide receiver, punt returner, kick returner and even a running back out of the Wildcat formation, where he also debuted on Saturday.

“He’s our biggest runner,” Shaw said of Montgomery at the Wildcat position.

***

Sophomore linebacker Kevin Palma and fifth-year senior linebacker Joe Hemschoot will miss the USC game with injuries and will likely not return until Sept. 27, when Stanford faces Washington, at the earliest.

Junior defensive lineman Aziz Shittu, who missed the UC-Davis game with a toe injury, is expected to return against USC.

Senior Devon Cajuste will also play against the Trojans. He was suspended against UC-Davis for a violation of team rules.

After an impressive performance in week one, junior safety Zach Hoffpauir was elevated to the starting free safety role alongside senior strong safety Jordan Richards. Shaw expects Hoffpauir and fifth-year senior safety Kyle Olugbode to split time against USC.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford in the NFL: 22 former Cardinal players earn roster spots https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/02/stanford-in-the-nfl-22-former-cardinal-earn-roster-spot/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/02/stanford-in-the-nfl-22-former-cardinal-earn-roster-spot/#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2014 01:46:54 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087810 Adding to an ever-expanding presence in the NFL, four members of Stanford football’s 2014 class survived training camp cuts and made a 53-man roster, raising the total number of former Cardinal players in the league to 22. Rookies Trent Murphy (Washington), David Yankey (Minnesota), Cameron Fleming (New England) and Ryan Hewitt (Cincinnati) succeeded in earning […]

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Adding to an ever-expanding presence in the NFL, four members of Stanford football’s 2014 class survived training camp cuts and made a 53-man roster, raising the total number of former Cardinal players in the league to 22.

Rookies Trent Murphy (Washington), David Yankey (Minnesota), Cameron Fleming (New England) and Ryan Hewitt (Cincinnati) succeeded in earning a spot on an NFL roster, while fellow first-years Shayne Skov (San Francisco), Josh Mauro (Pittsburgh) and Ed Reynolds (Philadelphia) were cut but named to their respective teams’ 10-man practice squads.

(JIM SHORIN/Stanfordphoto.com)
Outside linebacker Trent Murphy (93) leads a talented rookie class poised to join Stanford’s expanding presence in the NFL. (JIM SHORIN/Stanfordphoto.com)

Additionally, running back Tyler Gaffney likely would have made a 53-man roster, but he suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for the entire 2014 season. The Carolina Panthers, who took Gaffney in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, waived Gaffney with the intention of putting him on injured reserve, only to see the Patriots steal him off waivers and put him on their own injured reserve.

Defensive end Ben Gardner, a seventh-round selection of the Dallas Cowboys, injured his shoulder early in training camp and was placed on the Cowboys’ injured reserve.

Khalil Wilkes, who participated in San Diego’s training camp, was cut in trimming the roster from 75 to 53 and did not make a practice squad.

Along with the new rookies, Johnson Bademosi (Cleveland), Doug Baldwin (Seattle), David DeCastro (Pittsburgh), Jim Dray (Cleveland), Zach Ertz (Philadelphia), Coby Fleener (Indianapolis), Toby Gerhart (Jacksonville), Thomas Keiser (Arizona), Erik Lorig (New Orleans), Andrew Luck (Indianapolis), Jonathan Martin (San Francisco), Chris Owusu (Tampa Bay), Richard Sherman (Seattle), Alex Smith (Cincinnati), Stepfan Taylor (Arizona), Michael Thomas (Miami), Levine Toilolo (Atlanta) and Griff Whalen (Indianapolis) will start the season on an NFL roster.

Defensive tackle Matthew Masifilo made Tampa Bay’s practice squad this year after spending parts of two seasons on San Francisco’s and Tampa Bay’s practice squads.

Safety Delano Howell, who recorded 19 tackles for the Colts last season, will spend the season on Indianapolis’ injured reserve.

Two players that saw action in the NFL last season, Jeremy Stewart and Sione Fua, were cut by Oakland and Denver, respectively, as part of the team’s final roster reduction.

In total, former Cardinal players are spread across 16 different teams, including three players on Indianapolis and two each on Cincinnati, Cleveland, Arizona and Seattle.

The season-beginning total of 22 Cardinal players in the NFL is up from 2013’s season-beginning total of 20. That number is unlikely to diminish anytime soon, as the average age of all 22 former Stanford players in the NFL is only 24.6. Only one player (Smith, who is 32) is older than 27, and only four players (Smith, Dray, Lorig and Gerhart) have been in the league for more than three seasons.

Among universities, Stanford ranks 23rd nationally in terms of the number of former players in the NFL, and fourth in the Pac-12 behind only USC, Oregon and Cal.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Playing time up for grabs against UC-Davis https://stanforddaily.com/2014/08/28/playing-time-up-for-grabs-against-uc-davis/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/08/28/playing-time-up-for-grabs-against-uc-davis/#respond Thu, 28 Aug 2014 10:41:28 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087704 Although next weekend’s matchup with No. 15 USC looms over Stanford’s upcoming game against FCS opponent UC-Davis, Stanford football head coach David Shaw insisted that his team has plenty to play for and prove this Saturday against the Aggies. “Our guys are excited about playing a game. We still got a lot of guys that […]

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Although next weekend’s matchup with No. 15 USC looms over Stanford’s upcoming game against FCS opponent UC-Davis, Stanford football head coach David Shaw insisted that his team has plenty to play for and prove this Saturday against the Aggies.

“Our guys are excited about playing a game. We still got a lot of guys that have a lot to prove,” he said. “We got a lot of guys stepping into new roles. Game one you want to start fast.”

Saturday’s game will allow the Cardinal to hand significant playing time to many of those players stepping into new roles. Shaw specifically stated that the defense will constantly rotate in order to provide experience for as many players as possible.

Freshman Christian McCaffrey (above) is one of several players looking to step into a new role this weekend against UC Davis. (TRI NGUYEN/The Stanford Daily)
Freshman Christian McCaffrey (above) is one of several players looking to step into a new role this weekend against UC Davis. (TRI NGUYEN/The Stanford Daily)

“We still have a bunch of guys that we want to see,” he said. “We don’t want to be a defense that plays 11 guys for 60 straight plays. We’re getting ready for up-tempo offenses for the entire season so we’re going to roll our guys no matter what, no matter what the score is, no matter what time in the game it is, we’re going to play a lot of guys.”

Unfortunately for the Card, one player expected to play a bigger role this season, junior defensive tackle Aziz Shittu, will miss Saturday’s game with a toe injury. Shittu is probable for Stanford’s game against USC.

In Shittu’s absence and with the recent medical retirement of junior defensive tackle Ikenna Nwafor, the backup defensive tackle spot on the depth chart remains vacant. Shaw plans on using several players with prior experience at the position to give a rest to fifth-year senior starter David Parry when needed.

“We have options,” said Shaw about using another defensive tackle. “Henry [Anderson’s] spent time there, [Blake] Lueders spent time there — we have a variety of guys that can go in and play.”

Along with the backup defensive tackle spot, another position likely to become a battleground for playing time on Saturday is the “ogre,” the extra offensive lineman Stanford utilizes in jumbo packages. With juniors Kyle Murphy and Josh Garnett now starting on the offensive line, the position is largely up for grabs.

“Casey Tucker, a true freshman, will have an opportunity. David Bright has done a really good job there. Nick Davidson has done a good job there also. Brendon Austin. Those guys have all rolled in there and done a good job,” said Shaw about the ogre position. “Brendon’s got the most experience, he did a little bit of it last year.”

Though Tucker and fellow freshmen Christian McCaffrey, Daniel Marx and Terrence Alexander are expected to see the field this season, two other freshmen once thought to have a shot at cracking the rotation – defensive ends Solomon Thomas and Harrison Phillips – will not play this season if all goes to plan.

“Hopefully we don’t need them because we got some depth at the defensive end,” Shaw explained. “Luke Kaumatule’s come on. Nate Lohn’s come on. Jordan Watkins is back healthy…As long as we stay healthy and those guys perform, we’ll keep those two on the bench.”

Additionally, sophomore Thomas Oser and freshmen Brandon Fanaika and Lane Veach will be out until at least midseason with various injuries. Fanaika and Veach are unlikely to play this season, even upon return from injury.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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