SB Nation - Delano Howell

Getting to know the Stanford Cardinal: Q&A with Various Provocations

jtlight — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:08:54 -0000

Stanford is going to have a very tough time stopping the Oregon rushing attack, led by Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael James.

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What? A Stanford blog? YES! We found one! It was tough work scouring the depths of the internet, but we found a real life Stanford fan who writes about the Cardinal online! We caught up with Darius, whose blog is Various Provocations, and asked him a few questions about the Cardinal. Many thanks to Darius for giving us a bit of insight into how Cardinal fans are looking at the upcoming game.

There's been some debate among Oregon fans about the strength of the Stanford offensive line. What are their strengths and weaknesses and how will they be able to handle a quick Oregon defensive line?

The Stanford offensive line is excellent all-around. It run-blocks very well and pass-blocks pretty well too; statistically, they match up pretty well with the Pac-10. Mostly it's a zone-blocking scheme that's being used, though I think they switch sometimes to man blocking. In terms of specific players, we start two redshirt freshmen. David DeCastro at RG (#52) is excellent on traps and pulls (particularly on the classic "Power" play) and very very strong; he matched up pretty well with Brian Price and Lawrence Guy, whom I see as the premier DTs in the conference.

The other redshirt freshman starting is Jonathan Martin (# who's been starting off-and-on at LT due to Allen Smith's injury problems (who's truly an unfortunate player: a first-day NFL pick two years ago, he's had two years destroyed due to knee inuries) Martin is maybe a bit undersized, but very mobile--Harbaugh has sent Martin into motion pre-snap to block on running plays. If there's a weakness in the line--and I see it as a minor weakness--it's senior RT Chris Marinelli, who's a natural guard, not a tackle; he's gotten beaten a few times while pass blocking.

I expect the Stanford OL v. the Oregon DL to be the most favorable matchup for Stanford: departed OL coach Chris Dalman was a disciple of Mike Shanahan, who favored lighter, more mobile offensive lines. The line is built in that image; moreover, it's very strong. I expect Martin and DeCastro to be NFL players when they leave Stanford (barring injury)

Andrew Luck has been very efficient this year, but has not excelled when the game has been put in his hands. What do you expect from him on Saturday?

I guess I'd quibble with the premise here, that Luck has been bad when the game has been placed in his hands. There are three games where the passing game took the forefront: Oregon State, Wake Forest and Arizona. Luck passed for 270+ yard and 430+ yards against Wake and Arizona, with pretty good accuracy; meanwhile, against Oregon State--Owusu, our handsless WR, dropped an 80 yard bomb on the first play of the game. Obviously, Stanford won neither game, but that wasn't Luck's fault. It was the defense's in both of those games, along with weird fluky stuff that happened in each game that I won't burden your readers with; suffice it to say both of those games could have been wins with changed circumstances. You might say a win's a win, and that's true, but never confuse achievement with performance. The hype for Luck is entirely justified: his arm strength is superlative; his accuracy is improving. A lot of the time, he hits receivers with passes that are catchable, but don't lead them well. That could stand to improve. He is surprisingly mobile, though obviously not as good as Masoli. He sometimes has problems sensing the rush, and sometimes has problems checking down. But he doesn't really throw interceptions or force the ball that much. We mostly have Luck throw deep, which accounts for his 58% completion rate (but 9.4 yards per attempt!). In my opinion, Andrew Luck's the best young QB in the Pac-10, better than Barkley and Foles (haven't seen Tuel, so who knows about him).

The main question in my mind, offensively this game, is whether or not Stanford is able to keep it close. Watching a few games of Oregon's, I think Stanford ought to be able to run the ball (USC had 5.9 ypc once the sacks are filtered out; last year against Oregon, Stanford's Anthony Kimble, the since-graduated backup, ran for 4.4 ypc with a dramatically worse QB piloting the offense at Autzen). The question is whether we'll be able to; obviously you can't run down by a substantial margin, which happened to USC last week. Oregon's defense's best weapon is Oregon's offense.

Toby Gerhart: best running back in the state of California?

Simple one here: yes. Jahvid Best might get more hype and NFL love, but he doesn't perform particularly well against the best defenses. Gerhart always performs. Against last year's awesome USC defense, he ran for 100+ yards and 4.4 ypc. He isn't just a grind-it-out back either; he's had multiple 40+ yrd gains and a 60 yard gain. He can win footraces. He's also impossible to tackle high, and his feet are nimble enough to get out of the way of tackle attempts low. He's just great.

The Stanford defense has a monunental task in front of them. What are your expectations this for them this weekend?

My expectations are that Stanford's defense will get gashed. As far as I can tell, dealing with Oregon's offense is about discipline: not biting on the myriad fakes, sticking to your gap or assignment, and tackling surely in your one-on-one assignment. The defense should be fine on the first two; it will suck at the last one. Stanford defenses have sucked at tackling for as long as I've watched Stanford teams (2005, when I was a freshman there). Moreover, if you love watching bubble screens, I bet you'll see a lot of them against Stanford on Saturday: our corners give up big cushions because otherwise we'd be too slow. To be fair, there's been a lot of shuffling on defense towards younger players who were better recruited--Delano Howell at safety is a huge, disciplined hitter; Shayne Skov (#11) is a true freshman who's done good work--but I don't expect much. If Stanford wins, here's how we'll do it: a key turnover or two, combined with limiting Oregon to a FG on a drive it could've gotten a TD in, then scoring 35+ ourselves. I feel pretty decent about the chances of scoring 35+; the odds of holding Oregon in that range are low.

Jim Harbaugh has done a great job turning around a program that was very low for quite a few years. Will he be able to push Stanford into the upper echelon of the Pac-10?

The only thing that can stop Stanford from consistently being an upper-echelon team is Jim Harbaugh leaving. Who knows what the odds of that are. I've heard conjecture about that in both directions, so I really have no read on how likely that is. I will tell you that the places he'd leave to are these: San Diego Chargers, because he has a relationship with the owner, Oakland Raiders, because he and Al Davis hit it off when Harbaugh coached there, and Michigan, if only because that's his alma mater (assuming they'd have him, after that controversy where Harbaugh dissed their academic standards). But if he does stay, you can expect continued success. Harbaugh's an increasingly creative offensive coach, now that the cupboard is filling up, and a great recruiter, at least on the offensive side of the ball. I have my worries about his defensive recruiting, but I guess time will tell (or it won't, if he leaves).

Stanford Preview

John Berkowitz — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:00:17 -0000

In the pre-season you probably wouldn't have pointed to this game as being one of the decisive games in determining the Pac 10 championship. Washington's upset over USC last week and strong play through the season's first three games has changed that.

Washington and Stanford enter the game as co leaders in the conference race. If Washington can beat the Cardinal last week’s upset over USC will have a lot more national validity. Winning one game is great...proving you can continue to win on a week to week basis is how championships are won.

Washington and Stanford are in unfamiliar territory right now. The top of the conference has been dominated by USC, Cal, and Oregon over the past six to seven years. The Huskies and Tree's on the other hand are more used to facing off to avoid the conference basement.

Young coaches have made a significant difference for both programs. Jim Harbaugh knows what it is like to knock off USC for example. He got that one out of the way early in one of the most stunning upsets in college football history. What he has done since is recruit extremely well on a national basis. UW is having a strong 2010 recruiting class but Stanford is actually even doing better. The current Stanford class is rated #1 in the Pac 10 and #8 overall in the country according to Scout.

When you break down Stanford and Washington position by position you realize exactly how even these two teams are right now from an overall talent perspective. Even in areas where I gave UW the edge the Cardinal are very close.

What stands out for me right now the most for me is Jake Locker. Jake is the best player in the conference and he can burn you in so many ways. Luck is very good and is probably the #2 guy in the conference right now despite being a RS frosh. That being said the level of experience and proficiency is on Locker's side. The thing that really separate Jake and Andrew is Jake's ability to simply make big plays when he has to. The final drive of the USC game is testament to his play making ability.

The odds makers favor Stanford by 9 points in this one and I think the smart money out there should be on Washington if the line holds. Stanford historically has a lot of problems with mobile QB' and Jake is the ultimate mobile QB on this side of the Mississippi.

Position Match Ups

Quarterback - Washington...Jake Locker has completed 60% of his passes so far this season and he is a threat to take the ball to the end zone every time he runs it. Locker just may have evolved into the best player in the Pac Jake was masterful last week against a tough USC defense. The win over USC is a huge confidence builder. Andrew Luck is going to be a real good QB. The Huskies face a player that is much better than Aaron Corp this week. He is mobile and throws the ball really well when he has to. This may be the match up of the two best QB's in the Pac 10.

Tailbacks - Even...Toby Gephart is one of the top power running backs in the country. You have to hit him behind the line, you have to hit him low, and wrap him up at the ankles, or he can really hurt you. Chris Polk may not have the size that Gephart has but as we saw against USC last week he knows how to move the pile forward against a couple of the best defenses in college football.

Fullback - Washington...Homer only touched the ball once last week but his true value is blocking for Locker and Polk. Add in Fogerson when he is at H-Back and UW gets the nod.

Wide Receivers - Washington...Chris Owusu and Doug Baldwin are big play threats, and Ryan Whalen is very consistent, but Washington has more depth here than Stanford. The Huskies are a passing team and Stanford is a running team that can actually pass pretty well when they have to. James Johnson and Jermain Kearse have evolved into UW's go to guys but the huskies actually do a pretty good job of spreading it around which is the sign of having a good QB.

Tight Ends - Even...Kavario Middleton is still learning. He had a couple of mistakes last week that probably took points off the scoreboard. His blocking can be termed a work in progress. He does have sticky hands and has the potential of having many big days this season. Jim Dray and Coby Fleener return for Stanford. Dray is still shaking off the rust from a knee injury last season. Stanford has and edge in blocking while Middleton is the better receiver.

Offensive Line - Even...Washington's offensive line has surprised in the early going playing some pretty tough defenses. Ben Ossai has resurrected his career and had a fine game against USC last week. David DeCastro a Seattle native has claimed a starting job for Stanford. Andrew Phillips is probably the best player on the Stanford line. Early injuries have forced the Cards to start two RS tackles.

Defensive Tackle...Even...This is a pretty tough call because Stanford is led by Ekon Udofia who is four year starter. Washington gets a slight edge because of the flexibility they attacked USC with last week. Washington can go with big or small lineups based on speed. The move of Everette Thompson to DT last week was brilliant. Expect UW to go large this weekend.

Defensive End...Even...Another tough call because Stanford has some talented DE's. Daniel Teo Nesheim is one of the conference’s best and the addition of Talia Crichton on the other side is giving UW some true speed on the pass rush. Stanford's Erik Lorig and Tom Keiser both earned Pac 10 honorable all star status last season.

Linebacker...Washington...I think it is pretty tough to find a better trio then Washington has in Foster, Savannah and Butler. Another impressive factor was how well the depth played last week. Stanford sports a pretty good trio in Snyder, Amajoyi, and Powers.

Cornerback...Washington...Going into the season the CB position was a big question mark. Things have worked out better than expected. Quinton Richardson is having an excellent season and Desmond Trufant is going to be a four year starter. Trufant looks like his older brother out there and he will keep improving every week. his potential is quite amazing. Vonzell McDowell has been solid as a starter, fifth back, and backup.

Safety...Washington...Nate Williams is having a great year and he found a good running mate last week in Justin Glenn. Glenn was a factor all over the field. He tackles and hits well. He has great coverage abilities too. Bo McNally is a pretty good player but he has too many holes to cover as the Stanford as the Card center fielder. Delano Howell whose brother played LB at UW and just needs experience after moving over from RB.

Special Teams...Stanford...Erik Folk was the hero last week and Will Mahan had some good punts. Washington isn't giving up big plays in coverage, but they haven't created any big plays in the return game. The Cards appear solid so far in every single area. The thing that gives the edge in this one going in is the return game. they have brought it back to the house three times so far on returns.

Game Match ups

Washington running game versus the Stanford defense

Stanford has an active front seven that is used to facing a power running game each day in practice. They held SJSU to only 26 yards on 28 carries last week. They didn't do so well against Wake Forest. They gave up 250 yards and that was the tale of the game. They just couldn't figure out the Demon Deacon offense which is pretty tricky.

Washington has been able to run against everyone this year. You would think that LSU and USC would have been able to hut them down but they didn't. The Huskies haven't had any big plays yet but they do pick up big yardage on first down which has helped the offense become one of the national leaders in third down conversions.

Chris Polk is the best looking Washington back in over a decade. He has all the tools. He can catch the ball, run with power, and he has the speed to break the long one. What has really set Chris apart this fall has been his ability to make yards after contact. Polk carried the USC line for valuable extra yards last Saturday.

The last time Jake played in Palo Alto he had a field day running the football. If the coaches decide to give 10-12 pre designed running plays he is very capable of picking up 70-100 rushing yards against the Tree's.

Washington Passing Game versus the Stanford defense

Jake Locker has the potential to light up the Stanford secondary this week. Stanford has been giving up over 200 yards per game this season and it won't change on Saturday. I look for Jake to have a big game and go over the 300 mark.

Stanford has the potential to put together a pretty good pass rush. Locker's speed and mobility on the other hand allow him to avoid problems in the backfield. While another QB may end up with a coverage sack Jake can turn that into a 20 yard run.

Washington's receivers have been excellent so far this season. We only counted two drops against USC last week. James Johnson is playing like a senior only three weeks into his first Husky campaign. Jermaine Kearse has been a proven big play guy converting big time on third down to keep drives moving.

What separates UW from Stanford is the multiple targets Jake has to choose from each game. I wouldn't be surprised to see nine players pick up receptions this Saturday.

Stanford rushing game versus the Washington defense

The Cardinal are a power running team. They fumbled three times last week and that will be a big problem if they continue the habit against Washington. Gephart is very hard to bring down if you don't hit him in the backfield. If he gets into the secondary he runs like a freight train and is almost impossible to bring down.

A big key for Washington in this one is taking advantage of the turnover prone Cardinal. If the Huskies can create and extend an early lead it puts the onus on Stanford QB Andrew Luck rather than Toby Gephart. If you can take Gephart out of the game plan you are probably going to win this game.

The Husky defensive line did a great job controlling a big back in the LSU game. They adjusted in the first quarter and were able to handle the USC rushing game after the Trojans got off to a fast start. I think Washington should be able to contain Gephart for the most part but a back like that usually finds a way to get his yards if he gets the ball.

Stanford passing game versus the Washington Defense

Andrew Luck is a great looking QB who will most likely be playing in the NFL some day. He has a lot more mobility than I thought and he is a very accurate passer. The key to Luck as with any young QB is to rattle him early and keep rattling him throughout the game.

The special teams battle

Stanford's Chris Owusu returned the opening kickoff last week 94 yards for a TD against SJSU. Stanford has returned three kicks so far for TD's this year. Washington needs to be careful in coverage and take away the Stanford return game. UW was very successful against LSU and USC in doing that. Mahan is an excellent touch punter but he had a couple of muffs last week. He needs to be on his game against Stanford. Erik Folk was the hero last week with three FG's. He has been very accurate this season during games but fans hold their breath every time he approaches the ball. Last spring it was doubtful if we could convert a PAT or FG. Right now his kicking has become a team strength.

Washington needs to eliminate the big play return in this game to win this segment of the game. They need to keep the ball out of the hands of Chris Owusu.

The intangibles

Crowd noise is a huge factor on the road. Just ask Aaron Corp, Pete Carroll, or Todd Marinovich. Stanford on the other hand has little crowd noise because the games are so poorly attended. UW fans could conceivably outnumber Cardinal fans. UW has a large alumni base in the Bay Area. Expected attendance will be in the 30,000 range.

Three of Stanford's four turnovers resulted in all 17 of San Jose State's points last week. If they do that against a much tougher Washington defense they are going to be in big trouble.

"That's the best quarterback we've played in nine years here," Pete Carroll said when told Washington has beaten only Idaho and USC the last two years. " Jake Locker has ridiculous talent, and had he remained healthy last year, Tyrone [Willingham] would still be coaching there."

Washington needs to avoid enjoying the win over USC for too long. I Washington didn't start focusing on Stanford by practice on Monday they could be in for a long day Saturday. Coach Steve Sarkisian echoed that thought with this statement:

"There aren’t enough hours in the day to be looking at what everybody else is saying, or how we’re going to do something, or what we should do or shouldn’t do," Steve Sarkisian said. "This is about us, and our preparation. We can’t waver from who we are."

Washington is a football team that has to work very hard for everything they get. They can't forget that. Washington doesn't win football games by having more talent. They win by having their talent work harder and smarter than the opposition. As a team they can't get away from that no matter how good Jake Locker is.

Game Notes

Stanford won 35-28 last season in Husky Stadium.

Washington leads the all-time series 40-35-4.

Stanford DE Tom Keiser had three sacks against San Jose State and he's tied for first in the conference with four sacks and ranks first with six tackles for a loss.

Jake Locker leads the conference so far with five TD passes.

Jake's season ended early in the game against Stanford last season when he broke his thumb throwing a block.

The Huskies are third in the nation in third-down conversion percentage at 60%.

USC went 0-10 in third down conversions against the Washington defense.

Chris Owusu ranks No. 1 in the nation in kickoff returns. He's averaging 52.8 yards per return and has taken two back for touchdowns.

Stanford Safety Delano Howell's brother was a starting LB at Washington.

The Cardinal was up 17-3 at the half against Wake Forest and lost 24-17.

Toby Gerhart is one of the top tailbacks in the Pac-10 and a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.

Jim Harbaugh (11-16), third season. He was also the coach at the University of San Diego, where he went 22-2 from 2004-06. Harbaugh played 15 seasons in the NFL as a quarterback (1987-2001).

Harbaugh and Sarkisian have held the same position on the Oakland Raiders’ staff – quarterbacks coach. Harbaugh was there in 2002; Sarkisian in 2004.

In 2007, Stanford knocked off No. 2 USC in Harbaugh’s first season en route to finishing 4-8.

Three in-state high school players are on the Stanford roster – OG David DeCastro, QB Tavita Pritchard and WR Marcus Rance. Pritchard is a Clover Park High graduate, and an off-and-on starter the past two seasons.

The facilities arms race took on ridiculous extremes at Stanford, where, in the off season, Coach Jim Harbaugh had a bathroom installed adjacent to his office for an estimated $50,000 to 70,000, booster-financed.

Five questions about Stanford

John Berkowitz — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:53:28 -0000

David Fowkes is an expert on Stanford football for the Bay Area Examiner. Dave asked me if I we could exchange five questions each about the big game on Saturday. Click on his link because he could use a few page views over at his site.

Dave is probably the only guy other than John Wilner who has in depth information about Stanford football.

John's Berkowitz's Five Questions about Stanford.

1. Last time Jake Locker played a full game against Stanford he dominated and Washington came out with an easy win. Short of breaking his thumb again what will the Cardinal do to minimize the damage he can
cause on offense.

Minimize is the key word. I think Stanford knows that shutting Locker down completely is a bit far fetched. That said, the best way to stop a quarterback is to hit a quarterback and Stanford has a pretty good defensive line and some very good pass rushers on the end. Tom Keiser has just been added to the watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award (given to the best defensive end in the country) after his three sack performance against San Jose State. Senior Erik Lorig also puts constant pressure on the quarterback from the other side. If Stanford can get pressure and force Locker to move or throw before he wants to, it will lighten the burden on the defensive backfield. Linebackers Chike Amajoyi and Clinton Snyder will need to use their speed to keep an eye on Locker scrambling out of the backfield.
Without any pressure though, Stanford's defense will be in trouble.

2. Stanford is giving up over 200 passing yards per game this season. What is your assessment of the Cardinal secondary right now?

You would think three games into a season it would be easy to assess, but in this case they are still a bit of a mystery. With two former offensive players, Richard Sherman and Delano Howell, now starting on defense every
game should be a little better. Howell has proved to be a great tackler. Senior Bo McNally is a great hitter. On the corners, Sherman and Corey Gatewood are improving but need to be better. It is a very athletic secondary which is good, but very unseasoned. Bottom line again, with a pass rush this secondary can be very good but left on their own, there is a lot of yardage to allow.

3. Do you think the Stanford is too one dimensional of offense? It seems if you stop Gephart you stop Stanford.

That changes this year. Andrew Luck is the real deal at quarterback. For a kid with just three starts under his belt he plays calm and cool. He has a great arm and a good sense for the game. For the first time in a few years
Stanford has some explosive players at wide out as well. Wide receivers Chris Owusu and Ryan Whalen are very good and can take a 5-yard route and turn it into a touchdown on any play. This year's Cardinal is far more balanced. The problem for them so far has not been when opponents stop the running game, but the fact that they have stopped themselves with penalties
and turnovers.

4. Who are some of the Cardinal play makers we need to keep an eye on this Saturday?

WR Chris Owusu has made big plays on offense but also has two kickoff returns for touchdowns. RB Toby Gerhart and QB Andrew Luck are obvious choices. Nobody outside of Stanford seems to know about Ryan Whalen but all he does is catch everything thrown his way. He has surprising speed. On defense, as mentioned the ends will be huge for this game with Tom Keiser and Erik Lorig trying to control Locker. Linebacker Clinton Snyder is the
leading tackler on defense.

5. We are all impressed by the way Jim Harbaugh has rebuilt the Stanford football program. Is this the year that Stanford goes bowling?

I think so. This game will let us know more but Stanford is clearly a better team. They don't have a lot of depth but the front line players are as good as we have seen on the Farm in a number of years. That said, as Washington
proved last week, the Pac-10 is wide open. My hunch is that if Stanford plays their game, limits their turnovers and penalties, then they can compete with anybody and will win enough games to go to a bowl and maybe
even a good bowl. But there are still enough question marks out on the field that you certainly can not guaranty anything.

Dave's Fowkes Five Questions about Washington

1. After last weekend, Jake Locker has moved into the national spotlight as one of the top quarterbacks in the land. Other than good health, what is he doing to take his game to the next level?

Honestly it is all about the coaching he has received over the last six months. Under Willingham they discouraged him from seeking outside tutoring despite the fact that there was not a actual QB coach on the staff. Steve Sarkisian and Jeff Nussmeier are two of the best college QB coaches in the country. You get better under that type of tutelage. Sarkisian also parked Jake with Steve Clarkson who is one the country's top QB guru's. He helped Jake adapt to the pro style offense that Sarkisian wants to run. In previous years it was all about Jake against the defense. Now it is about Jake and all the tools he has around him complimenting him.

2. As Stanford fans can attest, beating USC is a lot of fun. How do the Huskies and Coach Sark avoid a let down the week after?

Don't read the newspaper and don't turn on the computer. Reading your own press clippings is the worst thing you can do in this type of situation. Washington is coming off an 0-12 season and I feel the players and the coaches are smart enough to realize why they won last weeks game. USC simply turned over the ball too many times. If USC doesn't turn over the ball they win the game by 17 points. I think Washington realizes that they have to play hard on every snap. The coaches realize that they have to out fox each opponent. Washington can beat every single team left on the schedule. They also have the ability to lose every game. Getting back to 0-12...I think that is deeply ingrained in the psyche of the team. They know they need a supreme effort to win each week.

3. The main mission of anybody playing against Stanford is to stop Toby Gerhart. Who will shoulder the load for that responsibility and how will they get it done?

Our defensive line shut down some serious big backs in the LSU game. I think the LSU backs are the equal of Toby Gephart. We held Idaho to under 100 yards rushing. USC ran for 250 yards against us which is unacceptable. The saving grace is after the first quarter they only ran for only 134 yards the rest of the game. In addition to that they were 0-10 in third down conversions. That is a remarkable state. Even more remarkable than the four turnovers.Washington has a number of different looks on the defensive line they can throw at an offense. They have a speed lineup and a bulk lineup. You will see both on Saturday. we have one of the best linebacking crews in the Pac 10. Donald Butler who is a senior middle linebacker was the national defensive player of the week. Overall we have some weapons in the front seven. If Gephart breaks into the secondary we have some DB's who are very good against the run. Washington played very physical last Saturday and I expect that to carry through to this week.

4. Stanford's special teams have really stepped up this season and have been a force both on returns and coverage. How are the Huskies special team units faring?

I have to give the edge to Stanford at this point because they are scoring TD's with their special teams. We did shut down the nations best return man against LSU so our coverage and strategy this year has worked well. We have an excellent punter who has great touch. He can boom the ball with pin point placement. Our FG kicker Erik Folk was 3-3 with a long of 48 against USC. He has been consistent. We haven't broken any big returns yet. We have speed back there so I am sure it will happen as the season goes on. Overall special teams play is an indication of a teams quality depth. I think UW and Stanford are about equal in that department. Once again the thing that separates Stanford from Washington on special teams is 21 points scored on returns. That is just huge!

5. Washington has played in three games, all at home with a "good" loss to LSU and the huge upset of USC. How will a young upstart team handle their first road experience?

Playing on the road is never easy. There are a lot of adjustments you have to make. This is the first road game under a new staff so I am sure there are some kinks to work out. On the plus side we will be playing in front of an unenthusiastic crowd of 25,000 Tree fans on medical marijuana. Usually close to 10,000 Husky fans show up since we travel well and have a lot of alumni in the Bay Area. Since our fans load up on beer and hard liquor before the game chances are we will make more noise. The last time Washington played Stanford on the road it seemed like it was a home game for UW. In other words I don't think the crowd will be much of a factor. I think it is a great transitional road game to get us ready for Notre Dame the following week.

This game has to be broken into four components.

A. Jake Locker vs the Stanford defense

I don't think Stanford can stop Locker through the air or on the ground.

B. Toby Gephart vs the Washington offense

If Gephart gets into the secondary UW could have a long day. If Washington can hold him to around 100 yards they should be fine.

C. Tree special teams vs UW special teams

Stanford has proven they can score with their special teams. What I really like about Harbaugh is that he really emphasizes this part of the game because he knows he hasn't built the depth and diversity he needs to compete toe to toe with every team in the league. He is close and after the next recruiting class arrives you will se a different Stanford team that will blow some doors off. In the meantime he concentrates on winning this part of the game to even up any disadvantage his team has.

D. Andrew Luck is the second best QB in the Pac 10

Andrew Luck frightens me. I saw him play against WSU and was surprised by how mobile he was. To me he looks like a future first round draft choice. I expect Washington to contain Gephart but can they stop Luck once the game is on his shoulders? Special teams and Andrew Luck are the two wild cards in this game. Harbaugh likes to throw under twenty times per game but Luck has completed 60% of his passes which is amazing for a RS frosh. I think Luck is going to be the X-factor on Saturday.

A Post-Spring Look At: Stanford

Jake Bertalotto — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:46:59 -0000

Toby Gerhart returns as Stanford's leading rusher from 2008. (via Lance Iversen/ The Chronicle)

View full size photo »

(Note: Many of the links below go to SB Nation Player Pages)

Oregon State will host Stanford at Reser Stadium on October 10th. Last year, the Beavers opened their season with Stanford and lost 28-36.

Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh seemingly summed up Stanford's offensive scheme when he sat down with a local talk show a few weeks ago.

"Number-7 is our signature guy. We are going to get him the ball!"

Toby Gerhart, who wasn't selected in this month's MLB draft, will return to Stanford for his senior year. The two sport star, who made a trip to Omaha with the baseball team last year, is enjoying an extended summer which is allowing him to prepare more for football season. Last year, Gerhart rushed for 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns. When asked by the Examiner how many yards he would rush for this year, Gerhart did not pause. "2,000 yards."

"I love talking about Toby Gerhart" Harbaugh told a Comcast SportsNet crew. "He has great balance, vision and you have to tackle him down around the legs because if you go high, he'll bounce off of you and he has the speed to break away."

Gerhart will have a good chance to reach his goal behind an experienced line that includes senior tackles Matt Kopa and Chris Marinelli.

Said Harbaugh: "We will have a very physical offensive line, much improved wide receivers and tight ends and fullback Owen Marecic is a special, special player"

Marecic, the former Jesuit High star, has been a key piece of Stanford's blocking schemes over the last two years, but figures to increase his carries this year to take some of the load off of Gerhart.

As for other comments from the coach, he again named Andrew Luck the starting quarterback for Stanford although the competition with Tavita Pritchard will go on. "It is a fluid situation. Andrew Luck is our starter out of spring ball, but Pritchard has 19 career starts and some big wins like against USC. He will compete."

More on Luck: "He had a very good spring game, but it was not just the practice game, he did that well all spring."

Luck completed 18 of 25 passes for 352 yards and five touchdowns to lead the White team to a 42-17 victory over the Cardinal in the annual Cardinal and White Spring Game. He tossed touchdown passes of 41, 16, 20, 4 and 32 yards. Two of the touchdown passes went to Richard Sherman, who also shined on defense for the White team, finishing with eight tackles