SB Nation - Erik Lorig

Three Keys to UCLA-Stanford

Ryan Rosenblatt — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:00:20 -0000

In past seasons, a game coming off of a bye week would lead to ecstatic claims like, "UCLA was undefeated last weekend!" Well, guess what, even though we're a full three weeks into the season, we can actually still say "UCLA is undefeated this season!" At the same time though, the Bruins have yet to win a game in conference play. While a 3-0 start is outstanding, a tough slate of games lays ahead for the Bruins and UCLA can ill afford to rest upon their laurels. That tough slate begins this weekend with a trip to Palo Alto to take on a surging Stanford team, so what are the three keys to the Bruins' tilt with the Cardinal this Saturday?

1) Defensive Line Depth- Shutting down the Stanford running game is out of the question. You don't shut down Toby Gerhart and Co. You can slow them down, but that's all you're looking for. Even if you slow the run game down though, Stanford is going to have the ball for a solid amount of time and they're going to play a physical style that wears down your defensive front. You also take into that it's a 12:30 start time and the boys will be playing in the heat.

All those factors are going to force UCLA to rotate their defensive lineman regularly and count upon the two's to perform. David Carter, Jess Ward, Damien Holmes and the rest of the backups will get their share of snaps and if they don't come to play, by the time the one's get back on the field, the Stanford offense will have found a rhythm. With a power offense like Stanford's you cannot take snaps off and give the offense anything. That means that in a game where the depth will be called upon, the depth will have to respond.

2) Don't Lose Special Teams- Usually, the goal is to win special teams, but you're usually not going up against a team with special teams as good as Stanford's. Chris Owusu has three kickoffs returned for touchdowns already this season, meanwhile Richard Sherman has a punt return of his own, while averaging 20 yards a return. As you can see, the Cardinal are dangerous in the return game and when you add in the Bruins' lack of excellence in coverage, special teams could win Stanford the game.

The key for UCLA will be to play special teams to a draw. That may be by kicking away from the Stanford returners or some other tactic. The key will be to try and give themselves a chance to win the game elsewhere. The one place the Bruins have a special teams advantage is with their kicker, where Kai Forbath has emerged as one of the nation's top kickers, but Stanford's kicker can get the job done too. He has two misses this year, but both from over 40 yards and he is perfect on extra points, while also having a season long field of 54 yards.

3) Keep Pressure Off The Edge At Bay- The Cardinal aren't overly big at defensive tackle, but they are very good at defensive end. Tom Keiser is the guy to keep an eye on. The sophomore end already had four sacks and seven tackles for a loss so to say he's a playmaker is an understatement. Toss in Erik Lorig and Chase Thomas and you have yourself a dangerous trio of pass rushers off the end.

While much improved, the offensive line will need help to keep the Stanford ends from putting Kevin Craft on his back all game. Logan Paulsen has done a great job blocking, but will need to chip the ends even when he is going out for passes. Jonathan Franklin and the rest of the UCLA running backs will be asked to stay in a pass protect more often than usual too. We spent all of last season watching Craft be knocked to the turf snap after snap. If it happens again on Saturday, which is a definitely possibility because of the Cardinal's pass rushers, we'll also see results similar to those last season and because Stanford is a much improved squad, we won't be able to eek out a win with that type of play this year.

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.

Looking ahead to Stanford

John Berkowitz — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:30:46 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

3 months ago: Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, center, runs against San Jose State in the first quarter of their NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Browse more photos »

Jim Harbaugh has done a marvelous job rebuilding a football program that was down even more than Washington was when he arrived. Many speculated the year before he arrived that Stanford may have just been the worst team in Pac 10 conference history. That myth was dispelled when they beat Washington in Seattle after Ty Willingham had demotivated his team by announcing Suddenly Senior Day.

Stanford was picked by most experts to go bowling this season and climb into the conferences first division. The Tree likes to run the ball and they have the conferences best big back in Sr. Toby Gephart. Stanford ran the ball down Washington's throat last year in Husky Stadium and they will try to do the same thing this Saturday on the Farm.

Andrew Luck is a real good looking QB with great mobility. He doesn't have Locker like speed but he can run a good 4.6 which can help keep him out of trouble. The Cards prefer to run a power offense and try to keep Luck under 20 throws per game. Luck only threw the ball 12 times last week. He had 9 completions for 170 yards, one TD, and one interception.

One area of concern for Stanford had been on the offensive line. The Cards are starting two RS frosh at tackles. Washington has played against two of the best offensive lines in college football over the past couple weeks and done well. Even Idaho had a surprisingly good OL with an NFL candidate or two. Our DE's could be able to exploit the Cardinal inexperience out on the edge. DTN going up against a RS frosh is a big mismatch.

Harbaugh likes to run the ball and Washington has proven itself to be very tough against the run despite giving up 250 yards to USC last Saturday. 114 of those yards were generated by the Trojans in the first quarter. Once the Huskies settled down and made adjustments they kept the Trojan RB's in check and out of the end zone the rest of the day.

I think Stanford is too one dimensional and that is why they lost on the road at Wake Forest. If you contain Gephart, and Washington has that ability, you can force them into making mistakes. Turnovers were a problem even in a convincing win over SJSU. The Tree fumbled three times and were intercepted once. It won't bode well for Stanford if they are minus four in the turnover ratio against UW on Saturday night.

The Tree returns eight starters on a defense that is definitely on the upswing. Linebacker Clinton Snyder has all league potential and is the leader of the defense, but the strength should be up front. Defensive ends Tom Keiser and Erik Lorig are capable of wreaking havoc in the backfield and tackles Brian Bulcke and Ekom Udofia are both good looking upperclassmen. They held SJSU to only 24 rushing yards on 28 carries last week which is a big improvement over the 251 they gave up the previous week against Wake Forest. They sacked the Spartans 6 times for a total loss of 57 yards. Washington's offensive line has gone up against two top ten defense in the past three weeks. I don't think what Stanford is going to throw at them is going to be intimidating.

The Cards needed to improve their pass defense. This season they have given up 200 yards through the air to SJSU, 207 to Wake Forest, and 247 to WSU. Bo McNally is a capable centerfielder but he needs more help back there. The Cardinal yielded 18 touchdown passes and picked off just seven in 2008, despite getting plenty of help from a healthy pass rush.

The last time a healthy Jake Locker played Stanford was on the road in Palo Alto two years ago. Locker dominated the Cardinal on the ground and through the air. He arrives this time a more polished player with better and more experienced tools surrounding him. I don't think Stanford can stop the Washington passing attack. I also don't think they can contain him on the run when Washington decides to use him that way.

Washington is among the top in the Pac 10 in passing offense but they also have the ability to run the ball well. The tandem of Chris Polk and Johri Fogerson have been effective for three straight games. Theoretically they should have an easier time running the ball against Stanford than they did USC.

The key to the game for Washington is to adapt to playing on the road, avoid all the distractions following the USC upset, eliminate mistakes, and methodically pound the Cardinal into submission by wearing out their depth. Locker should have a big day against the Stanford DB's. Polk should be able to find all the holes he needs to keep the offense in balance.

Defensively the Huskies need to tackle well, aim low, and wrap up because Gephart is a real load to bring down once he gets a head of steam going. Andrew Luck is a better QB than Aaron Corp so the Washington defensive backfield will be tested more this weekend. If Washington controls the run and builds a lead the Tree will have to turn to the pass. Luck throws a very good ball and because of his mobility is hard to sack. UW needs a good game out of their secondary.

The Cards are well coached, motivated, and are playing at home. They have the ability to win this game if they outplay Washington. Even if it isn't a big crowd there is always a home field advatage. They have talent and are capable of making some big plays which can put the opposition on its heals. Chris Owusu returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a TD against SJSU which put the Spartans into a hole they never recovered from. Washington needs to eliminate big plays like that.

Overall I like the Huskies chances in this game even though the oddsmakers opened with Stanford as a nine point favorite. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 6:00 PM and the game will be broadcast live on Fox College Sports.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: Stanford Cardinal

Dancing Football — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:43:30 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

Stanford football success will be relying heavily on Luck this season. Andrew Luck that is. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Record: 5-7 (2008)

Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh (3rd season, 9-15)

Offense: 26.3 PPG, 5.4 YPP (2008)

Stanford's offense was a pretty average unit altogether last season. The running game was the clear focus as the Cardinal racked up 490 rushing attempts against just 287 passing attempts. This year looks to be more of the same as Stanford will be armed with a freshman quarterback and a stud running back.

The biggest news out of Stanford this summer was Harbaugh's decision to start redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck over incumbent Tavita Pritchard. Luck was rated the #4 quarterback in the country coming out of high school one year ago, so it is clear that the head coach is taking the chance Luck's talent will overcome his inexperience and he will be more effective overall than Pritchard. Most who have watched Tavita Pritchard play over the last two seasons would agree that is a good bet. Luck will have Stanford's two returning receivers to throw to, Ryan Whalen (a former walk-on) and Doug Baldwin.

While the quarterback situation is very interesting, Stanford looks to make its biggest gains on the ground. The offensive line returns four players with starting experience as they look to open up big holes for star running back Toby Gerhart. Gerhart surpassed the the Stanford single season rushing record last year and has set a lofty goal of 2,000 yards in 2009.

Defense: 27.4 PPGA, 5.6 YPPA (2008)

Not to be outdone by the averageness of the offense, the Stanford defense was also able to be middle of the pack last year. Stanford has an opportunity to be good on this side of the ball because their strength starts from the inside out.

The Cardinal defensive line may be the team's best overall unit. Senior defensive end Erik Lorig, a converted tight end, is regarded as the best of the bunch. The Cardinal staff seem to regard Erik as undersized, but at 6'4", 275, he appears to be just right for a Pac 10 defensive end. Lorig teams with 2008 freshman all-american Thomas Keiser to form a formidable defensive end combo.

The linebackers are led by senior Clinton Snyder. He is on a slew of preseason watch lists and is moving to the middle this year. In the defensive backfield, Lott Trophy candidate Bo McNally returns. He led the team in tackles and interceptions last year.

By far the most important player on either side of the ball is SAM linebacker Will Powers. Aside from the fact that he has the best possible surname in the entire world, he also started two games last season. What two games were they you ask? Cal and USC. It is clear that Harbaugh saves Powers for only the most important of situations. Will Powers is also among the smartest of the smarties down at Stanford, as he was named to the Pac 10 all academic team in 2008.

Special Teams:

Stanford was able to control field position as the punting unit led the Pac 10 with a 37.7 net punting average last season. David Green returns as Stanford's punter. It should also be known that SAM linebacker Will Powers plays on special teams, which is what undoubtedly led to the teams ability to cover punts so well a season ago.

Notre Dame transfer kicker Nate Whitaker is first on the depth chart after beating out Travis Golia and his younger brother, Eric Whitaker. Nate Whitaker missed his only field goal attempt while at Notre Dame and was 1 out 2 on extra point conversions. By using this very small sample size and projecting it out over the entire season, it can be determined that A) Stanford will not make a single field goal in 2009 and B) they will get just six points out of half their touchdowns. Head coach Harbaugh should be strongly advised to "go for it" as much as possible. (Except of course in situations where his fantastic punt team can do their work.)

Stanford in in trouble if:

The run game is limited. Harbaugh loves to pound that football. In the CougCenter podcast with Jon Wilner, who covers Stanford for the San Jose Mercury News, Wilner was quoted as saying Harbaugh wants to play "Michigan 1982 football." With the freshman quarterback Andrew Luck out there, it would seem that most teams are going to elect to put 8 or 9 guys in the box to stop Toby Gerhart. Stanford will be putting a lot of their potential bowl hopes this season on that run game, and if teams are able to stop it, they could be in trouble. The good news for them is that will be a very difficult thing to do.

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)

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(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

Inside the Numbers : Stanfurd

TwistNHook — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:00:05 -0000

Well, here it goes again. The nervous feelings. The pit of the stomach. A Cal fan never feels confident against Stanford. Especially not one who came of age during the Holmoecaust. And ESPECIALLY not one who just watched the last two Cal games. This has been an up and down season for Cal. Rough losses. Big victories. It's almost over and we (hopefully) have a soft landing at the end. Although Stanford has clearly shown some vivacity this season. They managed to do two things we couldn't, beat OSU and Arizona.

And score more than 3 points against USC. Let's take a look at the nuts and bolts of this Stanford team to see who we will be facing off against tomorrow.

Here it goes again......

Finally, we've been posting a lot recently. Check it: YouTube Thurday, Roundtable, B-Ball Recap; Arizona analysis; Marshawn v. Browns; Top25; Bowl Scenarios; OSU Thoughts; Pete Newell Memories; Big Game Memories

All numbers are from here.

TEAM STATISTICS	STAN	OPP
SCORING	299	292
Points Per Game	27.2	26.5
FIRST DOWNS	202	238
Rushing	111	87
Passing	72	127
Penalty	19	24
RUSHING YARDAGE	2272	1548
Yards gained rushing	2577	1920
Yards lost rushing	305	372
Rushing Attempts	453	389
Average Per Rush	5.0	4.0
Average Per Game	206.5	140.7
TDs Rushing	25	18
PASSING YARDAGE	1514	2619
Att-Comp-Int	248-139-12	374-236-6
Average Per Pass	6.1	7.0
Average Per Catch	10.9	11.1
Average Per Game	137.6	238.1
TDs Passing	10	15
TOTAL OFFENSE	3786	4167
Total Plays	701	763
Average Per Play	5.4	5.5
Average Per Game	344.2	378.8
KICK RETURNS: #-Yards	52-1172	57-1198
PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards	21-222	13-71
INT RETURNS: #-Yards	6-102	12-119
KICK RETURN AVERAGE	22.5	21.0
PUNT RETURN AVERAGE	10.6	5.5
INT RETURN AVERAGE	17.0	9.9
FUMBLES-LOST	23-9	29-14
PENALTIES-Yards	76-689	80-684
Average Per Game	62.6	62.2
PUNTS-Yards	49-1980	47-1789
Average Per Punt	40.4	38.1
Net punt average	38.1	31.6
TIME OF POSSESSION/Game	29:35	30:25
3RD-DOWN Conversions	53/137	65/149
3rd-Down Pct	39%	44%
4TH-DOWN Conversions	7/12	6/10
4th-Down Pct	58%	60%
SACKS BY-Yards	33-237	17-118
MISC YARDS	-20	0
TOUCHDOWNS SCORED	37	35
FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS	13-15	15-19
ON-SIDE KICKS	0-0	0-0
RED-ZONE SCORES	37-39 95%	40-50 80%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS	30-39 77%	25-50 50%
PAT-ATTEMPTS	34-35 97%	33-33 100%
ATTENDANCE	171292	350631
Games/Avg Per Game	5/34258	6/58438
Neutral Site Games		0/0

Ok, let's look at some general stats first. We saw teams like OSU and USC just racking up the points and yards and first downs against their opponents. Stanford has barely outscored their opponents. They have fewer first downs. Fewer yards. The breakdown of offense is indicative of their style of offense. Tons more rushing yards than passing yards. 700 more. Clearly a run first team, the very kind of team that Cal plays well. They've actually even run fewer plays than their opponents.

Their 3rd down % is worse than their opponents. I feel that, looking at these numbers, we can handle this team if we play to our ability.

RUSHING	GP	Att	Gain	Loss	Net	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Gerhart, Toby	11	191	1069	36	1033	5.4	14	46	93.9
Kimble, Anthony	11	112	716	28	688	6.1	6	83	62.5
Loukas, Alex	9	36	223	37	186	5.2	1	29	20.7
Pritchard, Tavita	11	58	268	140	128	2.2	1	40	11.6

Well, here it is. The crux of Stanford. The key to Stanford. Toby Gerhart. The Quizz of Stanford. The Jeremiah Johnson of Stanford. The every USC RB on that fucking team of Stanford. He has almost 200 attempts on the year. He's averaging 5.4 a carry, which I believe is more than Quizz. Almost 100 yards a game. He's the biggest part of their offense. If we can shut him down, we will be able to control this game, I believe. Said the same thing about Quizz, though, and we saw what happened there.

He's backed up by Anthony Kimble, who I know little about to be honest. His numbers look better than Gerhart, but in a more limited role. More yards per carry but about a hundred fewer carries. The main focus is Gerhart. If Kimble and Gerhart are both destroying us, then it could be a LOOONG day.

Toby Gerhart via grfx.cstv.com

PASSING	GP	Effic	Cmp-Att-Int	Pct	Yards	TD	Long	Avg/G
Pritchard, Tavita	11	113.4	125-217-10	57.6	1327	9	61	120.6
Loukas, Alex	9	115.6	9-18-1	50.0	125	1	41	13.9
Forcier, Jason	4	63.1	5-13-1	38.5	62	0	26	15.5
Total..........	11	111.0	139-248-12	56.0	1514	10	61	137.6
Opponents......	11	132.0	236-374-6	63.1	2619	15	55	238.1

Tavita Pritchard. Wasn't he the shmuckzoid that beat us last year? The name angers me to this day! Luckily, it appears he isn't very good. 120 yards a game. 57% completion rate. 113 QB efficiency. The passing game clearly not the strength of the team. That's why stopping Gerhart is so important. It's like the Oregon game. We were able to contain their run game and force them to pass. They couldn't. Masoli got 44 yards. If we can do the same here, we can control the game.

If we can force Pritchard to beat us, this game will most likely be ours. Similar to Masoli, also, he can scramble. He rushed for almost 50 yards against USC. But passingwise, he was 9-21 for about 100 yards.

Tavita Pritchard vtai grfx.cstv.com

RECEIVING	GP	No.	Yards	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Whalen, Ryan	11	36	438	12.2	1	30	39.8
Baldwin, Doug	11	20	269	13.4	3	61	24.5
Gunder, Austin	11	15	123	8.2	1	18	11.2
Kimble, Anthony	11	12	88	7.3	1	15	8.0
Gerhart, Toby	11	11	100	9.1	0	21	9.1

As to be expected with the QB situation at Stanford, there are not great WR numbers. The leader, Whalen, averages less than 40 yards a game. Whalen leads the team with 36 receptions. I think there are like 4 WRs on Arizona with more than that. If these guys are beating us on Saturday, it means things have broken down. And bad.

Ryan Whalen via grfx.cstv.com

Ok, like GoDucks.com the Stanford website is freaking out. I've written the bottom portion out two times and it deletes it twice. Damn you, Stanford! You've rejected me yet again. So, I'll try to summarize my thoughts:

1. Arizona ran all over us, because we had to respect the pass so much. We were able to control Oregon, because we didn't need to respect their pass. On that spectrum, Stanford is far closer to Oregon. So, I think that this is the type of offense we can control. Gerhart will probably get his yards, similar to how JJ got his in Oregon. But hopefully, they will be empty yards. If Pritchard and Co. are passing all over us, it will be a LONG day. But I feel that given our defensive prowess, that will not happen. Hopefully!

2. On offense, I predict we see a LOT of running. Stanford just gave 300 yards each to USC and Oregon in their last 2 games. Now, of course, USC and Oregon are great running teams, no doubt about that. But we aren't exactly slouches. Apparently, Best is as healthy now as he has been in weeks. Plus, if our offensive line can play more like they did against Oregon than OSU and USC, I think we can give Riley the time he needs to make throws. On the road, they were abysmal. Hopefully, at home, it will be different.

Look, I get it. It's been a long season. An up and down season. Big wins. Crushing losses. And with our 2 crushing losses in a row there, you feel uncomfortable about the game. We all do. Plus, its Big Game. I was there in 2000 and 2001 when Stanford should have smacked us. But we held strong, losing at the way end (in OT in 2000). Throw the record books out in this one. But looking at the stats, looking at all the games, I feel reasonably confident that Cal can take this one. Our D is set up to stop a run-heavy offense as we face here. Our O is set up to run the ball a lot against weak run Ds as we face here. Let's get that axe back. Let's do this thing. Go Bears!