[AlbanyCardinal]

I too watched the UW-OR game and the end of the AZ-UCLA game, too. No question there's a talent gap at certain positions, but what stood out to me is the difference in morale, purpose, cohesion. Arizona came in to the Rose Bowl last night with the same record as ours, 3-6, but you wouldn't have known it by watching them play. Stanford, especially on offense, instead looked lackluster, disorganized, hesitant. I don't mean that as a knock against our players. Far from it. I tip my hat to McKee, who's a shell of the QB he was earlier, who still stands in there trying his level best, even as his coaches continue to scheme away from his strengths and toward his weaknesses. 

We gave up 9 TFL and 7 sacks out of 51 plays from scrimmage, not to mention 4-5 more scrambles ending with a toss out of bounds to avoid another sack - mind boggling & preaching to the choir, I know - but still, that's ~ 40% of our plays....

I watched every play. Just for he hell of it. And most of the Washington-Oregon game, for comparison. Hard to recall a talent gap this wide between the superior teams and Stanford. 1983, maybe. CONFERENCE teams! Speed, strength, athleticism, depth. Most instructive: muscle definition. Since when has weight-training been off-limits for these guys? Battle of the titans in Berkeley this week. Identical records. Shades of 1983, '60 and '61. Just a lot fewer spectators.

[AlbanyCardinal]

I too watched the UW-OR game and the end of the AZ-UCLA game, too. No question there's a talent gap at certain positions, but what stood out to me is the difference in morale, purpose, cohesion. Arizona came in to the Rose Bowl last night with the same record as ours, 3-6, but you wouldn't have known it by watching them play. Stanford, especially on offense, instead looked lackluster, disorganized, hesitant. I don't mean that as a knock against our players. Far from it. I tip my hat to McKee, who's a shell of the QB he was earlier, who still stands in there trying his level best, even as his coaches continue to scheme away from his strengths and toward his weaknesses. 

We gave up 9 TFL and 7 sacks out of 51 plays from scrimmage, not to mention 4-5 more scrambles ending with a toss out of bounds to avoid another sack - mind boggling & preaching to the choir, I know - but still, that's ~ 40% of our plays....

I watched every play. Just for he hell of it. And most of the Washington-Oregon game, for comparison. Hard to recall a talent gap this wide between the superior teams and Stanford. 1983, maybe. CONFERENCE teams! Speed, strength, athleticism, depth. Most instructive: muscle definition. Since when has weight-training been off-limits for these guys? Battle of the titans in Berkeley this week. Identical records. Shades of 1983, '60 and '61. Just a lot fewer spectators.