Stanford v. USC post game thoughts

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Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - Mick - 09-08-2018

1. Thought Costello looked very efficient, not spectacular. On the good side, it seems to me that his pocket awareness has jumped up a level. On the down side, our YAC must be minimal.
2. Our OL seems to be terrific at pass blocking, mediocre at run blocking. We don't get much push on runs, we don't let the other team's DL in on passes.
3. Both Bryce Love and Costello had better games tonight than against SC in the championship game.
4. Stanford's defensive backs gave up a few long games (215 yards passing for SC), but by and large the DBs played spectacularly, and of course had two interceptions late.
5. SC was 37 for 114 yards rushing, just a 3.1 yards average. Line and LBs looked EXCELLENT.
6. Our punting was superb. Bailey, 8 punts for a 44 yard average, and we kicked from our side of the field a few times.
7. Our kickoff return coverage was very good, SC didn't have a return.
8. Jet Toner looks shaky to me on FGs. The SC kicker missed a 53 yard try.
9. I thought Shaw nailed it in the post game interview when he said (paraphrased) that Stanford needs to reach another level, of which they are capable. I definitely felt that about the OL.

We have Davis (we need to crunch them, IMHO) and #23 Oregon (theiy killed Portland State) then ND. I really hope we work on a lot against Davis, and refine it against Oregon.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - rudruff - 09-08-2018

So far I am pleasantly surprised by the defense. Run blocking is my major worry.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - needle - 09-08-2018

I was pretty shocked at how ordinary SC looked. They're going to finish around 7-5.

That said, the secondary played at a very, very high level. I do think the refs were determined to not call any PIs tonight, which of course benefited the secondaries for both teams.

The Stanford offense? Start with the penalties, throw in the predictable first-down runs, the complete lack of a third wide out--not a stellar night. That said, when you have a (hopefully healthy) Costello, Love and JJAW all playing at a high, high level, the offense is....almost as good as it was at the end of last year.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - JPR36 - 09-08-2018

(09-08-2018, 09:21 PM)needle Wrote: I was pretty shocked at how ordinary SC looked. They're going to finish around 7-5.

That said, the secondary played at a very, very high level. I do think the refs were determined to not call any PIs tonight, which of course benefited the secondaries for both teams.

The Stanford offense? Start with the penalties, throw in the predictable first-down runs, the complete lack of a third wide out--not a stellar night. That said, when you have a (hopefully healthy) Costello, Love and JJAW all playing at a high, high level, the offense is....almost as good as it was at the end of last year.

I thought U$C's defense played pretty well. The offense wasn't very impressive, but I like to think that was due to a great effort by our defense.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - washingtonismoney - 09-08-2018

I don't think the problem is with run blocking, I think it's with Shaw's persistence in running into a stacked box time and again. He needs to either:
a) use more misdirection or spreading the field in runs

or

b) throw the ball more (and more effectively) to take advantage of the defense's positioning.

I think the meme that Shaw is stubborn is overdone but in this case it's really quite apt.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - cardcrimson - 09-08-2018

Mick, very astute. Perhaps the best sideline post game interview I've seen Shaw do. Paraphrasing: "Yeah, we won. But we should be so. So much better." Frankly refreshing.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - winflop - 09-08-2018

(09-08-2018, 09:21 PM)needle Wrote: I was pretty shocked at how ordinary SC looked. They're going to finish around 7-5.

You may be right that they aren't very good. But it's also possible that they are good and Stanford is THAT much better.

I don't think we will know until after the ND game.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - washingtonismoney - 09-08-2018

In general I'm not a fan of complaining about the refs, but I thought they were quite biased towards SC tonight. No holds on SC's offense -- despite there being several -- and the defense probably could've gotten a PI call or two.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - BostonCard - 09-08-2018

Good thoughts Mick.

It was another beautiful afternoon at Stanford stadium. Weather in the mid-70's at kick-off with a light breeze. Perfect day for football.

Great overall game by the defense, and what's crazy is it could have been even more dominant. It still had a few too many missed tackles, and, especially in the first half, too many 5, 8, and 12 yard runs. But we made an adjustment, and after the half, SC was only getting 2, 3, and 4 yard runs, which put a lot of pressure on their freshman QB. And then we did a nice job getting to him -- four sacks (should have been five but Daniels had a Houdini play on one to scramble for a first down), and of course the two interceptions to seal the game.

The big thing about the defense is that unlike last year where we had a handful of stars (Phillips, Reid, and Meeks), this year we are getting production from across the board. Both of our inside linebackers had 10 tackles. WE got great plays in the secondary from Adebo, Buncom, and the interceptions by Antoine. We heard Swann and Jackson's names called a lot. We got sacks from Alifieri, Barton, Toohill and Fox. Eight different guys had at least one pass defense. And more importantly, they came up big when it counted. Fourth down with about a minute left in the half was a brobdingnagian turning point. What could have conceivably been a tie game heading to the locker room, was turned into one last possession for Stanford, and then we took advantage and made it a two touchdown game. USC got to the Stanford 40 six times by my count and got three points out of it (shades of 2014 when we lost 13-10 in a game where we just could not close the deal despite multiple red zone trips). We rarely got a three and out, but USC got very few big gains until desperation time at the end - the one exception being the absolutely gorgeous ball he threw to Pittman in the first drive of the third quarter), and we tightened up as soon as USC threatened.

On offense, another very efficient game by Costello, especially the first half. At one point he was something like 16/18. And unlike last week where it was the KJ to JJ show, this week he spread it around: Smith, JJ, Irwin, and Parkinson all had contributions as receivers (though notably St. Brown and Weddington were nowhere). Love had a super quiet 100 yard game. We are so used to him putting up video game numbers that a 22 carry, 136 yard game seems somehow disappointing. Could have been more, but JJ blocked the defender into him on the long run. In any case, he played well enough, though I still think we are missing Marx. I think we are going to need to go wide more often (the big play went off a formation where we ran three tight ends on the strong side plus Arcega Whiteside, and they took out the linebackers to give Love just enough of a crease so that the next time SC saw him, he was 50 yards downfield.

I think the big problem, that Reiss and Husak touched on, is that we are really having trouble on first down and way too many third and longs, which led to too low a third down efficiency (4/13) to really have a dominant offensive game. In contrast, USC was 8/17, a better percentage (but of course, when your denominator is that big, you have to be near perfect to keep the drives going, and of course our defense held just enough).

I think you called it out in game, but you are right that the refs were letting a lot go in the defensive backfield. The play against Arcega Whiteside, where he was pushed out of bounds and then tackled was particularly egregious, but on our side there is a fine line between a great pass break-up and a pass interference, and there was at least one play where Adebo didn't turn his head and could have been called for a PI. OF course the refs followed up that blatant missed PI with a missed block in the back on the ensuing punt return, and then a blatant hold on USC's first play from scrimmage. All's well that ends well, and I thought we were lucky ref-wise against SDSU, but still that was one ugly sequence by the zebras.

Punting was phenomenal. At one point, Bailey kicked a 50-yard, unreturned kick and it brought down his average. He was a touch shakier later, as SC was bringing in the pressure, but still he had 8 punts for a 44 yard average, with only 1 touchback (on the 65 yard punt) and one return for 4 yards. Two punts were dropped in the 20, including a sixty-one yarder from our own 29. Kick-offs weren't just touchbacks, they were going out the back of the end zone. Bailey has got a leg. The only special teams slip ups I noted was that we chose to try to return it twice from our own end zone, both times coming well short of the 20. Would have been easier just to take a knee and get it on the 25.

Anyway, any week you can beat SC is a good one, especially one in which you hold them to just three points. We are now going on 7 consecutive quarters without the opponent scoring a touchdown. And yet, we could have been even better (which I guess is a good thing, and a sentiment Shaw apparently shared).

And now, some good news:

Quote:Edward Aschoff
ESPN Staff Writer

I asked Stanford coach David Shaw why Bryce Love came off the field and went into the locker room late in the fourth quarter of Stanford's 17-3 win over USC and he said that after you carry the ball 22 times you start to "feel every one of those." Shaw said he was sent off the field as a precaution because the game was in hand and Love wasn't going back in but that if they needed Love to come back in he could have. I then asked if Love was OK and Shaw said he was. Love was not made available to the media after the game.

He still shouldn't have been in the game with 3 minutes left and up two TD's.

Last thought: the bacon wrapped hot dogs on the way out were phenomenal.

BC

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - JPR36 - 09-09-2018

(09-08-2018, 11:11 PM)BostonCard Wrote: Good thoughts Mick.

It was another beautiful afternoon at Stanford stadium. Weather in the mid-70's at kick-off with a light breeze. Perfect day for football.

Great overall game by the defense, and what's crazy is it could have been even more dominant. It still had a few too many missed tackles, and, especially in the first half, too many 5, 8, and 12 yard runs. But we made an adjustment, and after the half, SC was only getting 2, 3, and 4 yard runs, which put a lot of pressure on their freshman QB. And then we did a nice job getting to him -- four sacks (should have been five but Daniels had a Houdini play on one to scramble for a first down), and of course the two interceptions to seal the game.

The big thing about the defense is that unlike last year where we had a handful of stars (Phillips, Reid, and Meeks), this year we are getting production from across the board. Both of our inside linebackers had 10 tackles. WE got great plays in the secondary from Adebo, Buncom, and the interceptions by Antoine. We heard Swann and Jackson's names called a lot. We got sacks from Alifieri, Barton, Toohill and Fox. Eight different guys had at least one pass defense. And more importantly, they came up big when it counted. Fourth down with about a minute left in the half was a of immense proportions turning point. What could have conceivably been a tie game heading to the locker room, was turned into one last possession for Stanford, and then we took advantage and made it a two touchdown game. USC got to the Stanford 40 six times by my count and got three points out of it (shades of 2014 when we lost 13-10 in a game where we just could not close the deal despite multiple red zone trips). We rarely got a three and out, but USC got very few big gains until desperation time at the end - the one exception being the absolutely gorgeous ball he threw to Pittman in the first drive of the third quarter), and we tightened up as soon as USC threatened.

On offense, another very efficient game by Costello, especially the first half. At one point he was something like 16/18. And unlike last week where it was the KJ to JJ show, this week he spread it around: Smith, JJ, Irwin, and Parkinson all had contributions as receivers (though notably St. Brown and Weddington were nowhere). Love had a super quiet 100 yard game. We are so used to him putting up video game numbers that a 22 carry, 136 yard game seems somehow disappointing. Could have been more, but JJ blocked the defender into him on the long run. In any case, he played well enough, though I still think we are missing Marx. I think we are going to need to go wide more often (the big play went off a formation where we ran three tight ends on the strong side plus Arcega Whiteside, and they took out the linebackers to give Love just enough of a crease so that the next time SC saw him, he was 50 yards downfield.

I think the big problem, that Reiss and Husak touched on, is that we are really having trouble on first down and way too many third and longs, which led to too low a third down efficiency (4/13) to really have a dominant offensive game. In contrast, USC was 8/17, a better percentage (but of course, when your denominator is that big, you have to be near perfect to keep the drives going, and of course our defense held just enough).

I think you called it out in game, but you are right that the refs were letting a lot go in the defensive backfield. The play against Arcega Whiteside, where he was pushed out of bounds and then tackled was particularly egregious, but on our side there is a fine line between a great pass break-up and a pass interference, and there was at least one play where Adebo didn't turn his head and could have been called for a PI. OF course the refs followed up that blatant missed PI with a missed block in the back on the ensuing punt return, and then a blatant hold on USC's first play from scrimmage. All's well that ends well, and I thought we were lucky ref-wise against SDSU, but still that was one ugly sequence by the zebras.

Punting was phenomenal. At one point, Bailey kicked a 50-yard, unreturned kick and it brought down his average. He was a touch shakier later, as SC was bringing in the pressure, but still he had 8 punts for a 44 yard average, with only 1 touchback (on the 65 yard punt) and one return for 4 yards. Two punts were dropped in the 20, including a sixty-one yarder from our own 29. Kick-offs weren't just touchbacks, they were going out the back of the end zone. Bailey has got a leg. The only special teams slip ups I noted was that we chose to try to return it twice from our own end zone, both times coming well short of the 20. Would have been easier just to take a knee and get it on the 25.

Anyway, any week you can beat SC is a good one, especially one in which you hold them to just three points. We are now going on 7 consecutive quarters without the opponent scoring a touchdown. And yet, we could have been even better (which I guess is a good thing, and a sentiment Shaw apparently shared).

And now, some good news:

Quote:Edward Aschoff
ESPN Staff Writer

I asked Stanford coach David Shaw why Bryce Love came off the field and went into the locker room late in the fourth quarter of Stanford's 17-3 win over USC and he said that after you carry the ball 22 times you start to "feel every one of those." Shaw said he was sent off the field as a precaution because the game was in hand and Love wasn't going back in but that if they needed Love to come back in he could have. I then asked if Love was OK and Shaw said he was. Love was not made available to the media after the game.

He still shouldn't have been in the game with 3 minutes left and up two TD's.

Last thought: the bacon wrapped hot dogs on the way out were phenomenal.

BC

Glad to hear Love is OK. Tough to know just when to pull him. Wondering what the deal is on Sarrell. He was helped off the field on what looked very much like a serious leg (probably knee) injury.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - SF_Cardinal_Fan - 09-09-2018

Stanford has better coaching and a more talented roster than USC.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - JPR36 - 09-09-2018

(09-09-2018, 06:23 AM)SF_Cardinal_Fan Wrote: Stanford has better coaching and a more talented roster than USC.

It's fun to hear the U$C faithful admit we were the more physical team.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - stupac2 - 09-09-2018

(09-08-2018, 11:11 PM)BostonCard Wrote: Last thought: the bacon wrapped hot dogs on the way out were phenomenal.

Shaw's rubbing off on you!

But yes, I tend to get too nervous to eat during big games, and USC had just enough of a chance long enough that concessions was closed by the time I got hungry. So having one of those on the way out was perfect.

Glad to hear Love's good, I think we want him in next week just to work out some stuff with blocking. It was harder for me to tell this week than last just what was going on with the blocking, it seemed like USC was really fundamentally sound, very little biting on Love's jukes, staying home and gang tackling.

I tend to agree that, oddly, we're probably running too often on standard downs. It's backwards from typical since Luck left, but then again KJ seems like our best QB since Luck. There's a certain logic to running into stacked boxes when you can't count on your QB to punish the defense, but we clearly can now! KJ should be told to audible out of any run against a stacked box unless there's some reason to think it will work. Either the defense will adjust and we can start running again, or they won't and KJ will throw for 350 yards. Seems like a good deal to me...

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - JPR36 - 09-09-2018

(09-09-2018, 06:52 AM)stupac2 Wrote:
(09-08-2018, 11:11 PM)BostonCard Wrote: Last thought: the bacon wrapped hot dogs on the way out were phenomenal.

Shaw's rubbing off on you!

But yes, I tend to get too nervous to eat during big games, and USC had just enough of a chance long enough that concessions was closed by the time I got hungry. So having one of those on the way out was perfect.

Glad to hear Love's good, I think we want him in next week just to work out some stuff with blocking. It was harder for me to tell this week than last just what was going on with the blocking, it seemed like USC was really fundamentally sound, very little biting on Love's jukes, staying home and gang tackling.

I tend to agree that, oddly, we're probably running too often on standard downs. It's backwards from typical since Luck left, but then again KJ seems like our best QB since Luck. There's a certain logic to running into stacked boxes when you can't count on your QB to punish the defense, but we clearly can now! KJ should be told to audible out of any run against a stacked box unless there's some reason to think it will work. Either the defense will adjust and we can start running again, or they won't and KJ will throw for 350 yards. Seems like a good deal to me...

Yeah, you never really could relax during the second half. U$C was moving the ball well enough that them putting together two touchdowns to send the game into OT didn't seem all that unrealistic. I kept hoping for the offense to drive down and at least get a field goal to make it a three score game and put it out of reach, but it never happened.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - donkey687 - 09-09-2018

A couple adds here.
1) Holder is the man and is underappreciated. He changes the complexion of the game and our entire defense. Our DL and LBs look better with him in the game. All he does is shut down the other team's best receiver and takes away the QBs favorite option. I think he was on Amon Ra most of the night.

2) Murphy is a captain and Edwards has a lot of experience, but I think our four best DBs are Holder, Adebo, Buncom and Antoine. I don't think I ever saw that lineup together in the non-nickel as I think Adebo came in for Murphy and Antoine came in more for nickel and Edwards was still on the field most of the time, but I think we will see that lineup later this season in our base defense. Simmons should be in mix when he returns as well.

3) Sarrel's injury looked serious. You hate to lose depth on our OL, but LG was the area where we had the most depth. Hamilton started and played the first two series. We may be better with Hamilton playing all the time and having a more consistent OL. We just can't afford another injusty as Sarrel could have filled for an injury at the tackle position. Little and Hall better stay healthy. The good news here is that we may have just found our starting Left Tackle for the 2021 season (which was looking like the biggest whole on the long term depth chart) as Sarrel did not redshirt and may get a medical redshirt this year if he is done for the season.

4) Weddington was in a golf cart with crutches during the walk. Not a good sign. It could have been precautionary and I am truly guessing, but my guess is that he is out for more than a couple of weeks.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - Phogge - 09-09-2018

Sarrell was on crutches on the sideline in the second half.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - pcgoode - 09-09-2018

I was sitting right behind the Stanford bench last night and some of the things I saw even when the game wasn’t live were interesting:

1. KJ is a ferocious competitor. His intensity was evident throughout the game.

2. Foster Sarell came out of the locker room in street clothes, crutches, a knee brace, but no ice. Not sure what to make of that.

3. Shaw was going nuts on a lot of the non-calls on USC. Never seen him so animated.

4. Walker Little is a giant even among the rest of the OL. I am not sure I believe whatever the lineup chart says his measurements are.

As to the game itself:

5. I’m still not convinced Shaw is showing us everything the team’s got on offense. I think when we got up by two TD at halftime he backed off on the play calling.

6. Our LBs and DBs played really well, and the DL played reasonably well. Adebo is the real deal and I was impressed by Antoine.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - JPR36 - 09-09-2018

(09-09-2018, 07:26 AM)Phogge Wrote: Sarrell was on crutches on the sideline in the second half.

If Sarrell plays anywhere near as well as we hope he will in 2019 and 2020, I doubt if he sticks around for 2021. He will have his degree by then, and I recall seeing a video of him when he was being recruited showing him in his bedroom with a board listing his priorities. At the top of the list was "Play in the NFL".

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - gocard14 - 09-09-2018

Adding to my halftime thoughts from earlier:

1. Amazing game from the defense, who only got stronger as the game went on. The 4-6 yard runs seemed to turn to 1-3 yard runs as the game went on, usually the opposite is true. As others have noted, last years D relied on the efforts of a few stars, this year it seems like we're ketting key contributions across the board.

2. The front 7 play, with a few early exceptions, was excellent. Okereke and Barton (and Branch) have really improved from last year and are playing at a high level and the D-line is doing a better job at keeping them clean. The statline is much more how our defense is supposed to look, with ILBs raking in the tackles, rather then last year where Phillips and the safeties were doing much of the work. The pass rush was excellent, with pressure coming from multiple players and doing a great job of rushing as a team and collapsing the pocket without leaving running lanes, with the exception of JT's one houdini escape from Swann.

3. The DBs did a great job in coverage, Adebo, Holder, Antoine and Edwards all looked great in the spots where I saw them. The officials were letting them play, and they did a good job of playing aggressively without overt interference.

4. We got hosed by the refs in this game. I'm fine (and prefer) them letting DBs play physical, but the no call on tackling JJAW out of bounds was ridiculous. We got stuck with a bunch of questionable holding calls that didn't seem to be called both ways. A few of those go our way and we're looking at more points on the board.

5. The offense looked great at times, but needs to stop shooting itself in the foot. Too many drives featured a few first downs or a big play followed by a bad penalty or a big tackle for loss. The two delay of games after the big run by Bryce was particularly egregious.

6. KJ is the real deal. He was poised in the pocket, moved well, accurate, and made good and timely reads. We will go far if he keeps playing this way.

7. The play calling was great in the first half, less so in the second. Too many runs up the middle when USC was stacking the ILBs over the A-gaps, just begging for plays like the fake-dive pitch that resulted in a big gain for Bryce. The toss back dive play was created to counter the backside end crashing in on every play, which was a big problem last year, but I feel like it puts a lot of pressure on the O-line to hold their blocks for a longer period and gives more time for the safeties to fill gaps. I'd rather we run more traditionally and keep the backside end home through use of mis-direction and counters. To be fair, Shaw may have been calling conservatively given the lead and how well our defense was playing, and given the result that was a reasonable call. You also have to give credit to USC though, they have a seemingly endless supply of athletic DBs/OLB who made tackles in space when 1 on 1 with Bryce on the outside. They're a good tackling team and well coached.

8. Some bad decisions by our kick returners to run balls out of the end zone and not just take the free 25 yards. I get that we have good returners and special teams, but USC is just too athletic and well coached to make that gamble worth while.

Overall a great game. They dominated a talented team defensively, and the offense looked good and clearly has a higher level that it can reach. I'm incredibly excited to see what the rest of the year brings.

RE: Stanford v. USC post game thoughts - winflop - 09-09-2018

1. Epic performance by the defense
2. Epic performance by the defense
3. Epic performance by the defense
4. Lance Anderson for H-Word :)
5. I'd love to see us run Bryce more like USC ran their backs. Quicker handoffs, get him the ball moving forward, slant runs, pitches. Get him in space more often
6. Paulson Adebo - WOW. Hard to believe he's a true frosh.
7. More play action, more throwing on first down. I think we finally did pass on first down, but I can only remember once or twice.
8. KJ is big time, the real deal.
9. OL did a superb job in pass blocking. I'm still waiting for the steamroller to show up. Not sure they are yet playing as a unit.

I really hope Sarrell isn't lost for the season but I fear he is. He was unable to put ANY weight on it coming off the field, but he was standing on the sideline in the second half. Fingers crossed