Agree completely on getting back to being physical. And on Sarrel and Little. Skill positions (assuming Costello returns) should be fine next year. O-line is a big ?
Toohill btw is a heck of a player. Just seems to be in the right place all the time. I sure hope he comes back.
I also thought Scarlett looked good.
Shaw never going for it on 4th down is a myth. He does so a fair amount. Depends on circumstances. I thought he should have gone for it on fourth and three at Pitts 33. First down maybe seals the game. But I understand his reasoning. Pass blocking non-existent. Too long to run on 4th. Stanford defense playing well. Bailey is very good at punts inside the 20. Pitt passing game ineffective. I disagreed with the decision. But it was certainly defensible.
Toohill btw is a heck of a player. Just seems to be in the right place all the time. I sure hope he comes back.
I also thought Scarlett looked good.
Shaw never going for it on 4th down is a myth. He does so a fair amount. Depends on circumstances. I thought he should have gone for it on fourth and three at Pitts 33. First down maybe seals the game. But I understand his reasoning. Pass blocking non-existent. Too long to run on 4th. Stanford defense playing well. Bailey is very good at punts inside the 20. Pitt passing game ineffective. I disagreed with the decision. But it was certainly defensible.
(01-01-2019, 08:31 AM)OutsiderFan Wrote: Stanford has played some ugly games, and bowl games in particular, but that was one for the record books. Just 205 yards of total offense, 1-10 on 3rd down. Gave up over 200 yards rushing. They bent and bent and bent, but didn't fully break on defense, and did nothing to show any physical superiority outside of a few Okereke plays. At one point being down 6 starters on offense made things difficult and a little tough to judge, and frankly, Pitt deserved to win. So what to make of it all?
First and foremost, the vibe was the game just wasn't that meaningful for Stanford. Stanford SI didn't think the game was that important, very little discussion about the game on this board leading up to it, maybe because so many starters were out, but whatever, it seemed Pitt players were much more excited and emotionally engaged for it than Stanford was at the start. But you could tell Stanford's players actually cared when faced with the prospect of losing, because they showed some fight and that they wanted it when they had their backs against the wall. This is what I would call a "program win," the type of game a team wins because of its experience and culture forged over years of winning, more than a great performance. Just doing what you need to do to win. WSU and UW are better than Pitt. Stanford has to play much, much better to beat those teams.
More specific observations:
- Michael Wilson isn't a Punt Returner
- Maddox really has some juice to his game
- The Safeties everyone has been lamenting looked pretty good to me; and they rotated Antoine, Buncom, Wiliams, and Head
- Neither Andres Fox and Gabe Reid did a damn thing
- Wasn't expecting to see Alfieri play, but he did
- Toohill looked pretty good, better than Alfieri
- Really wanted to see Meizan and Magnum-Farrar get some snaps at ILB, but that didn't happen
- The OL seemed to be better run blocking after Hattis came in for Hall
- Costello looked uncomfortable the entire game
- David Shaw, it's a bowl game. Do something creative that give the fans a reason to watch! Or just go for it on 4th down once?
- Did Stanford ever have 8 in the box to stop the run, or did they want Pitt to pass because they suck at it?
- What is the deal with Curtis Robinson? He's now missed the entire season, I think the only guy who did?
All in all, I don't feel this game does anything to influence my outlook on 2019. The schedule is outrageously difficult in 2019, and it's hard to know what the team is going to look like in terms of departures and additions. I do feel confident saying the lack of physicality Stanford is showing in the trenches is cause for alarm. Turley had better re-double his efforts to make Stanford players bigger and stronger at the LOS starting tomorrow, if Shaw has any hope of competing for the Pac-12 North in 2019.
Walker Little and Foster Sarell simply must set the tone for this offseason. It's on those two 5 star recruits to raise their games and set the standard for much improved OL play in 2019.