[BostonCard]

It was a great win for the Cardinal yesterday, even if it was not as dominant a performance as some here apparently believe it was.  The game didn't "feel" like a 25 point blowout, which is why I was okay with the final score ending up where it did.  

I think the reason it felt like that is that there were three distinct “parts” of the game.  The first encompassed the first half and the first possession for each team in the second.  That was a fairly evenly matched part, with each side scoring three times.  Really the difference was that we scored three touchdowns in our three trips to the end zone, and SC kicked two field goals.  You could even argue that the first STanford touchdown was a fluke big play, the second touchdown we were lucky that McKee got the ball off a fraction of a second before being brought down on fourth down, and the throw was just good enough, and Higgins’ hands just big enough that it was a catch.  Could have just as easily fallen just short, or bobbled and broken up.  In contrast, Slovis missed a wide open tight end underneath who could have walked into the end zone while forcing a pass to his well-covered receiver.  But of course, this is why Shaw harps on “execution”.  Yesterday, in the first half, we did it ever so slightly better than SC, and we headed into the next phase of the game with an eight point lead.  If this is your memory of the game, it is natural to think that the game was closer than it seemed.

At that point, we had just punted after getting fifteen yards on five plays.  The game could have turned up very different, if SC scored, and turned on the jets.  But what happened was the opposite.  From about the middle of the third quarter to the 10 minute mark of the fourth quarter, we outscored them 21-0.  But not only did we outscored them, we were dominant on both sides of the ball.  First USC possession goes three plays, nine yards, and then Kyu Kelley takes it to the house for a pick-six.  Next USC possession goes: 4 yard pass, 2 yard run, offensive PI, incomplete, punt (with a bogus running into the kicker and a repunt).  Stanford’s ensuing possession goes 5 plays, 55 yards, for a TD (this series featured the back-to-back PIs).  Next USC possession featured three Slovis incompletions, one of which was almost intercepted, and a punt.  Next STanford possession, we go 67 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown.  At that point the score was 42-14 and there was 9.5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the game was for all intents and purposes over.  If this is what you remember, then of course you think Stanford was dominant.

The last part featured two meaningless USC touchdowns and Stanford doing just enough for it not to get close.  We didn’t score, but we got enough first downs to keep the clock running and even managed a long field goal attempt.  And crucially, we recovered both onside kicks.  I would have liked the defense to finish stronger, and for Karty’s field goal to go in, but the last 9 minutes were not representative of the game.

BC

[BostonCard]

It was a great win for the Cardinal yesterday, even if it was not as dominant a performance as some here apparently believe it was.  The game didn't "feel" like a 25 point blowout, which is why I was okay with the final score ending up where it did.  

I think the reason it felt like that is that there were three distinct “parts” of the game.  The first encompassed the first half and the first possession for each team in the second.  That was a fairly evenly matched part, with each side scoring three times.  Really the difference was that we scored three touchdowns in our three trips to the end zone, and SC kicked two field goals.  You could even argue that the first STanford touchdown was a fluke big play, the second touchdown we were lucky that McKee got the ball off a fraction of a second before being brought down on fourth down, and the throw was just good enough, and Higgins’ hands just big enough that it was a catch.  Could have just as easily fallen just short, or bobbled and broken up.  In contrast, Slovis missed a wide open tight end underneath who could have walked into the end zone while forcing a pass to his well-covered receiver.  But of course, this is why Shaw harps on “execution”.  Yesterday, in the first half, we did it ever so slightly better than SC, and we headed into the next phase of the game with an eight point lead.  If this is your memory of the game, it is natural to think that the game was closer than it seemed.

At that point, we had just punted after getting fifteen yards on five plays.  The game could have turned up very different, if SC scored, and turned on the jets.  But what happened was the opposite.  From about the middle of the third quarter to the 10 minute mark of the fourth quarter, we outscored them 21-0.  But not only did we outscored them, we were dominant on both sides of the ball.  First USC possession goes three plays, nine yards, and then Kyu Kelley takes it to the house for a pick-six.  Next USC possession goes: 4 yard pass, 2 yard run, offensive PI, incomplete, punt (with a bogus running into the kicker and a repunt).  Stanford’s ensuing possession goes 5 plays, 55 yards, for a TD (this series featured the back-to-back PIs).  Next USC possession featured three Slovis incompletions, one of which was almost intercepted, and a punt.  Next STanford possession, we go 67 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown.  At that point the score was 42-14 and there was 9.5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the game was for all intents and purposes over.  If this is what you remember, then of course you think Stanford was dominant.

The last part featured two meaningless USC touchdowns and Stanford doing just enough for it not to get close.  We didn’t score, but we got enough first downs to keep the clock running and even managed a long field goal attempt.  And crucially, we recovered both onside kicks.  I would have liked the defense to finish stronger, and for Karty’s field goal to go in, but the last 9 minutes were not representative of the game.

BC