Just finished watching the first 3 quarters of the Washington-Michigan State game, and it is bad news.
1. That team tackles really hard.
2. Their quarterback can throw great, and they have some good receivers.
3. Their defense swarms
4. The noise in their stadium is legendary. Just imagine how fired up they are going to be after their Michigan State win. It is going to be deafening. At multiple key junctures, Michigan State’s offense looked unable to communicate and befuddled on third down. I don’t think this Stanford team has ever played in a loud stadium before.
5. Their defensive front 7 was stuffing the inside running game
6. Their d backs, though beatable, swarm to the ball.
One thing I really want to point out about the Washington - Michigan State game is how much Washington cheats. I can’t recall ever seeing a team cheat so much and not get called on it. It felt like their linemen should have been called for egregiously holding every third play. Their defensive backs, when beaten, hold, and didn’t get called. Even their receivers pushed the Michigan State secondary out of the way. So, the score with Michigan State should have been much closer. Sometimes you get weird officiating with those inter-conference games. I expect the Pac 12 officials will call the penalties. And so, who knows how many points Washington scores if you actually call them on their pass interference and “blocking” in the back? If there are a bunch of 2nd and 20s, maybe they get exposed, maybe they turn the ball over.
They are also a little banged up and Penix started throwing worse the more he got hit. They seemed to lose an offensive lineman in the 3rd.
Even still, unless Stanford can make a stunning improvement and can play in the noise (without any experience doing so), I think the swarming, hard-hitting Washington defense and thunderous stadium befuddles the Cardinal offense enough for the Huskies to take a big lead and hold onto it.
Maybe Stanford can get to Penix and make him have an off day. Maybe Shaw and all have spent the last two weeks getting the receivers able hold onto ball like they were able to just a few years ago. Maybe the running backs will no longer cough up the ball. Maybe Washington gets a bit exposed when someone actually callls them on their penalties. Maybe the defensive linemen can take off the training wheels and get to the quarterback, even though many of them are frosh. Maybe Shaw stops making excuses about how hard it is to play in a loud stadium and actually brings a team ready to quiet the Dog Pound. I hope so, but this week, I am not betting on it.
Penix in the Dog Pound 35
Tanner and the Trees 13
1. That team tackles really hard.
2. Their quarterback can throw great, and they have some good receivers.
3. Their defense swarms
4. The noise in their stadium is legendary. Just imagine how fired up they are going to be after their Michigan State win. It is going to be deafening. At multiple key junctures, Michigan State’s offense looked unable to communicate and befuddled on third down. I don’t think this Stanford team has ever played in a loud stadium before.
5. Their defensive front 7 was stuffing the inside running game
6. Their d backs, though beatable, swarm to the ball.
One thing I really want to point out about the Washington - Michigan State game is how much Washington cheats. I can’t recall ever seeing a team cheat so much and not get called on it. It felt like their linemen should have been called for egregiously holding every third play. Their defensive backs, when beaten, hold, and didn’t get called. Even their receivers pushed the Michigan State secondary out of the way. So, the score with Michigan State should have been much closer. Sometimes you get weird officiating with those inter-conference games. I expect the Pac 12 officials will call the penalties. And so, who knows how many points Washington scores if you actually call them on their pass interference and “blocking” in the back? If there are a bunch of 2nd and 20s, maybe they get exposed, maybe they turn the ball over.
They are also a little banged up and Penix started throwing worse the more he got hit. They seemed to lose an offensive lineman in the 3rd.
Even still, unless Stanford can make a stunning improvement and can play in the noise (without any experience doing so), I think the swarming, hard-hitting Washington defense and thunderous stadium befuddles the Cardinal offense enough for the Huskies to take a big lead and hold onto it.
Maybe Stanford can get to Penix and make him have an off day. Maybe Shaw and all have spent the last two weeks getting the receivers able hold onto ball like they were able to just a few years ago. Maybe the running backs will no longer cough up the ball. Maybe Washington gets a bit exposed when someone actually callls them on their penalties. Maybe the defensive linemen can take off the training wheels and get to the quarterback, even though many of them are frosh. Maybe Shaw stops making excuses about how hard it is to play in a loud stadium and actually brings a team ready to quiet the Dog Pound. I hope so, but this week, I am not betting on it.
Penix in the Dog Pound 35
Tanner and the Trees 13