8. Ok, holding off on talking about the offense as MY coping mechanism can only wait so long. Everybody besides Shaw and our players should know by now it's one of the worst offenses in the country and beyond redemption. We had one point per drive. One. Washington State has a good offense but not that good. We made the #37 points per drive defense look like the #3 points per drive defense (Georgia gives up 1.03 points per drive). Stanford's 4.81 yards per play is the lowest a Power Five offense has had against Washington State all season. [As a sign of how pitiful our offense is EVERY week, the Oregon State game is actually the only time in the last six games in which we had more yards per play than yesterday.] The passing offense hasn't been good at any point this season other than the Washington game, but what it's become without Wilson is mind-boggling. Shaw talks about McKee, Yurosek, Higgins, and Tremayne like they're our best players, but that's damning with faint praise. These guys had the second worst passing metrics of any team against Washington State this year. Every week they're bad. Let's stop talking about them like they're good. McKee might be the least bad. PFF thought he was our best performing starter on offense while Total QBR had him #71 of 121 QBs in Total QBR this week. The way our offense played I can buy that a player being just a tad below the national average at his position would be our best performance of the day. McKee had a few plays with his feet that were decidedly positive for the offense and his throws to Higgins and Yurosek deserved more than the fumbles they resulted in. McKee left plenty of meat on the bone but he is better and is playing better than his receivers. This week's moving the chains (first downs) leader board: Yurosek (4), Daniels (3), Leigber (3), Higgins (2, and also drew a pass interference), McKee (2), Humphreys (also drew two pass interferences in close succession on the second touchdown drive), Reuben, Barrow, Tremayne.
9. The run game is what it is. Everybody knows we don't have running backs. That nobody had more than 23 yards rushing takes me back to my years in college of JR Lemon, Kenneth Tolon, and Jason Evans trying to run behind the non-offensive line Willingham bequeathed. This time though it's not coveted recruits running into a brick wall but a converted safety and true freshman running quarterback trying to put on a brave face. I don't have anything negative to say about what Leigber and Daniels are doing for the team. But obviously you can only squeeze so much blood out of a turnip. A miserable 71 yards rushing (lowest of the season) and 2.54 yards per carry (third worst) speaks for itself. But I want to be clear that I think it's assuming more than is in evidence to think this is why the offense stinks. In fact, our rushing output and yards per carry is better than Cal, Idaho, and Colorado State did against Washington State's good run defense. I don't say that to defend our run game but to say that it isn't doing any worse, relative to opponent, than our passing game. In any case, we obviously need to fix the RB pipeline. Barrow being dinged up (recall he missed all of last season and was hobbled as a high school senior) reveals yet another fragile RB we can't count on. I am starting the campaign now for LJ Martin to be the highest priority recruit to be admitted for early enrollment. We're going to need him.
10. I am not being facetious when I say one of my biggest disappointments yesterday was not getting to see Karty line up for a field goal. I know Stanford sucks, that we're not going to make a bowl, and that it's a joyless viewing experience. None of that is surprising. But one of the few things we have to watch for this year is if Karty can remain perfect on attempts and how far he can nail it from. We got none of the Karty show yesterday aside from his as-ever reliable kickoffs and extra points (not that we give him many of those either). This damages his quest for honors, already a massive long shot, significantly. Defending Lou Groza Award winner Jake Moody tacked on another field goal yesterday for Michigan and now has a whopping 19 (Karty has 14). Christopher Dunn hit three field goals, including a 51 yarder, for NC State and is now 18 for 18 to Karty's 14 for 14. I seriously doubt Karty is even a finalist for the Groza Award but we're not doing him any favors. Yeah, yeah, I know coaches shouldn't play for awards and that going for it on 4th down in the red zone intended to show the team some fight, but a game without seeing a Karty field goal attempt was even less entertaining than our usual meager fare. Elsewhere on special teams, Sanborn had net punts of 28 (to the 45), 47 (to the 25), 20 (to the 42), 31 (back into our territory to the Stanford 36), and 42 (to the 30). That's a poor game for punt return coverage. Hard for an outsider like me to assess how much is Sanborn versus his unit mates, but it wasn't a good game for us in this phase. On kick coverage, nice to see a good Scotty Edwards tackle. On returns, Thompson had a few nice ones but on balance he seems like a downgrade from our priors and he had some negative plays in fair catching inside the 5 and muffing a kick we were lucky to recover. Still very early for him as a true freshman (which brings up the oddity of burning his redshirt for single digit special teams plays a game) and I look forward to seeing more of him.
11. Game balls: McKee, McGill, Edwards, Akina
12. That loss practically makes it official this will be a losing team that will extend the bowl drought. Some won't want to admit that until we get boat-raced by Utah, but it's clear this team is a loser. I find that oddly/depressingly liberating. My view for the last several weeks has been that Shaw saved his job with the Notre Dame and Arizona State wins. I still think that's probably the case, especially given the injuries that now/again give the lazy armchair observer a ready-made excuse, even if those really paying attention know the team is hopeless independent of injuries. But the magnitude of Stanford's embarrassment on numerous fronts yesterday opens up the possibility of a tectonic shift in the management of the program. Three weeks is a lot of time for a lot more embarrassment. Cal and BYU aren't a lot better than we are (though they're better) and the possibility remains that we could win one or both of those games. The absolute best case scenario for Stanford going forward is that we win those games and Shaw uses it as an excuse to ride off into the sunset. But if he's inclined to stick around another year and if powers-that-be are inclined to let him, contrary to all earthly evidence of what's best for the program, anything good that happens on the field for Stanford football the next three weeks is bad for the program. Embrace the suck. No Fun U needs to know what a disgrace it is nationally and how much it is eroding bonds of affection alums and donors have for a school we'd like to think is likable.
9. The run game is what it is. Everybody knows we don't have running backs. That nobody had more than 23 yards rushing takes me back to my years in college of JR Lemon, Kenneth Tolon, and Jason Evans trying to run behind the non-offensive line Willingham bequeathed. This time though it's not coveted recruits running into a brick wall but a converted safety and true freshman running quarterback trying to put on a brave face. I don't have anything negative to say about what Leigber and Daniels are doing for the team. But obviously you can only squeeze so much blood out of a turnip. A miserable 71 yards rushing (lowest of the season) and 2.54 yards per carry (third worst) speaks for itself. But I want to be clear that I think it's assuming more than is in evidence to think this is why the offense stinks. In fact, our rushing output and yards per carry is better than Cal, Idaho, and Colorado State did against Washington State's good run defense. I don't say that to defend our run game but to say that it isn't doing any worse, relative to opponent, than our passing game. In any case, we obviously need to fix the RB pipeline. Barrow being dinged up (recall he missed all of last season and was hobbled as a high school senior) reveals yet another fragile RB we can't count on. I am starting the campaign now for LJ Martin to be the highest priority recruit to be admitted for early enrollment. We're going to need him.
10. I am not being facetious when I say one of my biggest disappointments yesterday was not getting to see Karty line up for a field goal. I know Stanford sucks, that we're not going to make a bowl, and that it's a joyless viewing experience. None of that is surprising. But one of the few things we have to watch for this year is if Karty can remain perfect on attempts and how far he can nail it from. We got none of the Karty show yesterday aside from his as-ever reliable kickoffs and extra points (not that we give him many of those either). This damages his quest for honors, already a massive long shot, significantly. Defending Lou Groza Award winner Jake Moody tacked on another field goal yesterday for Michigan and now has a whopping 19 (Karty has 14). Christopher Dunn hit three field goals, including a 51 yarder, for NC State and is now 18 for 18 to Karty's 14 for 14. I seriously doubt Karty is even a finalist for the Groza Award but we're not doing him any favors. Yeah, yeah, I know coaches shouldn't play for awards and that going for it on 4th down in the red zone intended to show the team some fight, but a game without seeing a Karty field goal attempt was even less entertaining than our usual meager fare. Elsewhere on special teams, Sanborn had net punts of 28 (to the 45), 47 (to the 25), 20 (to the 42), 31 (back into our territory to the Stanford 36), and 42 (to the 30). That's a poor game for punt return coverage. Hard for an outsider like me to assess how much is Sanborn versus his unit mates, but it wasn't a good game for us in this phase. On kick coverage, nice to see a good Scotty Edwards tackle. On returns, Thompson had a few nice ones but on balance he seems like a downgrade from our priors and he had some negative plays in fair catching inside the 5 and muffing a kick we were lucky to recover. Still very early for him as a true freshman (which brings up the oddity of burning his redshirt for single digit special teams plays a game) and I look forward to seeing more of him.
11. Game balls: McKee, McGill, Edwards, Akina
12. That loss practically makes it official this will be a losing team that will extend the bowl drought. Some won't want to admit that until we get boat-raced by Utah, but it's clear this team is a loser. I find that oddly/depressingly liberating. My view for the last several weeks has been that Shaw saved his job with the Notre Dame and Arizona State wins. I still think that's probably the case, especially given the injuries that now/again give the lazy armchair observer a ready-made excuse, even if those really paying attention know the team is hopeless independent of injuries. But the magnitude of Stanford's embarrassment on numerous fronts yesterday opens up the possibility of a tectonic shift in the management of the program. Three weeks is a lot of time for a lot more embarrassment. Cal and BYU aren't a lot better than we are (though they're better) and the possibility remains that we could win one or both of those games. The absolute best case scenario for Stanford going forward is that we win those games and Shaw uses it as an excuse to ride off into the sunset. But if he's inclined to stick around another year and if powers-that-be are inclined to let him, contrary to all earthly evidence of what's best for the program, anything good that happens on the field for Stanford football the next three weeks is bad for the program. Embrace the suck. No Fun U needs to know what a disgrace it is nationally and how much it is eroding bonds of affection alums and donors have for a school we'd like to think is likable.