(4 hours ago)needle Wrote: Man oh man oh man. Some thoughts:
Word of the year has to be: Progress. Beating a team (narrowly, despite what the final scoreboard says) that narrowly beat you last year definitely counts.
Props to Davis Warren on the last drive, which has to be a great boost of confidence for him and the team around him. That third-and-six throw was clutch. Grading him for the whole game reveals maybe a less than stellar performance, but the moment was NOT too big for him.
At the end of the day, Micah Ford scored two TDs and will for the foreseeable future be the team's offensive MVP. He is tough. The staff have to learn how to better manage his load, however.
Atticus Joseph, with the best true frehman debut by a WR since...? Happy to see evidence that Pritchard and offensive staff have a good eye for talent.
Davis Warren went the entire game without getting sacked. THE STANFORD OFFENSIVE LINE DID NOT GIVE UP A SACK. It's only one game, against a G6 opponent, so there are different ways to interpret this startling bit of info. But, to me, it's a sign that the coaching has really turned a corner. Perhaps the brightest light of the day, honestly.
Alas, the darkness comes in the form of injury. No glossing over the loss of Kilstrom, based on the performance of the O-line after he went down. On the last drive, at least, the protection held up enough for Warren to be effective.
Don't believe Scotty Edwards started on defense, though he did play some. Another message to the team that the best players will play, I think.
Kaminski had an unbelievable game, we got steady to good performances from Tafiti and Green and Rose, the veteran defensive leaders, at least I thought so. But I would be remiss if I didn't shout out the rest of the secondary. I thought Leroy Bryant played well, and Nicholson just wasn't thrown at much. Darrius Davis is a big hitter. Charlie Eckhardt is a gamer. Very solid coverage, almost no missed tackles.
Puzzling to see Mattingly and Johnson play so much at LB.
Final thought: I know there weren't many fans, but the cameras consistently panned to people who were engaged with the game and having a good time. A loss would have been a real downer. Maybe someday, in the not so so distant future, there will truly be a crowd again at Stanford football home games.
Agree on Kaminski. Monster.
More fans takes seasons going to Bowl Games
On Friday, Sept 4
MIAM already posts as a 3TD favorite, and Canes fans are betting to cover.
They expect something like 41-7.
Canes want Playoff seeding so they are going to run up the score.
Their offense is loaded with NFL prospects and we will not be able to run on them.
https://www.canesinsight.com/articles/mi...ord.12431/