[jacket3ree]

A couple of thoughts and a word on UVA.

I was not aware college football started until my son called. It's always been a ritual like the first day of school even when he was deployed to the Far East. I know Tech plays Thursday and had to ask if Stanford started next week or (at the time) today. He alerted me to the UVA-Pack game (conference? yes.) and he knew Stanford played later but he's only making room for UVA and Navy, dumping his childhood team because he has better things to worry about and it's easy because they are so bad. Fair enough.

I thought about walking up but that bamboo is not clearing itself and I plunked down in front of ACC Net at 4. Glad they won even though I knew they were going to lose as Hawaii started running roughshod. In a binary world, that is important and good. A good outcome.

Mostly I was struck by how small Stanford looks compared to Captain Luck's glory years. Maybe that is slim-fitting unis these days, maybe that glory was roid-fueled as alleged, maybe it is my own size compared to the glory years. And to be frank with TMI, it was more important to get my five miles in than drive down to Palo Alto.

Unbelievable luck on two major calls. The Ford TD that sure looked like the ball had started to come loose going across the goal line and I still don't think that sideline catch on the penultimate scoring drive was legit. But luck is part of it. No takebacks.

Hawaii is a decent opponent relative to Stanford, so again, good outcome. Whether its the difference between 2 wins or 3, or getting a bowl remains to be seen. If Stanford can even hang with the Canes, maybe there is something there. If not, I don't know how much there is to read into anything about the rest of the season. As someone said in-thread, make progress.

Hope it brings more people to the stadium. Wow that was sparse. The L.A. Coliseum was downright embarrassing for a team with USC's expectations. 90 degree heat is no joke. This has definitely become a TV sport, maybe forever. I'll be in the woods without reception next weekend so Miami will happen without me watching or being there. I will be there when the Jackets roll into town but any concern about maybe I should worry about tickets evaporated. Remember when the concern about Stanford Stadium Mark II was whether they downsized too much?

UVA. They did look good against NSCU and they should with late-20s offensive lineman at their third or fourth school and seven years of experience. They have leaned into the new reality and had a full Scott Stadium. UVA has less history of success than Stanford and no one mistakes Charlottesville for Knoxville or Gainesville in terms of football madness. Tony Elliott didn't turn from mediocre over his head coach into savant overnight. There was a MASSIVE infusion of cash into the program and they let basketball crater for all of a year before shoring that up. Virginia has a robust Olympic sports program, dominates swimming like no one's business and I haven't heard the academic reputation of the school has suffered one bit.  I don't know what "the Stanford way" is that Donahoe referred to but they should look to UVA probably more than the easy Duke comparison when trying to crawl out of the hole and have more than what, 10k at a football game.  Whatever way, cash is the entree into being successful. Stanford is not allergic to outside cash, so we'll see what anyone wants.

[jacket3ree]

A couple of thoughts and a word on UVA.

I was not aware college football started until my son called. It's always been a ritual like the first day of school even when he was deployed to the Far East. I know Tech plays Thursday and had to ask if Stanford started next week or (at the time) today. He alerted me to the UVA-Pack game (conference? yes.) and he knew Stanford played later but he's only making room for UVA and Navy, dumping his childhood team because he has better things to worry about and it's easy because they are so bad. Fair enough.

I thought about walking up but that bamboo is not clearing itself and I plunked down in front of ACC Net at 4. Glad they won even though I knew they were going to lose as Hawaii started running roughshod. In a binary world, that is important and good. A good outcome.

Mostly I was struck by how small Stanford looks compared to Captain Luck's glory years. Maybe that is slim-fitting unis these days, maybe that glory was roid-fueled as alleged, maybe it is my own size compared to the glory years. And to be frank with TMI, it was more important to get my five miles in than drive down to Palo Alto.

Unbelievable luck on two major calls. The Ford TD that sure looked like the ball had started to come loose going across the goal line and I still don't think that sideline catch on the penultimate scoring drive was legit. But luck is part of it. No takebacks.

Hawaii is a decent opponent relative to Stanford, so again, good outcome. Whether its the difference between 2 wins or 3, or getting a bowl remains to be seen. If Stanford can even hang with the Canes, maybe there is something there. If not, I don't know how much there is to read into anything about the rest of the season. As someone said in-thread, make progress.

Hope it brings more people to the stadium. Wow that was sparse. The L.A. Coliseum was downright embarrassing for a team with USC's expectations. 90 degree heat is no joke. This has definitely become a TV sport, maybe forever. I'll be in the woods without reception next weekend so Miami will happen without me watching or being there. I will be there when the Jackets roll into town but any concern about maybe I should worry about tickets evaporated. Remember when the concern about Stanford Stadium Mark II was whether they downsized too much?

UVA. They did look good against NSCU and they should with late-20s offensive lineman at their third or fourth school and seven years of experience. They have leaned into the new reality and had a full Scott Stadium. UVA has less history of success than Stanford and no one mistakes Charlottesville for Knoxville or Gainesville in terms of football madness. Tony Elliott didn't turn from mediocre over his head coach into savant overnight. There was a MASSIVE infusion of cash into the program and they let basketball crater for all of a year before shoring that up. Virginia has a robust Olympic sports program, dominates swimming like no one's business and I haven't heard the academic reputation of the school has suffered one bit.  I don't know what "the Stanford way" is that Donahoe referred to but they should look to UVA probably more than the easy Duke comparison when trying to crawl out of the hole and have more than what, 10k at a football game.  Whatever way, cash is the entree into being successful. Stanford is not allergic to outside cash, so we'll see what anyone wants.

[SkiBum80]

Watched the game on delay last night due to family commitments. 
Lots great comments & observations on here.
Things that impressed me most were solid (not perfect) QB play, Ford did bring the running game back behind a banged up OLine, exciting receivers, our DLine pretty strong against their run with very active Linebackers flying around.
Biggest concern was our D and much of O disappearing for big parts of 4th Qtr.
Salvaged by one great drive and one great D series
If we play like 3/4 of the game we’ll get the 4 (or more) wins that I guessed this season even against a tough schedule.
If we play like much of 4th Qtr then rest of season will be pretty ugly.

[SkiBum80]

Watched the game on delay last night due to family commitments. 
Lots great comments & observations on here.
Things that impressed me most were solid (not perfect) QB play, Ford did bring the running game back behind a banged up OLine, exciting receivers, our DLine pretty strong against their run with very active Linebackers flying around.
Biggest concern was our D and much of O disappearing for big parts of 4th Qtr.
Salvaged by one great drive and one great D series
If we play like 3/4 of the game we’ll get the 4 (or more) wins that I guessed this season even against a tough schedule.
If we play like much of 4th Qtr then rest of season will be pretty ugly.

[KartyFan]

Really hoping msqueri is still around and posting Sunday morning/afternoon/evening thoughts. Would love Matt's thoughts on this one!

In the meantime, some observations from the stadium and watching key plays after...

1. My biggest takeaway was that despite OL injuries, we were able to control the line of scrimmage on offense. Ford and others generally could get a couple yards before contact, and there were many instances of an extra 2-5 yards pushing the pile. Credit to both Ford and the OL for not giving up on the play. Regardless of current talent level (Stanford and Hawaii), I saw the foundations of a physical brand of football returning to the farm. Pass was generally quite good as well.

The run and pass protection made this look like a "normal" offense. The past few years, it felt like we were trying to figure out any way to gain yards with no run game and nonexistent pass blocking, even against mediocre competition. It was nice to feel like I was watching a real team, even if it turns out not to be a very good real team.


2. Agree with those who said Davis Warren was good-not-great. There were several key throws that were slightly off, and the receivers did not do Warren any favors making tough catches (until Liam Thorpe on the last drive).  I think game management was strong, and he did make quite a few good throws. I think a very underrated aspect of his performance was pocket presence. We had good pass protection, and Warren made the protection look even better by making good decisions in the pocket. This was sorely missing last year with Gulbranson and Brown, who didn't seem to be able to scan field while avoiding pressure. 


3. Tackling seemed solid, very few (any?) missed tackles. A welcome change - we'll see how that looks against Miami. Defense also had some nice lateral speed. There were a few times I thought Alejado or a RB had the corner on us, and the DL or LB tracked him down. Again, we'll see how that looks against ACC competition.


4. Obviously disappointing to go from dominating the game to trailing. I don't agree with those who thought we turtled, or that our OL fell apart after losing our center. I did not generally see conservative play calling, I saw quite a few pass attempts, including well down field. We just didn't execute well and never built momentum on a drive. Penalties hurt us, and we didn't quite connect on some passes. I don't think mentality or strategy was the issue - we are just not a great team and these runs will happen.


5. I thought the offensive scheme was varied and interesting. Tried to get positive yards but took some shots, recognizing that it is very hard to sustain a drive 4-5 yards at a time. Liked what I saw.


6. QB/WR connection was promising but also needs to get much better. Felt like most completions were to wide open receivers. Throws into traffic did not connect. But so great for two true freshmen to contribute meaningfully. If we can sustain last year's talent retention going forward, this bodes very well.


7. OL injuries, sigh... Seems like for several years we have started the year down a couple starters, and we lost another one today. Not good when you get taken into the locker room in a cart. Let's hope some of these guys can return in the coming weeks.


8. Game atmosphere - Fan Fest was chock full of people celebrating Pacific Islander Heritage Day. A great concept for Tavita's first game, and it attracted a good number of people who would not have otherwise come. Thank goodness, because attendance was again poor.  I had hopes that the Tavita era would provide an immediate bump. Not quite. The sunny side was virtually empty along with all corners. The shady side first deck did seem full. I was chasing children around and couldn't tell from the crowd that Ford's fumble was overturned to a TD. Bottom line, get some wins and people will come back. In this day and age, we probably need a lot of wins for that. I will keep coming.


9. This feels like 2008. Coming off 4-8 season with some momentum, still not a good team but laying the foundation for something better. Not sure the next Andrew Luck is on the roster so I am not predicting greatness in two years, but we seem to have the wind at our backs. Next week won't tell us much unless we contend (quite unlikely), so we'll have to wait three weeks until Duke for another measuring stick of where we are.

[KartyFan]

Really hoping msqueri is still around and posting Sunday morning/afternoon/evening thoughts. Would love Matt's thoughts on this one!

In the meantime, some observations from the stadium and watching key plays after...

1. My biggest takeaway was that despite OL injuries, we were able to control the line of scrimmage on offense. Ford and others generally could get a couple yards before contact, and there were many instances of an extra 2-5 yards pushing the pile. Credit to both Ford and the OL for not giving up on the play. Regardless of current talent level (Stanford and Hawaii), I saw the foundations of a physical brand of football returning to the farm. Pass was generally quite good as well.

The run and pass protection made this look like a "normal" offense. The past few years, it felt like we were trying to figure out any way to gain yards with no run game and nonexistent pass blocking, even against mediocre competition. It was nice to feel like I was watching a real team, even if it turns out not to be a very good real team.


2. Agree with those who said Davis Warren was good-not-great. There were several key throws that were slightly off, and the receivers did not do Warren any favors making tough catches (until Liam Thorpe on the last drive).  I think game management was strong, and he did make quite a few good throws. I think a very underrated aspect of his performance was pocket presence. We had good pass protection, and Warren made the protection look even better by making good decisions in the pocket. This was sorely missing last year with Gulbranson and Brown, who didn't seem to be able to scan field while avoiding pressure. 


3. Tackling seemed solid, very few (any?) missed tackles. A welcome change - we'll see how that looks against Miami. Defense also had some nice lateral speed. There were a few times I thought Alejado or a RB had the corner on us, and the DL or LB tracked him down. Again, we'll see how that looks against ACC competition.


4. Obviously disappointing to go from dominating the game to trailing. I don't agree with those who thought we turtled, or that our OL fell apart after losing our center. I did not generally see conservative play calling, I saw quite a few pass attempts, including well down field. We just didn't execute well and never built momentum on a drive. Penalties hurt us, and we didn't quite connect on some passes. I don't think mentality or strategy was the issue - we are just not a great team and these runs will happen.


5. I thought the offensive scheme was varied and interesting. Tried to get positive yards but took some shots, recognizing that it is very hard to sustain a drive 4-5 yards at a time. Liked what I saw.


6. QB/WR connection was promising but also needs to get much better. Felt like most completions were to wide open receivers. Throws into traffic did not connect. But so great for two true freshmen to contribute meaningfully. If we can sustain last year's talent retention going forward, this bodes very well.


7. OL injuries, sigh... Seems like for several years we have started the year down a couple starters, and we lost another one today. Not good when you get taken into the locker room in a cart. Let's hope some of these guys can return in the coming weeks.


8. Game atmosphere - Fan Fest was chock full of people celebrating Pacific Islander Heritage Day. A great concept for Tavita's first game, and it attracted a good number of people who would not have otherwise come. Thank goodness, because attendance was again poor.  I had hopes that the Tavita era would provide an immediate bump. Not quite. The sunny side was virtually empty along with all corners. The shady side first deck did seem full. I was chasing children around and couldn't tell from the crowd that Ford's fumble was overturned to a TD. Bottom line, get some wins and people will come back. In this day and age, we probably need a lot of wins for that. I will keep coming.


9. This feels like 2008. Coming off 4-8 season with some momentum, still not a good team but laying the foundation for something better. Not sure the next Andrew Luck is on the roster so I am not predicting greatness in two years, but we seem to have the wind at our backs. Next week won't tell us much unless we contend (quite unlikely), so we'll have to wait three weeks until Duke for another measuring stick of where we are.

[needle]

Really hoping msqueri is still around and posting Sunday morning/afternoon/evening thoughts. Would love Matt's thoughts on this one!

In the meantime, some observations from the stadium and watching key plays after...

1. My biggest takeaway was that despite OL injuries, we were able to control the line of scrimmage on offense. Ford and others generally could get a couple yards before contact, and there were many instances of an extra 2-5 yards pushing the pile. Credit to both Ford and the OL for not giving up on the play. Regardless of current talent level (Stanford and Hawaii), I saw the foundations of a physical brand of football returning to the farm. Pass was generally quite good as well.

The run and pass protection made this look like a "normal" offense. The past few years, it felt like we were trying to figure out any way to gain yards with no run game and nonexistent pass blocking, even against mediocre competition. It was nice to feel like I was watching a real team, even if it turns out not to be a very good real team.


2. Agree with those who said Davis Warren was good-not-great. There were several key throws that were slightly off, and the receivers did not do Warren any favors making tough catches (until Liam Thorpe on the last drive).  I think game management was strong, and he did make quite a few good throws. I think a very underrated aspect of his performance was pocket presence. We had good pass protection, and Warren made the protection look even better by making good decisions in the pocket. This was sorely missing last year with Gulbranson and Brown, who didn't seem to be able to scan field while avoiding pressure. 


3. Tackling seemed solid, very few (any?) missed tackles. A welcome change - we'll see how that looks against Miami. Defense also had some nice lateral speed. There were a few times I thought Alejado or a RB had the corner on us, and the DL or LB tracked him down. Again, we'll see how that looks against ACC competition.


4. Obviously disappointing to go from dominating the game to trailing. I don't agree with those who thought we turtled, or that our OL fell apart after losing our center. I did not generally see conservative play calling, I saw quite a few pass attempts, including well down field. We just didn't execute well and never built momentum on a drive. Penalties hurt us, and we didn't quite connect on some passes. I don't think mentality or strategy was the issue - we are just not a great team and these runs will happen.


5. I thought the offensive scheme was varied and interesting. Tried to get positive yards but took some shots, recognizing that it is very hard to sustain a drive 4-5 yards at a time. Liked what I saw.


6. QB/WR connection was promising but also needs to get much better. Felt like most completions were to wide open receivers. Throws into traffic did not connect. But so great for two true freshmen to contribute meaningfully. If we can sustain last year's talent retention going forward, this bodes very well.


7. OL injuries, sigh... Seems like for several years we have started the year down a couple starters, and we lost another one today. Not good when you get taken into the locker room in a cart. Let's hope some of these guys can return in the coming weeks.


8. Game atmosphere - Fan Fest was chock full of people celebrating Pacific Islander Heritage Day. A great concept for Tavita's first game, and it attracted a good number of people who would not have otherwise come. Thank goodness, because attendance was again poor.  I had hopes that the Tavita era would provide an immediate bump. Not quite. The sunny side was virtually empty along with all corners. The shady side first deck did seem full. I was chasing children around and couldn't tell from the crowd that Ford's fumble was overturned to a TD. Bottom line, get some wins and people will come back. In this day and age, we probably need a lot of wins for that. I will keep coming.


9. This feels like 2008. Coming off 4-8 season with some momentum, still not a good team but laying the foundation for something better. Not sure the next Andrew Luck is on the roster so I am not predicting greatness in two years, but we seem to have the wind at our backs. Next week won't tell us much unless we contend (quite unlikely), so we'll have to wait three weeks until Duke for another measuring stick of where we are.

Great post! Seeing wide receivers wide open speaks well about the playcalling / offensive scheme, imo. (Tho it also may suggest Stanford played against a poor defensive secondary.)

Also, while I'm not sure, I'm thinking that injuries may have hit the WR corps as well as the offensive line. Neither Nico Brown, the Yale WR transfer, nor Carter Shaw, the UCLA transfer (and David's son) showed up in the participation chart. We already knew that a starter from last year, Caden High, was out because of injury. Overall, I thought the group that got on the field played pretty well, fwiw.

[needle]

Really hoping msqueri is still around and posting Sunday morning/afternoon/evening thoughts. Would love Matt's thoughts on this one!

In the meantime, some observations from the stadium and watching key plays after...

1. My biggest takeaway was that despite OL injuries, we were able to control the line of scrimmage on offense. Ford and others generally could get a couple yards before contact, and there were many instances of an extra 2-5 yards pushing the pile. Credit to both Ford and the OL for not giving up on the play. Regardless of current talent level (Stanford and Hawaii), I saw the foundations of a physical brand of football returning to the farm. Pass was generally quite good as well.

The run and pass protection made this look like a "normal" offense. The past few years, it felt like we were trying to figure out any way to gain yards with no run game and nonexistent pass blocking, even against mediocre competition. It was nice to feel like I was watching a real team, even if it turns out not to be a very good real team.


2. Agree with those who said Davis Warren was good-not-great. There were several key throws that were slightly off, and the receivers did not do Warren any favors making tough catches (until Liam Thorpe on the last drive).  I think game management was strong, and he did make quite a few good throws. I think a very underrated aspect of his performance was pocket presence. We had good pass protection, and Warren made the protection look even better by making good decisions in the pocket. This was sorely missing last year with Gulbranson and Brown, who didn't seem to be able to scan field while avoiding pressure. 


3. Tackling seemed solid, very few (any?) missed tackles. A welcome change - we'll see how that looks against Miami. Defense also had some nice lateral speed. There were a few times I thought Alejado or a RB had the corner on us, and the DL or LB tracked him down. Again, we'll see how that looks against ACC competition.


4. Obviously disappointing to go from dominating the game to trailing. I don't agree with those who thought we turtled, or that our OL fell apart after losing our center. I did not generally see conservative play calling, I saw quite a few pass attempts, including well down field. We just didn't execute well and never built momentum on a drive. Penalties hurt us, and we didn't quite connect on some passes. I don't think mentality or strategy was the issue - we are just not a great team and these runs will happen.


5. I thought the offensive scheme was varied and interesting. Tried to get positive yards but took some shots, recognizing that it is very hard to sustain a drive 4-5 yards at a time. Liked what I saw.


6. QB/WR connection was promising but also needs to get much better. Felt like most completions were to wide open receivers. Throws into traffic did not connect. But so great for two true freshmen to contribute meaningfully. If we can sustain last year's talent retention going forward, this bodes very well.


7. OL injuries, sigh... Seems like for several years we have started the year down a couple starters, and we lost another one today. Not good when you get taken into the locker room in a cart. Let's hope some of these guys can return in the coming weeks.


8. Game atmosphere - Fan Fest was chock full of people celebrating Pacific Islander Heritage Day. A great concept for Tavita's first game, and it attracted a good number of people who would not have otherwise come. Thank goodness, because attendance was again poor.  I had hopes that the Tavita era would provide an immediate bump. Not quite. The sunny side was virtually empty along with all corners. The shady side first deck did seem full. I was chasing children around and couldn't tell from the crowd that Ford's fumble was overturned to a TD. Bottom line, get some wins and people will come back. In this day and age, we probably need a lot of wins for that. I will keep coming.


9. This feels like 2008. Coming off 4-8 season with some momentum, still not a good team but laying the foundation for something better. Not sure the next Andrew Luck is on the roster so I am not predicting greatness in two years, but we seem to have the wind at our backs. Next week won't tell us much unless we contend (quite unlikely), so we'll have to wait three weeks until Duke for another measuring stick of where we are.

Great post! Seeing wide receivers wide open speaks well about the playcalling / offensive scheme, imo. (Tho it also may suggest Stanford played against a poor defensive secondary.)

Also, while I'm not sure, I'm thinking that injuries may have hit the WR corps as well as the offensive line. Neither Nico Brown, the Yale WR transfer, nor Carter Shaw, the UCLA transfer (and David's son) showed up in the participation chart. We already knew that a starter from last year, Caden High, was out because of injury. Overall, I thought the group that got on the field played pretty well, fwiw.