Stanford Cardinal preview

Stanford’s lone win came via a 37-0 performance against San Jose State, but sandwiched around that shutout have been losses to UCLA, Oregon and Arizona State. Granted, those are three of the better teams in the Pac-10 conference, but the Cardinal have been blown out in each game, losing by an average of 30 points and getting outscored 151-41. Stanford was able to hang with Oregon for a half, scoring 28 second-quarter points to take a 31-24 halftime lead. But they fell apart after halftime, allowing 31 unanswered points and giving up big play after big play.

Against Arizona State last weekend it was more of the same. The Sun Devils scored touchdowns on a 62-yard pass and a 72-yard run, and held the Cardinal to a ridiculous -2 yards rushing on their way to a 41-3 blowout.

Stanford may still be a rebuilding program, but it seems as if they’ve still yet to lay a foundation.

Offense – Evidenced by their -2 yard rushing performance against the Sun Devils, the Cardinal have had an extremely one-dimensional offense this season. The passing game has been decent through four games, although a huge reason is that they always seem to be playing from behind and against prevent defenses.

The Cardinal rank fourth in the Pac-10 and 27th nationally in passing at 269 yards per game. Meanwhile, they rank ninth in the conference and just 92nd nationally in rushing at 116 yards per game.


Quarterback – #14 Tavita Pritchard

T.C. Ostrander was the starting quarterback for the Cardinal heading into 2007 and had performed very well through four games. He was on pace to throw for more than 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns this season and his arm basically represented any chance that Stanford had of staying in the game this weekend. But Ostrander suffered a seizure this past Sunday that will keep him out of the contest. All of his medical tests have come back normal and he returned to classes on Monday, but he’ll still be held out on Saturday for precautionary measures.

In his place, redshirt-sophomore Tavita Pritchard will get the nod. Pritchard has thrown three passes in his Cardinal career and actually spent more time as a wide receiver and on special teams than under center last season. He’s played in one game this season, completing one of two passes for ten yards and also rushing for 18 yards against San Jose State.

Pritchard was one of the top prospects to come out of the state of Washington as a senior, but to give him his first collegiate start on the road against one of the nation’s best defenses almost seems cruel. It figured that Stanford’s offense would struggle even with Ostrander lined up under center. With Pritchard back there, things could get ugly in a hurry.

Running Back – #5 Anthony Kimble, #34 Jeremy Stewart

Though the running game is vastly improved over last season, where it averaged 65 yards per game and 2 yards per carry, it still doesn’t exactly scare an opposing defense, especially one as talented up front as the Trojans’. In 2007, Stanford is averaging 116 yards per game on the ground, with a 3.5-yards-per-carry average.

With Toby Gerhart injured and not even listed on the depth chart for the game against the Trojans, Anthony Kimble will be the Cardinal running game. If the Trojans can shut him down (as they did last season when Kimble ran for 22 yards on 15 carries), USC will be in good shape to completely shut down the Stanford offense. He is a talented back, capable of putting together long gains (he had a 60-yard touchdown run against Oregon), but he isn’t exceptionally strong or quick and isn’t the kind of runner who could either wear down the Trojan defense or simply outrun them.

This season, Kimble has piled up 288 yards on 59 carries (a 4.9-yards-per-carry average) with three touchdowns (already a career-high for a season). He had a huge game against Oregon, with 119 rushing yards, but he took a step back against Arizona State, where he picked up just 20 yards on ten carries. But beyond rushing yards, Kimble is also an asset in the passing game. He’s caught ten passes for 47 yards this season.

With Gerhart out, Jeremy Stewart assumed the number two tailback role. He hasn’t done much this season, carrying the ball 22 times for just 72 yards. He’s carried the ball at least five times in the last three games, but has a long run of just 11 yards.

Wide Receiver – #8 Evan Moore, #4 Mark Bradford, #9 Richard Sherman

At any other school, Evan Moore may have developed into one of the best wide receivers in the country. At 6-7 and 230 pounds, he is a match-up nightmare for opposing cornerbacks and he combines that frame with great route running and a fantastic ability to go up and get jump balls. He’s been a health risk for the past several seasons, missing huge chunks of games at a time, but when he’s healthy, it’s amazing to see the Cardinal quarterbacks throw his way as seldom as they do. This season, Moore has 14 receptions (good for third on the team) for 201 yards (good for second). He has at least three catches (and one for at least 20 yards) in each game. Moore is also a huge red-zone threat, though he has yet to find the endzone this season.

Mark Bradford is another impressive talent at wide receiver for the Cardinal. He, like Moore, battled injury problems all last season, but he should be ready to go against the Trojans. Bradford also has at least three receptions in each game, though he doesn’t stretch the field the same way Moore can. He’s more of a possession receiver who can make tacklers miss after the catch.

While Moore and Bradford were missing games last season, it was Richard Sherman who picked up the slack. The true sophomore from Dominguez High School in Compton, California has become the number one option for Stanford quarterbacks this season. He has a team-high 20 receptions for a team-best 339 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, he’s the only Cardinal receiver to top 100 receiving yards in a game this season, doing it twice against both UCLA (100 yards) and Arizona State (105 yards). He stands 6-3 and has the speed and athleticism to make plays all over the field. His 70-yard touchdown catch against the Bruins was the team’s longest play from scrimmage this season.

Tight End – #83 Jim Dray, #45 Ben Ladner

With so many options at wide receiver, it’s surprising that the offense hears from tight ends Jim Dray and Ben Lander as often as they do. The duo is tied for fifth on the team with nine receptions and a touchdown each. Dray’s receptions have gone for 116 yards while Ladner’s have gone for 80.

Offensive Line – LT #76 Ben Muth, LG #72 Mikal Brewer, C #62 Tim Mattran, RG #60 Alex Fletcher, RT #63 Chris Marinelli

Left Tackle Ben Muth replaced injured starter Allen Smith against Oregon and with Smith still out, will get the start against the Trojans. There is a lot of experience along the line. Brewer and Mattran are both fifth-year seniors, while Fletcher and Muth are fourth-year juniors. Marinelli, at right tackle, is a third-year sophomore.

Overall, the line has done a fair job with the running game, though 116 yards per game certainly isn’t anything to write home about. But if the line can’t get something figured out in pass protection, Tavita Pritchard is going to wish he never put on his pads. The Cardinal have allowed 15 sacks through four games, including seven to the Sun Devils last week. The Trojans figure to attack early and often against this line and should be able to generate plenty of heat in both the passing and running games.

Defense – Defensively, the Cardinal are having a rough go of things early in the 2007 season. They are giving up 454 total yards per game (ninth in the Pac-10 and 102nd in the country), which breaks down to 191 yards per game on the ground (last in the conference and 94th in the country) and 263 yards through the air (sixth in the conference and 94th overall). In terms of giving up points, the Cardinal are allowing 35 points per game, good for ninth in the conference and 102nd in the country.


Defensive Line – #91 Pannel Egboh, #99 Levirt Griffin, #95 Chris Horn, #80 Erik Lorig

Up front, the Cardinal defense has been especially vulnerable this season. The 191 yards per game on the ground by the opposition is a direct result of the defensive line’s inability to physically handle an offensive line. Against the Trojans, that could result in a long, long day for the Stanford defense.

Chris Horn leads the line from the interior. He is a defensive captain and although he doesn’t have great numbers this season (just seven tackles), three of his stops have come behind the line of scrimmage and one is a sack. Horn, at 6-5 and 273 is the biggest body the Cardinal have in the interior of the defensive line. If Matt Spanos and the USC offensive guards can get him moving, the running lanes could be downright Nebraska-esque.

With Ekom Udofia injured, Pannel Egboh and Erik Lorig will start at the defensive end positions, though they will be helped greatly by Udeme Udofia. Egboh and Lorig lead the line in tackles, with 19 and 14 respectively. But nobody on the line has put any consistent pressure on the quarterback. In fact, Udofia leads the line with just 1.5 sacks.

Linebacker – #44 Pat Maynor, #50 Nick Macaluso, #20 Clinton Snyder

Clinton Snyder has been a real different maker for the Cardinal defense this season. He’s contributed 23 tackles this season with a team-high 3.5 sacks. He’s also forced and recovered a fumble. Snyder is one of the more athletic players on the defense and will be sent after the quarterback on a number of occasions looking for a big play.

Pat Maynor will line up at the strong side and is second on the team with 31 tackles. Maynor is tied for the team lead with 4.5 tackles for loss and is second with two sacks. He was slated to battle for the middle linebacker spot, but shifted over to the strong side to keep his athleticism and quickness on the field.

Nick Macaluso is a redshirt-freshman getting his third start at middle linebacker. He picked up two tackles and his first career sack against Arizona State, giving him five tackles for the season. It’s probably a safe bet to assume that the Trojan offense will attack Macaluso with both the passing and running games. The Cardinal expected Macaluso to play something of a role on special teams and provide depth at linebacker, but giving him the reigns as the starting middle linebacker two games into the season probably wasn’t the plan.

Cornerback – #2 Nick Sanchez, #6 Wopamo Osaisai

Nick Sanchez missed a few games due to injury in 2006 (who on the Cardinal didn’t?), but returns this season as one of the team’s most experienced defenders. He missed the Arizona State game due to injury, but he’ll be at cornerback heading into the game this weekend. In the three games he’s played, Sanchez has 13 tackles, but is yet to break up a pass.

Wopamo Osaisai has arguably become the team’s best cornerback. He’s one of the fastest players in the conference and will be able to keep up with every Trojan receiver. But at just 5-11, the bigger Trojan pass catchers could give him plenty of trouble. Osaisai ranks third on the team with 25 tackles and his six pass breakups lead the team.

Safeties – #22 Bo McNally, #23 Austin Yancy

One of the marks of a poor defense is having a safety lead the team in tackle by a wide margin. For the Cardinal, Bo McNally is that safety and his 40 tackles sure enough, lead the team by nine. He brings a strong-safety mentality to the free safety position and won’t hesitate to get in on a tackle. He’s just a redshirt sophomore, but he’ll man that safety spot for the next two years. His interception is one of two for the Stanford defense this season.

As a true freshman last season, Austin Yancy started six games at wide receiver. This season, Yancy finds himself starting at strong safety. He has 12 tackles and two pass break-ups, but he should be tested by the Trojan offense. The Cardinal have given up plenty of big plays this season and the safeties have certainly attributed to that.

Special Teams –


Kicker – #12 Derek Belch

The Stanford offense doesn’t exactly move the ball up and down the field on a regular basis, so it’s lucky that they don’t have to get very close to the endzone to put points on the board. Derek Belch has one of the strongest legs in the conference on field goals and has connected on six of his nine attempts thus far. Against San Jose State, he became just the second Cardinal kicker to his two 50-yard field goals in one game, with a 52 yarder followed by a 50 yarder. His three misses have come from 44 yards and 47 yards (twice), but it’s not from a lack of distance.

On kickoffs, Belch hasn’t been as strong, forcing just one touchback on his 18 attempts.

Punter – #27 Jay Ottovegio

Jay Ottovegio is another strength for the Cardinal special teams. The redshirt-senior punter is averaging nearly 42 yards per punt on his 28 attempts. His long for the season is 58 yards and he’s allowed just one touchback while forcing seven fair catches and dropping six punts inside the 20-yard line. He does have a tendency to out-kick his coverage, however. Opponents are averaging nearly ten yards per return and have also brought one back a long of 64 yards.

Kick Returner – #5 Anthony Kimble

Anthony Kimble has been the main kickoff returner for the Cardinal, although Jeremy Stewart is certainly capable of dropping back and fielding one as well. Kimble’s 18 returns lead the team by a huge margin and he’s averaging over 21 yards per attempt. Stewart has a team-best 62-yard return among his three tries.

Punt Returner – #36 Chris Hobbs

Chris Hobbs hasn’t been anything too spectacular for the Cardinal. He’s averaging just six yards a return on his nine attempts, with a long of 15.

Outlook – Any team bringing this overall defense and a second-string quarterback into the Coliseum one week after the Trojans were nearly beaten on national television is asking for trouble. Add in the fact that this particular team’s coach has already struck a nerve with just about everybody on the USC sideline and Stanford could find themselves in big trouble. Of course, if the Trojans have another game where they commit tons of penalties and carelessly turn the ball over, anything could happen. But expecting the Trojans to turn in another performance like that for a second week in a row, and at home, would probably be wishful thinking by the Stanford crowd.

Ultimately, the talent gap between these two teams is massive and the Trojans should be able to rest up and extend that home winning streak. Anything else would be an absolutely huge surprise.