David Shaw Press Conference: Stanford needs to correct inefficiencies and mistakes

Coach Shaw addressed the media during his weekly press conference, commenting on the Stanford loss to Washington State and the upcoming trip to Notre Dame. Shaw had plenty to say about Washington State and the team’s current woes. Shaw emphasized, though, that it is not just offensive line that needs to be corrected when Stanford has the ball:

“I’m not pinning this on the offensive line. We have been inconsistent from one through eleven with guys on the field. Receivers, tight ends, quarterbacks, running backs as well. It is not just the offensive line. It looks like the offensive line just because we did not run the ball very well and have given up sacks in the last two weeks. It’s not just on those guys. They have a hand in it and we all have a hand in it.”

Missed Opportunities and Inefficiencies:

Shaw pointed out that dropped passes, missed field goals, mental mistakes, and inefficient runs absolutely plagued Stanford in the last two weeks. Coach Shaw pointed out that while both Washington and Washington State are excellent teams, Stanford is doing far too many things that need to be corrected.

Shaw pointed out that the defense needs to get off the field on third downs and tighten up in the red zone. Opposing offenses are converting too many third downs against Stanford, keeping drives going and keeping the defense on the field for too long. Furthermore when opposing offenses get into the red zone, Shaw wants to see more stops for field goals rather than touchdowns.

Notre Dame

Shaw said that both Stanford and Notre Dame are struggling right now but the records do not matter because these are two talented, proud, and physical football teams. Shaw expects, based on recent history, that this will be a great football game.

Last week Notre Dame played NC State in the middle of a hurricane so there was not much to be gained for David Shaw by watching the tape of that game. Shaw knows full well that Notre Dame has an amazing quarterback with a highly skilled offense that can put plenty of points on the board (when not playing in hurricane like conditions).

Injuries:

Christian McCaffrey is banged up and Stanford will be cautious with him. They will not decide on Mcaffrey until Friday or possibly even game time. Francis Owusu continues to recover from his injury suffered at the hands of UCLA. Owusu is continuing to progress through concussion protocol; he has one more test before he is completely clear. Owusu is running around and feeling great. Shaw says they should know about Owusu on Wednesday. Casey Tucker is in a similar situation; he feels good and is close to being available. Quenton Meeks is also close and Shaw anticipates Meeks will be able to contribute on Saturday against Notre Dame. Greg Taboada is also back to practicing. Cornerback Alijah Holder and fullback Daniel Marx are unlikely to play against Notre Dame.

You can watch the full press conference below:

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