Stanford head coach David Shaw leaned early Saturday morning that All-World running back Bryce “Dr.” Love would not be able to suit up against Utah due to injury, and his day just got worse and worse from there. Alas, the Cardinal 11-game home winning streak is over.
The Stanford (4-2 / 2-1 PAC 12) offense was for the most part effective against Utah (3-2 / 1-2 PAC 12) Saturday night in Palo Alto, but four costly turnovers cost them this game. The Stanford defense on the other hand, repeatedly missed tackles and looked out-matched in the trenches. As a Stanford fan, it was tough to watch.
In that regard, the Utes run game thrived with the advantage up front. Utah junior RB Zack “Quick like” Moss (20 carries / 160 yards / 2 TD’s / 8.0 YPC) was all over The Trees, and nearly always for big gains. At 5’10” and 220 lbs, Moss possesses both the ability to run over defenders, and the shiftiness to make them miss. He is a really good young football player folks, be sure to keep an eye on him.
Utah junior quarterback Tyler Huntley (17 for 21 passing / 199 yards / 1 TD / 10 rushes for 23 yards / 75.6 QBR) made several big plays with his feet, and was elusive in and out of the pocket all evening. More importantly still, he was steady behind the wheel, and did not turn the ball over in this contest.
Of equal note, this was not the Utes team I had seen up to this point in ’18. They flipped a switch in this game and played some hard-nosed football on both sides, which at the end of the day, is how most people know Utah football to be. If they can keep their game tight, they will throw a major curveball in to the PAC-12 title races this year.
For The Card junior QB K.J. Costello (26 for 41 passing / 381 yards / 1 TD / 2 INT / 1 fumble / 41.2 QBR) had some success going to the air against the Utes, but the three heartbreaking turnovers are all that he will remember about this one, especially the 100-yard ‘Pick 6’ by Utah sophomore DB Jaylon Johnson (7 tackles / 1 INT / 1 defensive TD / 2 PD) in the 1st half.
Also playing tough D for the Utes were senior linebackers Chase Hansen (10 tackles 2 TFL / 1 sack / 1 QBH) and Cody Barton (8 tackles / 1 TFL / 1 PD), as well as junior defensive end Brandlee Anae (5 tackles / 3 TFL / 2 sacks / 1 QBH / 1 PD), who was a menace to Stanford all night off the edge.
The quality play of the Stanford receivers and tight ends (Kaden Smith - 8 receptions for 120 yards / J.J. Arcega-Whiteside - 8 receptions for 103 yards / Irwin - 7 catches for 101 yards) almost helped their side claw back in to this game in the 2nd half, but Utah just seemed to make all the big plays when it mattered most. Somehow, it was the first time the Cardinal have had three receivers over the 100-yard mark in the same game since 1998.
Opposite their successes, the Stanford running game minus “The Love Doctor”, was unhealthy in most all capacities. Senior Cameron Scarlett (6 carries / 17 yards / 1 TD / 2.8 YPC) and junior Trevor Speights (17 carries / 56 yards / 1 TD / 3.3 YPC) simply did not have much room to run, inside or out.
On that front, it was another overall disappointing performance for the Stanford O-line. Unfortunately that has been a glaring issue over their back-to-back losses (Notre Dame & Utah), and really the course of this season thus far. It will need to be remedied, or at least improve measurably, before the Cardinal can again find a positive result.
I believe that legendary Alabama head coach Bear Bryant once said exactly what this Stanford team needs to hear right now. “Losing doesn’t make me want to quit, it makes me want to fight that much harder.” Hopefully the Cardinal can clean up the fundamental offensive mistakes, and lock up the defense as a whole with the extra week to prepare for ASU.
Going forward, Utah (3-2) hosts Arizona (3-3) this Friday night in The Rockies, while as I just mentioned Stanford (4-2) has their bye week and then travels to the desert to play ASU (3-3) on 10/18.
In any case, win or lose, Roll Red.
Comments
Bleh.
This O line sucks. The D line and backfield suck. The receivers and QB, when he gets to throw, are great. The LBs are good. There is a lot of excellence missing here. O line weak, confused & slow. D line weak. D backfield abysmal. 8-4 and some crappy mid-December bowl are in store. Something is rotten in Denmark Palo Alto. These crappy seasons are becoming more common.
By jafco99 on 10.08.18 4:29pm
The entire defense has played poorly the past two games, and the O-line has underachieved all year, there is no other way to put it. However, there is a lot of football still to be played.
I obviously had too high of hopes for this team, but any Bowl win would be a nice year. This is college athletics, not the professional ranks, and I always consider that in my measure of the men. All the same, cheers, and Go Stanford.
By Max McArthur on 10.08.18 5:50pm
I Saw A Slightly Different Game
Two turnovers mattered, the Costello fumble and the pick 6. Irvin’s fumble struggling for yardage in garbage time was irrelevant, while Costello’s other interception cost us only three points. The turnovers buried us, but we lost this game because our defense was mostly porous making Tyler Huntley look like an all-world QB, we could not stop the run, and we could not (or chose not to) stop Covey who we must have known coming in was going to be a prime target. Love would have made little difference on offence, which for the most part, sucked. We flat out could not run and ball and failed to protect KJ in the pocket too often. Sure we had some big chunk passing plays…………….but failed to capitalize in the Red Zone too often.
Utah is not that good a team. The fact that Utah looked like a different team may have been who they were playing – us. Sure, we could have won this game even with our running game off (as usual – note to Shaw, we do not have a running game) if we don’t turn the ball over and KJ has a solid game. That is the recipe behind all of our wins so far. Plus an opportunistic defense that gives up yards but either gets stops in the Red Zone or generates a turnover or two.
We rank 126th out of 129 teams in rushing offense. We rank 73rd in rushing defense. We rank 78th in sacks allowed. We just don’t control the line of scrimmage. Fact. Yet we continue to run a playbook as if we do………..until we are down several touchdowns…….and the defense tees off on our QB through blitzes. We should be thankful that we have a really really good QB in Costello and an amazing set of receivers – which unfortunately is going mostly to waste…….or just permitting us to eek out wins against weak/average teams.
David Shaw is a great head coach, strong recruiter and a wonderful ambassador for Stanford football. But performance has deteriorated as we have lost key assistant coaches over the years and replaced many of them with (what seems to be) lesser talents. I don’t know enough to pass judgement on many of the assistants, other than to feel like Akina is very solid, Lance Anderson has had good success in some years with his bend but don’t break defense (is this player dependent?), Tavita Pritchard as an offensive coordinator is laughable (seriously, could he hold this position even on an FCS team?) and that our QB development has been suspect (Tavita again………). For a team that prides itself on being dominant in the trenches, we are completely failing to do this. Does Shaw not see this? Or is it…………………god forbid….just execution. The O line is truly mystifying…………….much worse than last year when it should have been much better. And I don’t buy that it takes half a season for the O line to come together – not this line with the experience they have.
We are 4 – 2 best the rest of the season playing as we are, and could be 3 – 3. Time for a different playbook? Let’s find a way to get KJ some more time so that he can take advantage of the offense’s greatest weapons – its receivers. Less predictability. Throw on first down. Throw to running backs. Use some two back sets. Jet sweep anyone? Misdirection? Have some options on the blitz when it comes (though there were several blitzes last game that probably hit KJ almost before he could look up after receiving the ball). There must be plays that work well when we are getting beat on the O-line to use the defenses penetration against them. Note to Shaw….one of them is not the gentle toss back to the running back.
The season is not lost yet. We can, in fact, win the North if someone takes down Washington (Ducks…..please). We should be able to win the games besides the Huskies if we can get the wheels back on this cart. But it starts with David Shaw stopping the mantra that "we are a run first team that plays with intellectual brutality" and figures out a way to WIN with THIS TEAM. KJ and the receivers give us a lot of upside if we can stop the bleeding everywhere else.
By hoyaparanoia on 10.08.18 4:49pm
I disagree, and think that Utah is a good team that is only now finding its form. Either way, they beat the Cardinal fair and square. No question about it.
Hopefully this Stanford team can get healthy over the bye week, and then make things right in the desert vs. ASU. It will be no easy task, but that is the very nature of football, by definition. Win or lose, Roll Red.
By Max McArthur on 10.08.18 5:58pm
I Would Encourage Shaw To Look At Notre Dame's Last Three Games
With Ian Book at QB. Basically, Brian Kelly had to change his offense from one suited to a dual threat weak passing QB to more of a pocket passer in Ian Book. ND and Stanford have a lot of similarities. They like to run the ball. They have big receivers/tight ends.
Lots of passes on first downs. Quick reads and short passes. Up tempo play. Then punctuated by a run. Book has more mobility than Costello but the plays designed for Book, if executed, have him getting the ball out of his hands in a hurry. Anyway, pass game is better. Run game is better. Something to think about.
All is not lost……
By hoyaparanoia on 10.08.18 6:01pm
In contrast, I 100% agree with everything you just stated. Hopefully we can adapt, and go 'Airborne' the rest of the year.
"All the way." Go Stanford.
By Max McArthur on 10.08.18 6:06pm