Few purchases rival that of a jersey bought in the light of a beautiful sport’s moment. Allowing the crazed excitement of an incredible play or an unforgettable instant to dictate the acquisition of a players jersey is all part of this thing we call being a sports fan. In the spirit of such a moment, this is the jersey from week one I would buy in the heat of the moment.
The jersey belonging to the player who raised me to my feet the most, elevated my blood pressure consistently and gave me no choice but to invest in his numbers. This is the winner of the Compulsive Purchase Award- week two.
The defense was supposed to be the weakness of this team, the front seven, the question mark that hampered a juiced up offense.
But after two games, the Stanford Cardinal have let up 13 total points and 165.5 yards per outing. The secondary has been on the rise with crucial contributions from Paulson Adebo, Malik Antoine and Alameen Murphy. Depth there, with cornerback Alijah Holder back in the rotation, is not going to be a problem for the Cardinal.
But manufacturing a pass rush with no real horses to pull the cart in the front four was a significant cause of concern for the Cardinal. Stanford’s creative use of their linebackers neutralized those concerns, a group that accounted for 38 of the 80 total tackles against USC, along with all four Cardinal sacks and 5.5 of the seven tackles for loss. Who else could take the award but a linebacker?
Award Winner - Joey Alfieri
Stat Line - five tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble
Alfieri highlighted a group that harassed quarterback J.T. Daniels and the USC offense, holding the Trojans to the lowest point total against Stanford since 1941.
The key all night was misdirection, thanks to the versatility of the linebackers. Take a look here (also this week’s play that sealed the purchase):
On this forced fumble from Alfieri, the defense is showing a four-man rush, which is exactly what they bring, but Stanford flips the pressure right before the snap and sends Bobby Okereke flying off the right side as Casey Toohill backs off the left into coverage.
The result is Alfieri getting lost as he cuts back inside behind defensive tackle Michael Williams, applying pressure as the offensive line losses him. Alfieri rips the football free, and Okereke scoops up the loose ball. The turnover is all possible because Toohill can drop into coverage on the other side.
Stanford showed that they do not have one linebacker that can play everywhere, they have at least three.
Okereke dropped back and covered a tight end 15 yards down the field. Sean Barton and Toohill both recorded defended pass, and Alfieri dropped back into the flat to pick up linebackers and running backs.
Without the studs like Harrison Phillips and Solomon Thomas up front, the Cardinal found defensive solace in the strong safety/linebacker hybrid. The ability to bring pressure from inside or outside and from any of their linebackers. Because so many can drop in and out of coverage when Toohill and Okereke sneak up to the line, both can charge the quarterback; a factor that threw Daniels through a loop for 60 minutes.
The linebackers and their impact on the game was a big reason Stanford beat USC. The front held USC’s running game to 114 yards, causing a fumble and critical pressure on one of Daniels’ two interceptions. Bryce Love found breathing room on the ground and Antoine recorded two picks, but make no mistake: the linebackers are changing the look of this Cardinal defense.
Stanford seems to have found a pass rush, and I found this week’s jersey.
Comments
Hail Lance hail
Shaw has stated recently that he thinks Lance Anderson is an underrated defensive coordinator. I certainly agree. There are a lot of weapons on offence, and a lot of seniors, but they are showing that there are some struggles early on (all due respect to USC defense, we had a lot of penalties and running plays that were blown up too easily). Could be the offense just needs more time to gel, or O-line adjustments come with growing pains. Could it also be the inexperience of a first year offensive coordinator in Pritchard? With the departures of Bloomgren and Taggart I have to think that there are programs that will come knocking on Lance Anderson’s door soon. I hope he wants to stay on the Farm, and that the athletic department knows how important he is to the program.
By NowBoy on 09.11.18 8:42am
They've already knocked on Lance's door
I think Shaw and Lance Anderson have both said that other schools have already inquired about Lance becoming their head coach. He is certainly not a secret in the college football world. But fortunately for Stanford (both coaching wise and recruiting wise), he’s declined other offers. He seems pretty happy where he is right now.
And his defense is rounding into a typical Lance Anderson defense. Bend but don’t break. Keep the opponent out of the end zone. Rotate players to keep them fresh. Trust your linebackers. This week’s game is a perfect one to schedule before Oregon. UC Davis is not a patsy. They have a good quarterback and excellent skill players. They will throw the ball, perhaps more so than even the Ducks. So it will be a change from two run-first teams. So far this season (and it is still early), each component of the defense has done its job. Some of the safety play has occasionally been late, but having linebackers with speed and lock down corners on both sides have helped immensely.
Offensively, it is still frustrating to see Shaw’s reliance on bunched up formations with easy-to-predict runs up the middle. Hopefully, UCD will load the box this week. If they do and they are able to stifle Love more than you’d expect, then Shaw has to see that it won’t work against the likes of Oregon, Notre Dame, and Utah. Stanford’s O-line and Bryce Love are better than they’ve been allowed to show so far this year, and you can see that when the offensive formations don’t invite 8 defenders into the box. But maybe this is too picky. If Costello keeps improving (boy, it is nice to have a QB with a gun for an arm), then things will open up as well, regardless of the preference to run up the middle.
By SU74 on 09.11.18 11:18am
Shaw needs to keep running into loaded boxes....
Shaw needs to keep making teams prove they can stop Love.
1) Shaw needs to keep putting pressure on his run game and expecting them to run the ball regardless;
2) Shaw needs to make the opposing HC’s realize that he’s not going to stop running. He needs them to keep committing 8-9 players every down.
3) Shaw needs to broadcast to prospective running backs, TEs, fullbacks, and O-linemen, that Stanford is a running school. That if you come here, you’re going to be face 9 in the box and you’d better like it.
4) Stanford needs to keep the running mentality. Shaw can’t let adversity deter him and let players think you just give up if the sledding gets tough.
By Blackjoy on 09.11.18 11:28am
Is there a "mute" button somewhere?
Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But saying "we must run our guys irrespective of the outcome" sounds insanely stupid to me. If we run our guys and lose all of our games, that’s stupid. If we attract great qbs and receivers (which it seems we can and do), then sending the message that we are only a running team hurts that. If we are assuming everyone can take a pounding like Toby Gerhart and some end up with multiple concussions or torn ligaments as a result of stubbornness, then as a parent, I wouldn’t want my kid to play for that coach.
"Shaw can’t let adversity deter him and let players think you give up if the sledding gets tough." I can’t imagine you could grok how a guy like Nick Saban could swap out a winning QB with the national championship on the line for a freshman who really hadn’t played. That would be ridiculous to you.
"Shaw needs to make opposing HC’s realize that’ he’s not going to stop running." Should we just tell them our plays in advance so that they have a better chance of stopping them?
By thirdandeleven on 09.11.18 8:35pm
Good to hear
Hoping for a positive change in the office with Pritchard, and it may take some games in before we really see the benefit. Thanks for the news that Lance has turned down offers before, seems important he stays. It seems the idea of Shaw getting put in the position of going to the passing game and being less stubborn on running the ball happens a few times a season. He responded (relatively) quickly against San Diego State. Seems like that game was an important one to have at the beginning. Good point about UCD being a good warm-up for pass heavy Oregon. Looks like Love will sit this one out.
By NowBoy on 09.11.18 1:22pm
Love is out for the UC Davis game. We'll see if Scarlett can light it up. Stanford needs another scatback-in-the-offing in case Love is out. Speights isn't the guy. Is there anyone else?
By Dave Levine on 09.11.18 4:46pm
Backs need blocking
No back, however highly rated and recruited, can run if the lineman are not blocking to open holes. So far this year, the line has disappointed except in pass blocking. Running between the tackles has caused another problem with Love. The "tunnel workers" need to get it together. Losing Sewell probably for season is bad news.
By farmboy2 on 09.11.18 6:12pm