Halfway through the season and the Stanford Cardinal are exactly where we suspected they might be, 6-0 and atop the Pac-12 North Division.
Many have questioned the Cardinal based on strength of schedule, and that has shown up with a 8th rank in the first BCS rankings of the season. While the opponents may not be top notch, all the Cardinal are doing is destroying the competition. And they continue to do it without superstar linebacker Shayne Skov.
Many teams struggle at some point during a long season. Stanford has struggled for a quarter or two but in the end, the smallest margin of victory is a mere 26 points. Not too shabby.
Now off to the Washington State game.
**Speaking of struggling, that is what the Cardinal did in the first half. Well, the offense did. For whatever reason, Stanford just could not get in sync. Part of it is that WSU was able to control the ball a bit and keep a time of possession advantage. It was not until the second half that Stanford could really get a rhythm. There is no coincidence that it happened about the time they started pushing the ball downfield to the tight ends. It just opened the game up.
**Stanford has good coaches. There are two signs of good coaching, one is preparation, the other are adjustments. This was not the first game that the Cardinal needed a halftime adjustment to start clicking. The coaches are finding those little details and getting them applied in the second half.
**Andrew Luck was incredible again. We can praise him from now until forever but there may be just one flaw. He seems to struggle on the deep fly route. His first pass of the game was intercepted on an attempt to Patterson. He missed Whalen on another sideline go route. Yes, it is nitpicking, but Stanford might need that route at some point. (By the way, that is one of the most difficult passes to complete so this really is nitpicking).
**Another monster game by Griff Whalen. He really is turning into the go to possession receiver. The TV commentators compared him to Wes Welker. I am not sure he is that fast but the style of game is similar.
**What else can be said about the tight ends? They are the position (other then Luck) that makes the offense go. Coby Fleener, Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo are doing a good job blocking on the runs, and they are doing a great job out in the pass patterns. Fleener on the deep middle is a bread and butter big play now.
**The talk continues to be which wide receivers will step up? Whalen has. Beyond that there just is not a lot of opportunity because the tight ends are so good.
**Another question. Fans, analysts, writers all seem to say when Chris Owusu is out there is no more deep threat for Stanford. I would ask if Owusu is a deep threat for Stanford this year? When it is time to go deep Stanford has gone to Patterson, Gatewood, or the tight ends. All Owusu has done so far is catch balls in the flat. All the plays for Owusu are designed to get him the ball quick and hopefully with blockers. Is he a decoy? Can he not go over the middle? It makes me wonder if he is not 100% from his off season leg injury.
**Another concussion for Owusu will not help. That was a brutal hit. Here is hoping for a speedy recovery.
**The offensive line continues to gel. All you can ask from a unit like that is constant improvement. If you look back at what they were doing in game one vs what they did against Washington State, it is night and day. Kevin Danser had some nice blocks off the bench. The starting five are just playing very well.
**Good game by the defense but against better teams they must tackle better. Too many times a blitzer would get in on the quarterback and just bounce off. The coaches made a point about hitting the quarterback last week. Against the Oregon’s of the world, that is not enough, you must wrap up and tackle or the miss will cost you a score.
**Tremendous game from Michael Thomas. It seemed like he was everywhere.
**AJ Tarpley is emerging as a solid player. During training camp his teammates kept commenting about what a “ball hawk” that he is. It looks to be true. He is not nearly as flashy as Skov but he seems to always be around the tackle. His playing time should increase.
**Ben Gardner is another player that just seems to be getting better. He is putting together a fine season.
**He had some questionable calls go against him, but Johnson Bademosi had a solid game at the corner.
**Overall it was a fabulous defensive effort. While the offense took its time to get going, the defense kept the Cardinal in the game and just never let the Cougars get off the mat.
That said, the Cardinal are 6-0 and now the season really gets going with Washington coming to town on Saturday.
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