Stanford Blogger Answers / Stanford Pre-game

These were taken from the questions in the prior thread.

1. David Shaw has said that Bryce Love’s availability will be a game time decision, which doesn’t sound very positive. At this point I’d be surprised if he plays, which is a shame. I believe he’s the best running back in the country and deserves to win the Heisman Trophy, but he’s going to have to run for well over 2,000 yards to combat the East Coast Bias that’s working in Saquon Barkley’s favor. Tonight would’ve been something of a showcase game, and he’s likely going to miss it. Anyway, you didn’t ask about any of that. Cameron Scarlett would be Love’s replacement. He’s certainly a solid running back, but he’d be a step down from Love. The offense won’t change at all, though. The offensive line has rounded into shape over the past four games, opening huge holes for the running game and not allowing a sack during that stretch. To the surprise of most, Keller Chryst has shown that he deserves to be the starting quarterback, and the offense has expanded. Watch for wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside to have a big game. He’s a physical presence on the outside who’s been getting better each week this season and become Chryst’s top target. Also watch for true freshman Connor Wedington, who audaciously wears Christian McCaffrey’s #5 jersey but could have the talent to back it up. He was a last minute flip from Washington, and he’s already been making an impact. So even without Love, the offense will be fine.

2. Mike Bloomgren has been in this spot for quite a while, and that’s led to a great deal of continuity. I asked Shaw about the importance of having the same two coordinators for more than three years now, and he said he couldn’t begin to explain how huge it has been. From the outside, however, there has also been consistent criticism. The offense is still incredibly conservative, but that’s as much to do with Shaw as Bloomgren. Shaw has always been vague when asked about the division of play calling responsibility between the two of them, but he’s said several times that he takes over in the red zone. In addition to Bloomgren’s duties as offensive coordinator, he’s also the offensive line coach, so whenever that group struggles, typically at the beginning of the season as a new five is coming together, there are voices in the fan base who want to see Bloomgren take a step back to focus on coaching the line, mainly to open up the coordinator position for someone else. But this offense is never going to change, and why would it? Right now it’s rated as one of the top ten offenses in the country by most metrics, and Shaw’s tenure has included three Rose Bowls. Eventually Bloomgren will move on, but we haven’t heard too many rumors lately. Perhaps this will be the year, especially if the offense continues to improve.

3. I don’t think anyone worries about Shaw’s departure. He’s been the head coach for seven years now, and I think even the NFL has figured out that he loves it at Stanford. He talks often about how much he and his family love being on campus, and he jokingly says that he wants to stay at Stanford long enough to watch all three of his children follow in his footsteps and earn their Stanford degrees. The other factor is that he’s already spent a considerable amount of time coaching in the NFL. He was never a head coach or even a coordinator at that level, but the league doesn’t hold any mystical allure for him. He knows what it is, and he knows it isn’t going anywhere. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually takes on that challenge, but I’d be tremendously surprised if it happens any time soon.

4. Those two early losses look worse and worse all the time. I was at the USC game, and I wasn’t bothered at all by the loss because the Trojans looked phenomenal in all phases. I fully expected that they would run the table and remain in the national championship conversation throughout the season. Sam Darnold also looked amazing, and I expected that he’d win the Heisman. That’s all changed, obviously, and San Diego State’s surprising loss last weekend is also disappointing. And, I suppose, even their recent road win over then-undefeated Utah looks less impressive after the Utes’ recent struggles. But as I alluded to in the first question, the offense is getting better each week. Bryce Love is an amazing talent, just as McCaffrey was before him, but Stanford football will always and forever be defined by the offensive line, and this group has a chance to develop into one of the best in school history. We’ll obviously know a lot more about this team after it plays the two Washington schools, but I don’t think there’s been a drop off. There’s more talent on this roster than there’s been in several years, and we’re beginning to see the results on both sides of the ball.

5. I’ve said a lot about the strengths of the offense, but in terms of weakness, we should look at Keller Chryst, I suppose. Three weeks ago I think 99.9% of the fan base was ready to cast him aside in favor of sophomore K.J. Costello who took over when Chryst suffered a concussion against UCLA and proceeded to light up the scoreboard for a game and a half. Fans were ready to revolt when Chryst regained his health and his starting position, but he’s responded with two of the best games of his career. Even so, it’s something people are still watching. On the defense, the Cardinal is thin up front. Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips is on his way to an All-Pac-12 season, but he doesn’t have much help there. There are some young guys who are beginning to step up, but the rotation isn’t what it’s been in the past. The clear strength, however, is the secondary, led by safety Justin Reid, younger brother of San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid. This is the greatest collection of defensive backs in the history of Stanford football, and I don’t think anyone would ever argue that. Reid will play in the NFL, as will corner backs Quenton Meeks and Alijah Holder. They’ve been fun to watch this year, racking up big plays and interceptions.

6. There have been disappointing losses in the David Shaw tenure, but I don’t remember a time when I’ve felt it was because the players were looking past an opponent. I think there will always be an underdog mentality in the Stanford locker room, or a belief that the team or some individual players (Bryce Love) don’t get the national respect that they deserve. This is a feeling that begins with the coaching staff and trickles down to the players. Because of that, they approach every game as an opportunity to prove someone wrong. This obviously doesn’t mean that the team never loses games it shouldn’t, it just means they don’t overlook people.

7. I don’t see any possibility of an upset. I think this team is gaining confidence each week, and even without Bryce Love, the offense will simply be too much for Oregon State. My prediction is a big win for the Cardinal, 41-17.