I don't plan to make this a regular thing anymore, but since it was my first game I watched as a fan since Sept. 2016 (also against KSU) that felt noteworthy enough to type up some reactions.
That was an unexpected and disappointing poor performance by the offensive line. Their inability to consistently win the line of scrimmage had nothing to do with formation, down and distance or the number of defenders in the box. Based on one viewing it looked to me like they failed to accomplish that regardless of the situation. It was a no good, very bad day for Walter Rouse and I hate to see that happen. He's a first class person and I wish he was a first team All-American to match. But I think everyone took turns underperforming up front.
That said, there were plenty of opportunities still to make plays but this was as lethargic a game by the offense that I can recall since the game against Colorado that we don't need to talk about. The lack of fight and confidence was remarkable to me. The timidity from Jack West and Tanner McKee was obvious to my eyes and proven when they both took turns going to the ground short of the first down line to protect themselves. Those plays looked even worse when compared to Skylar Thompson ramming through Kyu Kelly for a touchdown (that's the KSU brand for quarterbacks). My guess is West and McKee were so deep in their heads that they followed their coaching to the strictest letter rather than the spirit. Yes, protect yourself from unnecessary hits, but you need to be a playmaker as well. McKee managed to run with the ball 122 times for more than 1,200 yards his last two seasons of high school against the best competition you can face at that level. I doubt that he's scared to take a hit in the open field.
I've decided to describe how Shaw calls a game as stiff. He has a rigid, straightforward plan for how his offense will beat a defense. If he plays chess that way then I imagine anyone creative enough to counter the classic strategies he has memorized routs him off the board. I often find myself watching other college football games and thinking back to Stanford's offense and how hard Shaw makes it look to move the ball. Fans complain about separation but I urge everyone to watch the routes, pre-snap motion, post-snap QB movement, play-action and everything else that Stanford does and compare it to what everyone else does to make life easier for their playmakers. It's not rocket science. Somehow Tulane scored 35 points at Oklahoma on the same day Stanford needed a meaningless late touchdown to not be shut out. If only Stanford recruited athletes as skilled as what Tulane has.
Stanford effectively ran an experiment Saturday to determine whether it's more important to in theory be able to execute a greater percentage of the playbook or have the actual skill set to complete plays. We talked on this forum months ago that if the competition between McKee and West came down to who knows what to do on play XYZ on page whatever of the playbook then McKee was doomed.
McKee excelled in high school with a simple spread-em out, one or two reads and then run, system. Compare the two quarterbacks in these situations: read-options, play action, quick throws to routes designed to be "easy" (drag, slants, all varieties of screens). Is there any doubt who should be on the field if that's the core of what you're doing? Of course not. But there is a doubt if you want McKee to be able to call two plays in the huddle, analyze the defense in about five seconds and decide whether to "kill" or keep the first play.
Again, so many other staffs manage to make this look simpler.
Forget the final margin, I was pleasantly surprised by the defense for most of the game, beginning with Kyu Kelly's interception. Yes, the long touchdown by Vaughn on a give-up handoff was terrible and even worse because it resulted from exactly the type of mistake they spent all offseason working to eliminate. As AJ Tarpley tweeted, four guys to the left of KSU's center immediately after the snap and two guys to the right means guys messed up with their assignments.
Then the defense did everything any of us could ask for to give the offense more than enough time to catch up. I hate that Jacob Mangum-Farrar was in on one play and then missed the rest of the game. Don't bash the kid. He just doesn't appear to have the body you need to play college football.
Stanford is going to get better. There were a number of ranked teams who gave their fans a lot to worry about today. Some of the really stupid penalties and mistakes will work its way out of the guys' systems. That's always the case.
I hope Shaw goes all in with McKee next week and they empower the young man to be his entire self on the field. The offensive line needs a good chewing out Monday, get mad and play the way I think they can. If that happens there's a chance fans see that Higgins, Humphrey, Tremayne, Yurosek, Jones, Peat, and others are actually pretty good players who most offensive staffs would love to have.
That was an unexpected and disappointing poor performance by the offensive line. Their inability to consistently win the line of scrimmage had nothing to do with formation, down and distance or the number of defenders in the box. Based on one viewing it looked to me like they failed to accomplish that regardless of the situation. It was a no good, very bad day for Walter Rouse and I hate to see that happen. He's a first class person and I wish he was a first team All-American to match. But I think everyone took turns underperforming up front.
That said, there were plenty of opportunities still to make plays but this was as lethargic a game by the offense that I can recall since the game against Colorado that we don't need to talk about. The lack of fight and confidence was remarkable to me. The timidity from Jack West and Tanner McKee was obvious to my eyes and proven when they both took turns going to the ground short of the first down line to protect themselves. Those plays looked even worse when compared to Skylar Thompson ramming through Kyu Kelly for a touchdown (that's the KSU brand for quarterbacks). My guess is West and McKee were so deep in their heads that they followed their coaching to the strictest letter rather than the spirit. Yes, protect yourself from unnecessary hits, but you need to be a playmaker as well. McKee managed to run with the ball 122 times for more than 1,200 yards his last two seasons of high school against the best competition you can face at that level. I doubt that he's scared to take a hit in the open field.
I've decided to describe how Shaw calls a game as stiff. He has a rigid, straightforward plan for how his offense will beat a defense. If he plays chess that way then I imagine anyone creative enough to counter the classic strategies he has memorized routs him off the board. I often find myself watching other college football games and thinking back to Stanford's offense and how hard Shaw makes it look to move the ball. Fans complain about separation but I urge everyone to watch the routes, pre-snap motion, post-snap QB movement, play-action and everything else that Stanford does and compare it to what everyone else does to make life easier for their playmakers. It's not rocket science. Somehow Tulane scored 35 points at Oklahoma on the same day Stanford needed a meaningless late touchdown to not be shut out. If only Stanford recruited athletes as skilled as what Tulane has.
Stanford effectively ran an experiment Saturday to determine whether it's more important to in theory be able to execute a greater percentage of the playbook or have the actual skill set to complete plays. We talked on this forum months ago that if the competition between McKee and West came down to who knows what to do on play XYZ on page whatever of the playbook then McKee was doomed.
McKee excelled in high school with a simple spread-em out, one or two reads and then run, system. Compare the two quarterbacks in these situations: read-options, play action, quick throws to routes designed to be "easy" (drag, slants, all varieties of screens). Is there any doubt who should be on the field if that's the core of what you're doing? Of course not. But there is a doubt if you want McKee to be able to call two plays in the huddle, analyze the defense in about five seconds and decide whether to "kill" or keep the first play.
Again, so many other staffs manage to make this look simpler.
Forget the final margin, I was pleasantly surprised by the defense for most of the game, beginning with Kyu Kelly's interception. Yes, the long touchdown by Vaughn on a give-up handoff was terrible and even worse because it resulted from exactly the type of mistake they spent all offseason working to eliminate. As AJ Tarpley tweeted, four guys to the left of KSU's center immediately after the snap and two guys to the right means guys messed up with their assignments.
Then the defense did everything any of us could ask for to give the offense more than enough time to catch up. I hate that Jacob Mangum-Farrar was in on one play and then missed the rest of the game. Don't bash the kid. He just doesn't appear to have the body you need to play college football.
Stanford is going to get better. There were a number of ranked teams who gave their fans a lot to worry about today. Some of the really stupid penalties and mistakes will work its way out of the guys' systems. That's always the case.
I hope Shaw goes all in with McKee next week and they empower the young man to be his entire self on the field. The offensive line needs a good chewing out Monday, get mad and play the way I think they can. If that happens there's a chance fans see that Higgins, Humphrey, Tremayne, Yurosek, Jones, Peat, and others are actually pretty good players who most offensive staffs would love to have.
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