Really not much to say here other than we got completed outmatched by a much better opponent. Oh and my prediction skills are complete garbage (predicted a loss last week and a win this week). For the second straight week, our defense has been exposed and the Irish were simply too talented and too sound defensively to let us back into the game like Oregon did last week. It's been a while since I've seen a Stanford quarterback harassed and put under as much duress as Costello was tonight (it was honestly like watching the 2016 Washington game all over again in the 4th quarter). More to the point, I can't think of a single Stanford offensive lineman who fared even marginally well against Notre Dame's stout front seven. Ian Book looks like the real deal and I think there are enough weapons on that Irish offense to put them squarely in the playoff hunt. Their defense is elite and their schedule appears very manageable the rest of the way. This is a 10-2 team at the very least, with a strong possibility of 11-1 and maybe even 12-0 if everything breaks just right.
As far as Stanford is concerned, this game really showcased how far we still have to go before we can be considered a legitimate Top 10 team. The Irish were stout on both lines and athletic on the perimeter. Stanford, meanwhile, looked like they were fielding a piecemeal unit in the trenches and struggled to separate from Notre Dame's defensive backs/contain their wideouts. Some of the problems tonight are correctable but a lot aren't. The unfortunate truth is that recruiting misses at D-line and safety have left us extremely vulnerable at those positions and it's really started to show as the competition has ramped up. Until they build up the experience and technique necessary to overcome their physical/athletic deficiencies, I'm afraid it may be more of the same from these young D-lineman for the foreseeable future. Let's just hope the safeties learn to play with better technique and don't continually find themselves 20 yards off from where the play is unfolding.
For all those reasons and more, there's now a tremendous sense of urgency for the offense to figure itself out and do a better job of carrying the team since we actually have the horses on that side of the ball to do so. Love is a phenomenal back, our wideouts are a matchup nightmare, and Costello is a promising young QB with very high upside. His O-line really let him down tonight and you can tell how badly they're reeling with all the injuries they've sustained over the first month of the season. Injuries aside, however, there's simply no excuse for struggling to run the ball as much as we have when you have the Doak Walker Award winner in the backfield. Hoping that tonight's performance was rock bottom but until we start to get healthy up front, we may continue to have leaky protection issues and lack the push we need to spring Love for big gains.
Utah has a very very good defense (zero rushing yards allowed to Wazzu today) and I think next week's game is going to be an absolute dogfight. Stanford is banged up and coming off a demoralizing loss after two straight weeks on the road. Utah, meanwhile, is coming off their second straight loss and will be heading to Palo Alto with their backs against the wall and ravenous for a win. I have no question that we're going to get everything they have for four full quarters and if we can't match their intensity (or at the very least withstand it) then we'll be looking at our own two game losing streak as we head into the bye week. Stanford has yet to put together four solid quarters of football so it will be interesting to see if we can put it all together in time for our pivotal matchup next weekend. Separation Saturday is already upon us.
As far as Stanford is concerned, this game really showcased how far we still have to go before we can be considered a legitimate Top 10 team. The Irish were stout on both lines and athletic on the perimeter. Stanford, meanwhile, looked like they were fielding a piecemeal unit in the trenches and struggled to separate from Notre Dame's defensive backs/contain their wideouts. Some of the problems tonight are correctable but a lot aren't. The unfortunate truth is that recruiting misses at D-line and safety have left us extremely vulnerable at those positions and it's really started to show as the competition has ramped up. Until they build up the experience and technique necessary to overcome their physical/athletic deficiencies, I'm afraid it may be more of the same from these young D-lineman for the foreseeable future. Let's just hope the safeties learn to play with better technique and don't continually find themselves 20 yards off from where the play is unfolding.
For all those reasons and more, there's now a tremendous sense of urgency for the offense to figure itself out and do a better job of carrying the team since we actually have the horses on that side of the ball to do so. Love is a phenomenal back, our wideouts are a matchup nightmare, and Costello is a promising young QB with very high upside. His O-line really let him down tonight and you can tell how badly they're reeling with all the injuries they've sustained over the first month of the season. Injuries aside, however, there's simply no excuse for struggling to run the ball as much as we have when you have the Doak Walker Award winner in the backfield. Hoping that tonight's performance was rock bottom but until we start to get healthy up front, we may continue to have leaky protection issues and lack the push we need to spring Love for big gains.
Utah has a very very good defense (zero rushing yards allowed to Wazzu today) and I think next week's game is going to be an absolute dogfight. Stanford is banged up and coming off a demoralizing loss after two straight weeks on the road. Utah, meanwhile, is coming off their second straight loss and will be heading to Palo Alto with their backs against the wall and ravenous for a win. I have no question that we're going to get everything they have for four full quarters and if we can't match their intensity (or at the very least withstand it) then we'll be looking at our own two game losing streak as we head into the bye week. Stanford has yet to put together four solid quarters of football so it will be interesting to see if we can put it all together in time for our pivotal matchup next weekend. Separation Saturday is already upon us.
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