As always, feel free to start a new thread/chime in below with additional observations/notes/thoughts/ideas/etc...
I think my initial impression from tonight's 31-7 Stanford win (and strong final 35 minutes of game action) is that it doesn't really tell us a whole lot about the 2015 Stanford Cardinal - but it sure as hell beats the alternative - continued ineffective/sloppy play from the offense and mounting frustration.
UCF has some serious offensive issues (that were exacerbated by the injury to their starting QB), and I'm not sure how good the Knights' defense is. So it's tough to conclude that Stanford has turned the corner on offense or anything like that. But after about six quarters of more or less ineffective football, Stanford woke up in a significant way on Saturday. The result was a rather comfortable win, a lot of players receiving snaps and a lot of smiles and good energy after the game.
And a pair of pretty impressive jukes.
-Bryce Love can really move. Whether he's used as a receiver, a running back on a pitch play... basically anywhere in space, it's pretty clear that he'll be a weapon. And I know we all like to rag on the Wildcat, but the "McLovin" - with McCaffrey at QB and Love in motion - would seem to present some interesting possibilities. I'm not sure of the exact number, but I was a bit surprised how frequently Stanford used Love today, particularly after his role was relatively limited last week. Seems to me he might have actually been in for more plays than Sanders - there are some similarities between those two backs, I think, and it will be interesting to see how their roles develop as the season continues. Certainly Love brings an element of speed that few on Stanford's roster possess.
-I thought Kevin Hogan was really good tonight. He was hurt by some drops, but still completed 17-29 passes for a career-high 341 yards and 3 touchdowns. Obviously those numbers picked up a boost from Bryce Love, but Hogan played a pretty clean game. (Off the top of my head, there were at least four drops + one questionable non-PI call... I didn't think he missed many throws.)
-There were too many penalties. Now, a number appeared unwarranted - and David Shaw expressed his frustration in the opening statement of his press conference, unprompted, which certainly reveals his feeling on the matter. Whatever the case, 12 penalties for 137 yards will be a significant hurdle to overcome against better opposition. Though, again, it was hard to tell how many were actually penalties and how many were poor calls on first glance.
-Quenton Meeks received the bulk of the snaps at nickel and fared well, I think. Shaw mentioned after the game that they worked Terrence Alexander at corner more this week, implying that it could be kind of a week to week deal at the position. But you get a glimpse for some of the excitement about his future. Other young DB's also fared well: Ben Edwards certainly showed a few signs in the limited playing time he received, and Alameen Murphy and Alijah Holder covered fairly well, I thought, even if both were called for controversial pass interference penalties. And the group's fifth-year senior, Ronnie Harris, had a huge night with three pass breakups.
-Again, there's a slight caveat here considering UCF's offensive line probably isn't up to the level of some of the ones Stanford will see in the Pac-12, but I thought all of Stanford's big names in the front 7 - Solomon Thomas, Brennan Scarlett, Peter Kalambayi, Kevin Anderson and Blake Martinez - were quite active and had strong games. Martinez finished with a team-high 8 tackles, one interception, two pass breakups and a tackle for loss. Anderson had seven tackles and a TFL, Solomon Thomas 2 TFL/1 sack and Peter Kalambayi two TFL and a QB hit. Brennan Scarlett didn't show up in a major way on the stat sheet, but he, too, got frequent penetration. Suffice it to say, Stanford will lean on those guys heavily the rest of the way.
-The announced crowd was 50,424. There weren't actually that many people in the stadium, but considering the Northwestern loss and the fact that UCF isn't exactly a big-name opponent, I thought the crowd was pretty solid. Better than I expected - probably 35-37K or so in the stadium in the first half, though some departed at halftime.
-Did Devon Cajuste appear a bit gimpy to anyone else? I keyed in on him a few times and he didn't quite look 100 percent. Might just be me, though .
-I do think the lack of production in the ground game remains a concern. I'm not exactly sure how frequently UCF sold out to stop the run, and I haven't watched the replay yet, but Stanford averaged only 3.2 YPC. McCaffrey only gained 2.9 per carry. And although Stanford's second half was quite productive (333 total yards, 21 points), the first half did still happen.
Recruits
-A pair of players who are at this point probably walk-on candidates - Wyoming LB Theo Dawson and Bay Area OL Matthew Gutwald were in attendance for tonight's win. Believe they were the only two noteworthy visitors. (I'd imagine Gutwald would be at pretty much every game this year; he's already started the application process and has pretty legitimate interest in walking on despite having several Power 5 conference offers.)
Notes
The last time Stanford went as long as it did this year (nearly six full quarters) without scoring a touchdown? 1989
Career-long 52 yard field goal for Conrad Ukropina - Stanford's longest since Nate Whitaker.
Stanford ended UCF's streak of 71 straight games in which the Knights posted at least 10 points.
+2 in turnover margin and 35:35 to 24:25 edge in time of possession. Both important stats for Stanford this year, I think.
Stanford was a few minutes away from posting its third straight home shutout of a nonconference opponent (UC Davis, Army)
At one point Bryce Love had gained 135 yards on 2 catches. Central Florida had 119 yards all game.
I think my initial impression from tonight's 31-7 Stanford win (and strong final 35 minutes of game action) is that it doesn't really tell us a whole lot about the 2015 Stanford Cardinal - but it sure as hell beats the alternative - continued ineffective/sloppy play from the offense and mounting frustration.
UCF has some serious offensive issues (that were exacerbated by the injury to their starting QB), and I'm not sure how good the Knights' defense is. So it's tough to conclude that Stanford has turned the corner on offense or anything like that. But after about six quarters of more or less ineffective football, Stanford woke up in a significant way on Saturday. The result was a rather comfortable win, a lot of players receiving snaps and a lot of smiles and good energy after the game.
And a pair of pretty impressive jukes.
-Bryce Love can really move. Whether he's used as a receiver, a running back on a pitch play... basically anywhere in space, it's pretty clear that he'll be a weapon. And I know we all like to rag on the Wildcat, but the "McLovin" - with McCaffrey at QB and Love in motion - would seem to present some interesting possibilities. I'm not sure of the exact number, but I was a bit surprised how frequently Stanford used Love today, particularly after his role was relatively limited last week. Seems to me he might have actually been in for more plays than Sanders - there are some similarities between those two backs, I think, and it will be interesting to see how their roles develop as the season continues. Certainly Love brings an element of speed that few on Stanford's roster possess.
-I thought Kevin Hogan was really good tonight. He was hurt by some drops, but still completed 17-29 passes for a career-high 341 yards and 3 touchdowns. Obviously those numbers picked up a boost from Bryce Love, but Hogan played a pretty clean game. (Off the top of my head, there were at least four drops + one questionable non-PI call... I didn't think he missed many throws.)
-There were too many penalties. Now, a number appeared unwarranted - and David Shaw expressed his frustration in the opening statement of his press conference, unprompted, which certainly reveals his feeling on the matter. Whatever the case, 12 penalties for 137 yards will be a significant hurdle to overcome against better opposition. Though, again, it was hard to tell how many were actually penalties and how many were poor calls on first glance.
-Quenton Meeks received the bulk of the snaps at nickel and fared well, I think. Shaw mentioned after the game that they worked Terrence Alexander at corner more this week, implying that it could be kind of a week to week deal at the position. But you get a glimpse for some of the excitement about his future. Other young DB's also fared well: Ben Edwards certainly showed a few signs in the limited playing time he received, and Alameen Murphy and Alijah Holder covered fairly well, I thought, even if both were called for controversial pass interference penalties. And the group's fifth-year senior, Ronnie Harris, had a huge night with three pass breakups.
-Again, there's a slight caveat here considering UCF's offensive line probably isn't up to the level of some of the ones Stanford will see in the Pac-12, but I thought all of Stanford's big names in the front 7 - Solomon Thomas, Brennan Scarlett, Peter Kalambayi, Kevin Anderson and Blake Martinez - were quite active and had strong games. Martinez finished with a team-high 8 tackles, one interception, two pass breakups and a tackle for loss. Anderson had seven tackles and a TFL, Solomon Thomas 2 TFL/1 sack and Peter Kalambayi two TFL and a QB hit. Brennan Scarlett didn't show up in a major way on the stat sheet, but he, too, got frequent penetration. Suffice it to say, Stanford will lean on those guys heavily the rest of the way.
-The announced crowd was 50,424. There weren't actually that many people in the stadium, but considering the Northwestern loss and the fact that UCF isn't exactly a big-name opponent, I thought the crowd was pretty solid. Better than I expected - probably 35-37K or so in the stadium in the first half, though some departed at halftime.
-Did Devon Cajuste appear a bit gimpy to anyone else? I keyed in on him a few times and he didn't quite look 100 percent. Might just be me, though .
-I do think the lack of production in the ground game remains a concern. I'm not exactly sure how frequently UCF sold out to stop the run, and I haven't watched the replay yet, but Stanford averaged only 3.2 YPC. McCaffrey only gained 2.9 per carry. And although Stanford's second half was quite productive (333 total yards, 21 points), the first half did still happen.
Recruits
-A pair of players who are at this point probably walk-on candidates - Wyoming LB Theo Dawson and Bay Area OL Matthew Gutwald were in attendance for tonight's win. Believe they were the only two noteworthy visitors. (I'd imagine Gutwald would be at pretty much every game this year; he's already started the application process and has pretty legitimate interest in walking on despite having several Power 5 conference offers.)
Notes
The last time Stanford went as long as it did this year (nearly six full quarters) without scoring a touchdown? 1989
Career-long 52 yard field goal for Conrad Ukropina - Stanford's longest since Nate Whitaker.
Stanford ended UCF's streak of 71 straight games in which the Knights posted at least 10 points.
+2 in turnover margin and 35:35 to 24:25 edge in time of possession. Both important stats for Stanford this year, I think.
Stanford was a few minutes away from posting its third straight home shutout of a nonconference opponent (UC Davis, Army)
At one point Bryce Love had gained 135 yards on 2 catches. Central Florida had 119 yards all game.
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