Stanford's offense struggled to find a rhythm against UC Davis, raising the question of why it hasn't happened yet after three games this season? The Cardinal were never in danger of losing the game and the only Aggies touchdown came on a fluky, Hail Mary throw on the final play of the game that was deflected into the hands of CJ Spencer.
Prior to that play against Stanford's third string defense, and several freshmen making use of the new redshirt rule, the only score by the Aggies was a field goal on a short field after KJ Costello's first interception. Davis could have scored more points in this game but head coach Dan Hawkins opted for going for it on fourth down rather than kick several field goals. That approach to the game highlighted how unbalanced this matchup really was: Hawkins knew there was no point treating this like a typical game that he could win with a normal game plan.
And yet, Stanford struggled to distance itself from the Aggies, and the rough first quarter from Costello was not a good start to an opportunity to have a "fix it" day on offense before the trip to Autzen next week. He threw two interceptions and finished the game 17-of-30 for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Costello was better in the second and third quarter, but he still struggled with several high passes and some iffy footwork. But throwing the ball up to JJ Arcega-Whiteside glosses over a lot of rough spots.
Stanford's run game gained 4.8 yards per rush once you take out sack yardage. Trevor Speights had a solid outing with 11 carries for 87 yards.
But several positive runs were negated by holding penalties, and those calls were not disputed by head coach David Shaw after the game.
It's clear that Stanford's offensive line still has a lot of work to do to come together. Devery Hamilton came out of the game due to injury in the first quarter and Brandon Fanaika played left guard until the fourth quarter. After the game, Shaw said they need better play from left guard and for someone to grab that job. Losing Foster Sarell from that competition definitely hurts and the Cardinal need Hamilton or Fanaika to step up.
But the troubles with the line go beyond one position or player. Costello said after the game he's hoping that Jesse Burkett brings some energy now that he's back, but he also pointed to Nate Herbig as someone he wanted to see more from.
Stanford had 10 penalties in the game -- most were on the offense and for the second straight week there were multiple holding penalties. After one holding penalty by Fanaika erased a big run by Speights you could see A.T. Hall looking frustrated on the field. This is a unit that knows there's a lot of work to do.
After three games Stanford in now averaging second and 10 as yardage to gain. The Cardinal were 3-of-14 on third downs and each game have had fewer plays than the opponent (77-66 vs Davis).
On the flip side, the defense continued its positive start to the season and was on track to give up only 16 points combined in the first three games before the final play of the game.
It was not a perfect performance, but the stats reflect the reality that Stanford's defense has much better players than Davis so even an average game should lead to good results.
Alameen Murphy was gifted an interception on a miscommunication between the UC Davis quarterback and wide receiver. The one by Thomas Booker with the help of Casey Toohill was more difficult and timely given the position on the field.
Davis resorted to a quick, short passing game and there was no doubt their top target was Keelan Doss, a talented receiver who could play in the Pac-12. Doss was targeted 25 times and caught 13 passes for 106 yards. The longest was an impressive 22 yard leaping catch on a fourth and 17.
Stanford had 10 pass breakups and Alijah Holder and Paulson Adebo each had three. Murphy led the team with seven tackles. Toohill also had two pass breakups and blocked a field goal. He has found a variety of ways to stuff the stat sheet through three games.
Stanford did not get a sack but held back from bringing as much pressure as they did against USC. The Cardinal couldn't get much pressure, certainly not quickly, with three or four players up front. That's potentially worrisome for the game at Oregon against the mobile Herbert.
Stanford is 3-0 to start the season and there are some questions to answer that maybe some fans and reporters didn't expect, and there are some positives that have been unexpected as well. Can Stanford put it all together on the road? That's tough to do but the next two weeks will go a long way toward determining the ceiling of this season.
Prior to that play against Stanford's third string defense, and several freshmen making use of the new redshirt rule, the only score by the Aggies was a field goal on a short field after KJ Costello's first interception. Davis could have scored more points in this game but head coach Dan Hawkins opted for going for it on fourth down rather than kick several field goals. That approach to the game highlighted how unbalanced this matchup really was: Hawkins knew there was no point treating this like a typical game that he could win with a normal game plan.
And yet, Stanford struggled to distance itself from the Aggies, and the rough first quarter from Costello was not a good start to an opportunity to have a "fix it" day on offense before the trip to Autzen next week. He threw two interceptions and finished the game 17-of-30 for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Costello was better in the second and third quarter, but he still struggled with several high passes and some iffy footwork. But throwing the ball up to JJ Arcega-Whiteside glosses over a lot of rough spots.
Stanford's run game gained 4.8 yards per rush once you take out sack yardage. Trevor Speights had a solid outing with 11 carries for 87 yards.
But several positive runs were negated by holding penalties, and those calls were not disputed by head coach David Shaw after the game.
It's clear that Stanford's offensive line still has a lot of work to do to come together. Devery Hamilton came out of the game due to injury in the first quarter and Brandon Fanaika played left guard until the fourth quarter. After the game, Shaw said they need better play from left guard and for someone to grab that job. Losing Foster Sarell from that competition definitely hurts and the Cardinal need Hamilton or Fanaika to step up.
But the troubles with the line go beyond one position or player. Costello said after the game he's hoping that Jesse Burkett brings some energy now that he's back, but he also pointed to Nate Herbig as someone he wanted to see more from.
Stanford had 10 penalties in the game -- most were on the offense and for the second straight week there were multiple holding penalties. After one holding penalty by Fanaika erased a big run by Speights you could see A.T. Hall looking frustrated on the field. This is a unit that knows there's a lot of work to do.
After three games Stanford in now averaging second and 10 as yardage to gain. The Cardinal were 3-of-14 on third downs and each game have had fewer plays than the opponent (77-66 vs Davis).
On the flip side, the defense continued its positive start to the season and was on track to give up only 16 points combined in the first three games before the final play of the game.
It was not a perfect performance, but the stats reflect the reality that Stanford's defense has much better players than Davis so even an average game should lead to good results.
Alameen Murphy was gifted an interception on a miscommunication between the UC Davis quarterback and wide receiver. The one by Thomas Booker with the help of Casey Toohill was more difficult and timely given the position on the field.
Davis resorted to a quick, short passing game and there was no doubt their top target was Keelan Doss, a talented receiver who could play in the Pac-12. Doss was targeted 25 times and caught 13 passes for 106 yards. The longest was an impressive 22 yard leaping catch on a fourth and 17.
Stanford had 10 pass breakups and Alijah Holder and Paulson Adebo each had three. Murphy led the team with seven tackles. Toohill also had two pass breakups and blocked a field goal. He has found a variety of ways to stuff the stat sheet through three games.
Stanford did not get a sack but held back from bringing as much pressure as they did against USC. The Cardinal couldn't get much pressure, certainly not quickly, with three or four players up front. That's potentially worrisome for the game at Oregon against the mobile Herbert.
Stanford is 3-0 to start the season and there are some questions to answer that maybe some fans and reporters didn't expect, and there are some positives that have been unexpected as well. Can Stanford put it all together on the road? That's tough to do but the next two weeks will go a long way toward determining the ceiling of this season.
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