1. Easy cover. Ok, seriously, what a miracle! @Farmchair_Quarterback had a great post that mused about where it ranks in the pantheon of great games and I think it ranks right up there. It does not come close to supplanting the Greatest Upset Ever for me but it enters immediately into the broader conversation of greatest games in an era that happily has provided us with quite a few. I am racking my brain to think if a team I have rooted for in any sport has ever had such an improbable, miraculous comeback.
2. There was of course much bad and much good last night. Whenever we win I'm inclined to think about the good. I also liked the comment somebody made that for all the questionable in-game things Shaw does we should think about some of the decisions Cristobal made that sunk Oregon. It's a good reminder that we are not the only team whose coach can do boneheaded things (I'd argue we are in non-exclusive company with every team in that respect). I join everybody else in thinking that in an offense where our pass blocking is better than our run blocking and the QB and every single skill position player will be in the NFL we should strain defenses from the start with our passing game and force defenses to soften up in the box (i.e., pass to set up the run), but this game is an object lesson for me in both the good and the bad of the generally extremely positive package we get with Shaw. We get a stubborn insistence on "doing what we do" but we also get a preternatural calm, maturity, and professionalism that makes us well-suited to handle adversity and be in a position to exploit the mistakes our opponents make. In college football, where amateur kids and fallible coaches will always make mistakes, that is a huge advantage for us to have.
3. I expressed skepticism previously that best-in-the-nation scoring defense and ineffectual offense would persist and suggested that we should expect a reversion to the mean for both. We saw a bit of that in this game with the defense's struggles and the offense's ability to move down the field in a hurry when it needed to. But mostly it seems to me we are continuing to see more of the same - that we are a very good, talented team that can't yet pull it all together over 60 minutes. At this point in the season I don't know if I'd hazard a guess on whether the offense or defense will be better this year, I just know that the level of balance and competence we are capable of across all three phases makes us a scary game for every opponent on our schedule. If we get to play an Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, or Oklahoma in the postseason we will need to figure out a way to play a 60 minute game, but with our schedule we have a good shot each week the way we've been playing.
4. We face four tough opponents in the the trenches and have gotten past two of them (USC and Oregon), with two (Notre Dame and Washington) still to come. With Washington's injuries and performance to date it might be fair to wonder whether they are as fearsome in the trenches as reputed preseason. If not, we could have easier sledding for the offensive and defensive lines once we get out of September. Oregon exposed some of the limitations of our maturing defensive line when faced with a stout offensive line, but that we could get out of the USC and Oregon games with a win despite a green DL is maybe the most exciting thing so far about this season. On the other side of the trenches something is just not right in the effectiveness of our run blocking/speed at which running plays develop. Notre Dame, Utah, and Arizona State are all capable of frustrating us if we go with more of the same in the run game, so I join the consensus view that we need to pass to set up the run.
5. Told ya so on Costello being built for this big game road/adrenaline environment. I will continue to worry more about him in low-leverage situations. He is an absolute gamer and we now have a fairly lengthy list of impressive performances he puts up against good teams. After Herbert (who is amazing) there is a lengthy list of very good but not yet elite QBs in the Pac-12 that Costello absolutely deserves to be included in (Montez, Garbers, Minshew, Browning, probably would throw Tate in there on the basis of last year).
6. It's going to get lost in some of the other heroics, but I thought that performance by Bryce Love was about as good a game as you'll see from a running back with less than 100 yards. Oregon has one of the top few run defenses in the nation (#3 in the nation in yards per carry allowed), we continue to not exactly be deceptive in the way we plan to run, we had a banged-up/shuffled offensive line, and yet Love managed to fight for some really crucial extra yards after not being given much, burst through for the huge touchdown, and picked up several blockers to give Costello the time he needed. Great game by Love. And considering that two of the three games he's played in have been against San Diego State and Oregon - two of the top three run defenses in the country so far - I think the explosion for him will be coming pretty soon. [Incidentally, while this has obviously not been a Heisman campaign so far, I continue to believe that win/loss record and Heisman moments matter most of all so next week at Notre Dame could get him back in the discussion - along with Costello for that matter, after last night. Clearly Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray are the prohibitive favorites though.]
7. I mean, what more is there to say about Kaden Smith and JJ Arcega-Whiteside? We're going to be watching them in the NFL for years to come. I thought Andrew Luck had some stellar passing weapons but to me this feels like something unique in Stanford's history. I also want to shout out JJAW for being faster, shiftier, and a better route runner than the stereotype may sometimes suggest. He had at least two plays yesterday that showed a much different skill set than what he is rightly reputed for nationally - the nice move to immediately get wide open on the second touchdown and the key first down where he just raced past the DB (sort of like a go route?).
8. Some folks may recall that one of my obsessions is tracking freshmen performance because it is so tantalizing to think of what years more of studly freshmen could look like (though in today's day and age it often just means one more year, as was the case with Austin Hooper and I suspect will be the case with probably soon-to-be three and out Kaden Smith). We've talked a lot about Paulson Adebo and he continues to show why. WOW. I know our eyes tell us he's sublime. Here's a stat for you: he is #1 in America in passes defended, tied with a senior from North Texas. Another freshman we should be talking about is Osiris St. Brown - by virtue of his bombs each of the last two weeks he now accounts for 9.7 percent of our passing offense. We typically see that a freshman's role in the offense increases as the year goes on so let's see where he ends up, but if his share of the passing offense were to be 9.7 percent at the end of the year it would be one of our most exciting freshman receiving years ever. He'd be top 8 among the 52 scholarship WR/TE since 2002, behind only Richard Sherman, Mark Bradford, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Austin Hooper, Kaden Smith, and Michael Rector and right in line with Ty Montgomery.
9. I hate the jumbo formation. I just hate it so much.
10. Agree with the comments that Jordan Fox had a huge role, eventually, in the win but that we really miss Toohill setting the edge. While I believe as strongly as ever what I've been saying for several years that Okereke is a heat-seeking missile on par with anybody in the country when he's chasing who nonetheless has some loud weaknesses, I'm very curious to hear what film review by PFF and @fborg81 show - it seemed to me that he had a more complete, excellent game in this one. Barton continues to be in there making tackles but not necessarily plays; it may owe in large part to Barton's continued recovery from the knee injury, but I find myself more confident when Branch is in the game in place of Barton. I continue to think Buncom will have standout games where he can show his attributes in coverage and that by the end of next year he will be reputed to be one of the best DBs in the Pac-12 if not the nation but this was an extremely rough game for him. Has not figured out angles, to say the least. Murphy also had a terrible game.
11. Game balls: KJ Costello, Bobby Okereke, Lance Anderson (though I do take @Farmchair_Quarterback's great point that those of us praising Anderson and the defense for the second half are ignoring a putrid first half that should also count). Special category for one-off plays that saved the day: Jet Toner, Joey Alfieri, Noah Williams. Even more special mention of Colby Parkinson and Paulson Adebo for sort of being in both categories.
12. I am so excited for the Notre Dame game. I know our players/coaches/fans won't/shouldn't think of it this way, but it feels to me like playing with house money. It has no bearing on the Pac-12 race and has modest bearing on our ability to get to the New Year's Six in the event we come up short in winning the conference. Going into the year I think one would have said that winning one among Oregon, Notre Dame, and Washington - given them being very tough opponents and each game being on the road - would be about par for the course and winning two would be an excellent result. Since we now have this signature win over Oregon (which will probably end the year as a very good and respected team as long as Herbert stays healthy), I can foresee a path to the playoff even if we lose to Notre Dame and a very fair shot if we win. This all adds up psychically for me to this being a game that has a lot more upside than downside. Add that to the fact I think we will be a very tough out for Notre Dame and I'm super excited about this one.
2. There was of course much bad and much good last night. Whenever we win I'm inclined to think about the good. I also liked the comment somebody made that for all the questionable in-game things Shaw does we should think about some of the decisions Cristobal made that sunk Oregon. It's a good reminder that we are not the only team whose coach can do boneheaded things (I'd argue we are in non-exclusive company with every team in that respect). I join everybody else in thinking that in an offense where our pass blocking is better than our run blocking and the QB and every single skill position player will be in the NFL we should strain defenses from the start with our passing game and force defenses to soften up in the box (i.e., pass to set up the run), but this game is an object lesson for me in both the good and the bad of the generally extremely positive package we get with Shaw. We get a stubborn insistence on "doing what we do" but we also get a preternatural calm, maturity, and professionalism that makes us well-suited to handle adversity and be in a position to exploit the mistakes our opponents make. In college football, where amateur kids and fallible coaches will always make mistakes, that is a huge advantage for us to have.
3. I expressed skepticism previously that best-in-the-nation scoring defense and ineffectual offense would persist and suggested that we should expect a reversion to the mean for both. We saw a bit of that in this game with the defense's struggles and the offense's ability to move down the field in a hurry when it needed to. But mostly it seems to me we are continuing to see more of the same - that we are a very good, talented team that can't yet pull it all together over 60 minutes. At this point in the season I don't know if I'd hazard a guess on whether the offense or defense will be better this year, I just know that the level of balance and competence we are capable of across all three phases makes us a scary game for every opponent on our schedule. If we get to play an Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, or Oklahoma in the postseason we will need to figure out a way to play a 60 minute game, but with our schedule we have a good shot each week the way we've been playing.
4. We face four tough opponents in the the trenches and have gotten past two of them (USC and Oregon), with two (Notre Dame and Washington) still to come. With Washington's injuries and performance to date it might be fair to wonder whether they are as fearsome in the trenches as reputed preseason. If not, we could have easier sledding for the offensive and defensive lines once we get out of September. Oregon exposed some of the limitations of our maturing defensive line when faced with a stout offensive line, but that we could get out of the USC and Oregon games with a win despite a green DL is maybe the most exciting thing so far about this season. On the other side of the trenches something is just not right in the effectiveness of our run blocking/speed at which running plays develop. Notre Dame, Utah, and Arizona State are all capable of frustrating us if we go with more of the same in the run game, so I join the consensus view that we need to pass to set up the run.
5. Told ya so on Costello being built for this big game road/adrenaline environment. I will continue to worry more about him in low-leverage situations. He is an absolute gamer and we now have a fairly lengthy list of impressive performances he puts up against good teams. After Herbert (who is amazing) there is a lengthy list of very good but not yet elite QBs in the Pac-12 that Costello absolutely deserves to be included in (Montez, Garbers, Minshew, Browning, probably would throw Tate in there on the basis of last year).
6. It's going to get lost in some of the other heroics, but I thought that performance by Bryce Love was about as good a game as you'll see from a running back with less than 100 yards. Oregon has one of the top few run defenses in the nation (#3 in the nation in yards per carry allowed), we continue to not exactly be deceptive in the way we plan to run, we had a banged-up/shuffled offensive line, and yet Love managed to fight for some really crucial extra yards after not being given much, burst through for the huge touchdown, and picked up several blockers to give Costello the time he needed. Great game by Love. And considering that two of the three games he's played in have been against San Diego State and Oregon - two of the top three run defenses in the country so far - I think the explosion for him will be coming pretty soon. [Incidentally, while this has obviously not been a Heisman campaign so far, I continue to believe that win/loss record and Heisman moments matter most of all so next week at Notre Dame could get him back in the discussion - along with Costello for that matter, after last night. Clearly Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray are the prohibitive favorites though.]
7. I mean, what more is there to say about Kaden Smith and JJ Arcega-Whiteside? We're going to be watching them in the NFL for years to come. I thought Andrew Luck had some stellar passing weapons but to me this feels like something unique in Stanford's history. I also want to shout out JJAW for being faster, shiftier, and a better route runner than the stereotype may sometimes suggest. He had at least two plays yesterday that showed a much different skill set than what he is rightly reputed for nationally - the nice move to immediately get wide open on the second touchdown and the key first down where he just raced past the DB (sort of like a go route?).
8. Some folks may recall that one of my obsessions is tracking freshmen performance because it is so tantalizing to think of what years more of studly freshmen could look like (though in today's day and age it often just means one more year, as was the case with Austin Hooper and I suspect will be the case with probably soon-to-be three and out Kaden Smith). We've talked a lot about Paulson Adebo and he continues to show why. WOW. I know our eyes tell us he's sublime. Here's a stat for you: he is #1 in America in passes defended, tied with a senior from North Texas. Another freshman we should be talking about is Osiris St. Brown - by virtue of his bombs each of the last two weeks he now accounts for 9.7 percent of our passing offense. We typically see that a freshman's role in the offense increases as the year goes on so let's see where he ends up, but if his share of the passing offense were to be 9.7 percent at the end of the year it would be one of our most exciting freshman receiving years ever. He'd be top 8 among the 52 scholarship WR/TE since 2002, behind only Richard Sherman, Mark Bradford, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Austin Hooper, Kaden Smith, and Michael Rector and right in line with Ty Montgomery.
9. I hate the jumbo formation. I just hate it so much.
10. Agree with the comments that Jordan Fox had a huge role, eventually, in the win but that we really miss Toohill setting the edge. While I believe as strongly as ever what I've been saying for several years that Okereke is a heat-seeking missile on par with anybody in the country when he's chasing who nonetheless has some loud weaknesses, I'm very curious to hear what film review by PFF and @fborg81 show - it seemed to me that he had a more complete, excellent game in this one. Barton continues to be in there making tackles but not necessarily plays; it may owe in large part to Barton's continued recovery from the knee injury, but I find myself more confident when Branch is in the game in place of Barton. I continue to think Buncom will have standout games where he can show his attributes in coverage and that by the end of next year he will be reputed to be one of the best DBs in the Pac-12 if not the nation but this was an extremely rough game for him. Has not figured out angles, to say the least. Murphy also had a terrible game.
11. Game balls: KJ Costello, Bobby Okereke, Lance Anderson (though I do take @Farmchair_Quarterback's great point that those of us praising Anderson and the defense for the second half are ignoring a putrid first half that should also count). Special category for one-off plays that saved the day: Jet Toner, Joey Alfieri, Noah Williams. Even more special mention of Colby Parkinson and Paulson Adebo for sort of being in both categories.
12. I am so excited for the Notre Dame game. I know our players/coaches/fans won't/shouldn't think of it this way, but it feels to me like playing with house money. It has no bearing on the Pac-12 race and has modest bearing on our ability to get to the New Year's Six in the event we come up short in winning the conference. Going into the year I think one would have said that winning one among Oregon, Notre Dame, and Washington - given them being very tough opponents and each game being on the road - would be about par for the course and winning two would be an excellent result. Since we now have this signature win over Oregon (which will probably end the year as a very good and respected team as long as Herbert stays healthy), I can foresee a path to the playoff even if we lose to Notre Dame and a very fair shot if we win. This all adds up psychically for me to this being a game that has a lot more upside than downside. Add that to the fact I think we will be a very tough out for Notre Dame and I'm super excited about this one.
