Toby being TobyStanford 58, Washington State 0
Saturday, November 1, 2008
In miserable weather and in front of a tiny cadre of fans, the Stanford Cardinal had the opportunity to name their score against the Washington State Cougars. They picked 58-0, which is just as good a number as 69-0, or 66-3, or any of the other results from Wazzu's nightmare season. At the risk of piling on, I'd like to note that WSU has already given up the most points ever in PAC-10 play. In other words, the Cougars could pitch three straight shutouts and still have the worst defense in history. Paul Wulff has his work cut out for him.
A lopsided game like this doesn't tell us much about the Stanford team. Toby Gerhardt and Anthony Kimble probably could have had 200 yards apiece, but neither played in the fourth quarter. Gerhardt barely even played in the third. Even so, Stanford amassed over 330 rushing yards with Delano Howell and Blaise Johnson running out the string. Keep an eye on Owen Marecic - he went out in the first half and did not return. The Stanford run game relies heavily on his ferocious lead blocking, and it could spell trouble in the future if he's out.
As for the passing game, Stanford barely put the ball in the air at all. It looks like Harbaugh is devoted to a two-quarterback system, as Pritchard and Loukas shuffled in and out with regularity. Both spent the majority of the game handing off to the Cardinal backs. I'm a little irked that the bye week wasn't spent installing a full offense for Loukas to run. But if the coaches feel this gives us the best chance to win, so be it. Against the Cougars, neither QB was called on to pass, and there was no sense of urgency. That won't be true against Oregon, USCw, or Cal.
Defensively, the Cardinal did a great job in forcing turnovers, and absolutely stonewalled the Cougar offense in the second half, allowing less than 50 yards total offense after the break.
I'm really struggling to find things to say, other than that I haven't seen a Stanford opponent look this overmatched in ... a long time. Stanford-WSU wasn't exactly Texas-Texas Tech in terms of excitement or importance, and the best that can be said is that it's a win. The Cardinal head to Eugene next week to take on the Ducks in a game that should be a lot more interesting and lot more meaningful.
A lopsided game like this doesn't tell us much about the Stanford team. Toby Gerhardt and Anthony Kimble probably could have had 200 yards apiece, but neither played in the fourth quarter. Gerhardt barely even played in the third. Even so, Stanford amassed over 330 rushing yards with Delano Howell and Blaise Johnson running out the string. Keep an eye on Owen Marecic - he went out in the first half and did not return. The Stanford run game relies heavily on his ferocious lead blocking, and it could spell trouble in the future if he's out.
As for the passing game, Stanford barely put the ball in the air at all. It looks like Harbaugh is devoted to a two-quarterback system, as Pritchard and Loukas shuffled in and out with regularity. Both spent the majority of the game handing off to the Cardinal backs. I'm a little irked that the bye week wasn't spent installing a full offense for Loukas to run. But if the coaches feel this gives us the best chance to win, so be it. Against the Cougars, neither QB was called on to pass, and there was no sense of urgency. That won't be true against Oregon, USCw, or Cal.
Defensively, the Cardinal did a great job in forcing turnovers, and absolutely stonewalled the Cougar offense in the second half, allowing less than 50 yards total offense after the break.
I'm really struggling to find things to say, other than that I haven't seen a Stanford opponent look this overmatched in ... a long time. Stanford-WSU wasn't exactly Texas-Texas Tech in terms of excitement or importance, and the best that can be said is that it's a win. The Cardinal head to Eugene next week to take on the Ducks in a game that should be a lot more interesting and lot more meaningful.
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