CardinalReport.com - Stanford Hopes To Regroup At Home

October 20, 2009

Yahoo! Sports

INSIDE SLANT

After Stanford's demoralizing 43-38 loss at Arizona, the Cardinal finds itself in a precarious situation with a bowl berth very much in jeopardy.

Not only did the Cardinal lose for the second straight week, ending the momentum it had built with a 3-0 conference start, but Stanford dropped a game it controlled for 3 1/2 quarters, causing players to feel emotionally spent afterward.

Again Stanford was unable to finish. It let a 17-3 halftime lead slip away against Wake Forest in its second game, nearly allowed a lead to get away against UCLA in its fifth contest, and let Arizona come back from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter in its most recent game.

Redshirt quarterback Andrew Luck certainly played well enough to win the game, coming up with his best all-around performance of the season and being the main reason Stanford sliced up an Arizona defense that is supposed to be its strength. If the Cardinal defense had done its part, Luck's performance would have been more than enough.

However, Luck could not come up with the big play at crunch time. After blowing through the Arizona defense virtually the entire game, the Cardinal was unable to score on any of its four fourth-quarter possessions. It got inside the Arizona 20-yard line on three of those final four drives, but did not score a single point on any of them.

It was unable to punch the ball in for the winning score in the final minute after getting a first down on the Arizona 17-yard line with 50 seconds left. A delay-of-game penalty coming out of a time out and three incomplete passes ruined the Cardinal's final threat, and the Cardinal finds itself 3-2 in the conference with the schedule getting significantly tougher after Stanford's Oct. 24 home game against Arizona State.

Stanford's defense was the real culprit against Arizona. Arizona quarterback Nick Foles, in just his third collegiate start, exposed Stanford's struggling secondary, completing passes any time he wanted, finishing 40-for-51 for 415 yards. And two long touchdown runs in the fourth quarter-a 43-yarder by Greg Nwoko and a 57-yarder by Nic Grigsby-provided the winning points.

Luck demonstrated he can provide the passing threat needed to have a balanced attack, even on the road, as Toby Gerhart added 123 rushing yards to go with Luck's 423 passing yards. But the Cardinal has not shown it can win on the road, losing for the 11th time in its last 13 road games.

The Cardinal desperately needs to win its Oct. 24 home game against Arizona State, a game in which Stanford should be favored. It has a bye before taking on the most difficult part of its schedule.

NOTES, QUOTES

? Stanford's offense rolled up 584 yards and 38 points, both of which were the most against Arizona this season. Arizona had not yielded more than 430 yards previously.

? The Cardinal committed two more turnovers, one of which was an Andrew Luck interception that Robert Golden returned 79 yards for the game's first score. Stanford has 11 turnovers for the season. Stanford has fumbled 16 times and lost eight of them.

? Stanford had new starters at two of the four positions in the secondary against Arizona, but it was no help, as Arizona QB Nick Foles tore up the Cardinal defensive backs.

? Toby Gerhart was unavailable for Stanford's fourth-and-2 play from the Arizona 8-yard line on the Cardinal's next-to-last possession because he had injured his ankle on the previous play. A fourth-down pass went incomplete. Gerhart did not have any carries after the injury, but there is a good chance he will be ready for the Oct. 24 game against Arizona State.

Next Game: Arizona State at Stanford, Oct. 24-The Sun Devils are coming off a 24-17 home victory over Washington on Oct. 17 and are 2-1 in the conference. This is only ASU's third road game, and it has not played particularly well away from home, losing to Georgia and getting past a weak Washington State squad 27-14. Arizona State beat Stanford easily last season 41-17, but that was at ASU. Stanford has won its last four home games against Arizona State, and the Cardinal is 3-0 at home this season. The Sun Devils' good run defense will be a challenge for the Cardinal, which relies heavily on its power ground game.

This Week 'S MISSION: Stanford must figure out how to defend the pass. Arizona State QB Danny Sullivan has not had a lot of success passing, but he no doubt will put the ball in the air a lot against a Cardinal secondary that can't seem to cover receivers. A pass rush may be the answer because Sullivan is not particularly mobile. The problem is, Stanford has not been very good at stopping the run, either, so it can't devote any extra personnel to the back seven. The linebackers still must stay close to the line to prevent ASU from controlling the game on the ground.

October At A Glance: The last game of the month-the Oct. 24 game against Arizona State-will define October for Stanford. So far it has been disappointing, with losses the past two games, but a win against the Sun Devils would put Stanford within one win of being bowl-eligible. That would put Stanford in a good frame of mind heading into a bye week and its tough November schedule. A loss to ASU would end the month with three straight losses, virtually wiping out the good feelings built by the 4-1 start and forcing the Cardinal to win two of its final four difficult games (Oregon, USC, Cal, Notre Dame) to get a bowl berth.

Quote To Note: "This is the toughest loss you could a part of. I don't have a way to lift their spirits right now."-Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, to the San Francisco Chronicle, on the loss to Arizona.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Looking Good: QB Andrew Luck had his best game, and the fact that it happened on the road against a good defensive team made it more impressive. He was not perfect early, throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown and fumbling the ball away in the first quarter. But he did not lose his poise and completed 21 of 35 passes for 423 yards for the game. He also ran six times for 20 yards, and made an important fourth-down scramble for a first down late in the game. His emergence gives Stanford the offensive balance it needs to be effective against most teams.

Still Needs Work: All the cornerbacks. Opposing offenses continue to pick on Stanford cornerbacks, and neither of the positions seems settled. Corey Gatewood and Richard Sherman had been the starters for the first four games, but Gatewood was replaced by Kris Evans in the starting lineup against Arizona, and Sherman was replaced by redshirt freshman Quinn Evans during the game against Arizona. Being relatively inexperienced is an issue, but there has not been much improvement in recent games. Arizona had been a running team, but it relied almost exclusively on the pass against the Cardinal.

Star Watch: TB Toby Gerhart rushed for 123 yards and also caught a pass for 18 yards. He seemed as strong in the second half as the first, which is important because most of his production has come before halftime. He injured his ankle in the fourth quarter, however, and did not carry the ball thereafter. It's too early to tell whether that injury will affect him against Arizona State.

Critical Decision: Defensive coordinator Ron Lynn must figure out which defensive backs to use, because none has been particularly effective. Three different cornerbacks-Richard Sherman, Kris Evans and Corey Gatewood-have started games, but none has been particularly effective, and redshirt freshman Quinn Evans got playing time late in the loss to Arizona. It's anyone's guess who will start against Arizona State. Austin Yancy started at strong safety against Arizona, but he does not hit as hard as Delano Howell, who had been the starter at that spot. The only player sure to start in the secondary is free safety Bo McNally, and he is much better at run support than pass coverage.

Roster Report:

S Delano Howell did not play against Arizona because of a thigh problem, and it"s uncertain whether he'll play against Arizona State. His starting status is a question even if he's healthy. He was replaced by Austin Yancy against Arizona.

? DE Erik Lorig did not play against Arizona because of a groin injury and he is questionable for the Oct. 24 game against Arizona State.

? Drew Terrell returned punts for Stanford against Arizona, replacing Richard Sherman, who had muffed two punts the previous game.

? OT Allen Smith made his first start since the 2007 season, coming back from several knee injuries.

? Toby Gerhart's two touchdowns against Arizona gave him 28 for his career, moving him past Brad Muster and into second place on the Cardinal's alltime list. Gerhart also moved into fourth place on Stanford's career rushing list with 2,520 yards, three yards shy of the No. 3 Cardinal rusher, Anthony Bookman.

FEATURED PRODUCT