A rare rout gives Cardinal questions they need to answer
It was a complete thrashing by the Washington Huskies, whose 44-6 victory over Stanford announced a power shift, for at least this season, in the PAC-12 North.
It was Stanford’s most lopsided loss by point differential since USC beat Stanford 42-0 in 2006.
The game was never in doubt as Washington delivered a performance that reversed a familiar sight for Stanford fans. So often during David Shaw’s head coaching tenure it has been the Cardinal doing the bludgeoning at the line of scrimmage.
That’s where the problems started for Stanford.
Stanford’s lines buckled in Seattle
No game plan can survive if either the offensive and defensive lines are dominated. It certainly won’t work if both are, which was the case against the Huskies.
Stanford surrendered eight sacks. The most in a game since the 2006 season. Any time there are two references to 2006 in one game is not a good thing for Stanford. The question going forward this season for Stanford is how the offensive line will be put back together.
Casey Tucker left the game with an injury and his status will be addressed this week. Regardless, it seems likely there will be a shakeup, with the most likely course of action moving David Bright to tackle (which one?) and Brandon Fanaika or Nick Wilson to left guard.
On the defensive line there was no hiding the inability of Stanford’s front to reach Washington quarterback Jake Browning. Bringing extra pressure didn’t yield much better results. Stanford doesn’t appear able at the moment to throw a party in the backfield like it did for much of 2012-2014.
The performance of the front seven, and the renewed focus on the lack of playmaking in that group, did not help a depleted back four that was hounded by Browning, John Ross, Dante Pettis and Chico McClatcher.
Lack of discipline adds a startling insult to defeat
Stanford committed 11 penalties for 100 yards. The Cardinal have almost always been able to file away in the certainty category that they wouldn’t help beat themselves.
That was true in the first three games of the season and it was shockingly false against Washington.
Add the moments of apparent confusion by the defense and the offense that led to touchdowns or penalties respectively, and it was a discouraging sight for Cardinal fans, players and coaches.
Stanford must quickly recover
There is nothing that will completely heal a game experience like this for the Cardinal. It will always be part of the story of this season. But what is critical is how Stanford responds against Washington State in a much-needed home game.
The Cougars shouldn’t be discounted and have the ability to deal Stanford a damaging loss, especially if the defense can’t pressure Luke Falk. But, beat Washington State and Stanford is 4-1, and back on track to face Notre Dame in a pivotal matchup before a run of games that appear winnable but are hard to judge.
Several questions for the Cardinal moving forward are:
Will the offensive line regain confidence and give Christian McCaffrey the space he needs to be special? He doesn’t need much. But Ryan Burns needs more time and when he gets it he made good throws against Washington.
When will Stanford’s injured players return, specifically cornerbacks Alijah Holder and Quenton Meeks?
Where will Stanford’s pass rush come from? And is the inside linebacker rotation a viable option for the rest of the season or will some combination of players secure the jobs?