Aztec defense is a tough test for Stanford line looking to improve
The only thing to do after a loss is to go back to work. That’s the mindset according to fifth year senior left tackle Dave Bright, who didn’t shy away from taking a tough view on the performance of the blocking unit against USC.
“I think we started out fairly strong and as the game went on we couldn’t sustain,” he said. “So, up front it wasn’t a great performance if we’re being honest with ourselves.”
Stanford faces a tough test Saturday to show improvement against San Diego State at 7:30 p.m. in Qualcomm Stadium.
“We’re excited to come back and work this week,” Bright said. “San Diego State is a good team and they’ve won a lot of games.”
Stanford will take plenty of lessons from the USC game into this weekend and there were positives to look back on as well.
One of the highlights of the game for Stanford was in the first quarter when Bryce Love sprinted to a 75-yard touchdown without being touched by a USC defender. It was an example of the early success for Stanford’s offensive line.
“They were doing a few different things than we had expected and knew about, so on the sideline we came up with a new little play we wanted to put in, executed it and everything worked out,” Bright said of the touchdown run.
But USC countered on defense with a great performance by their individual pass rushers and the Trojans were able to take advantage of the lead their offense built. Stanford played from behind for much of the game and that eventually forced the Cardinal to lean on the passing game more than they typically like to do.
The pressure by USC's defensive front often constricted the pocket for Keller Chryst and head coach David Shaw said after the game that the pass protection needed to be better.
“I think Keller played very well,” Shaw said. “He was under duress too often (and) I think we had four passes deflected. But you look at his decision making and his pocket presence -- he throws two great throws with guys in his face as he’s getting hit. The deep ball to JJ (Arcega-Whiteside) was outstanding.”
A major focus in practice this week will be to give Chryst more time to get the ball to Stanford’s play makers.
“I think we’re going to look at quite a few things up front,” Shaw said. “We have a lot of experience there, but at the same time we have some youth and ability. So, I think we’re going to look at a couple different combinations and see how that bears out at the end of the week.”
A lot of outside attention is sure to settle on freshmen Walker Little and Foster Sarell, who arrived with a great deal of fanfare because of their five-star recruit ratings. Shaw and offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren have separately praised how advanced Little and Sarell are in their development compared to what they expected from the freshmen.
“We need anyone who can play for us,” Bright said of the freshmen possibly being part of the solution. “Those guys are making great strides and they have to keep pushing. They could have a shot.”
On paper some people might assume a “mid-major” such as San Diego State is a good opportunity to give younger players more snaps, but the Aztecs are a formidable opponent. San Diego State has won 11 games in each of the two seasons and head coach Rocky Long uses a 3-3-5 defense to cause headaches for opponents.
“It’s a very uniquely structured defense,” Shaw said. “They have three safety bodies, two corners and there is late rotation and a lot of different types of blitzes. They have been able to attack protections.
“We (the coaching staff) remarked (while watching film) that for a team that blitzes so much there are very, very few times when a guy is wide open. Now you have good coverage with an attacking style up front, so you can force a quarterback to make some throws into danger. They do a really good job of receiving the ball (for interceptions).”
San Diego State’s scheme helps the Aztecs be in position to make plays because of what they do before the snap.
“They have a ton of movement that’s going to be a focus this week to try to figure out what they’re doing, even though that’s probably going to be very difficult,” Bright said. “This game is not going to be easy. Like I said, we’re going to have to work the whole week and be ready for a heck of a game.”
Stanford will undoubtedly try to return to what has always been the foundation upon which to build a successful offensive game plan -- running the ball effectively for four quarters. Bryce Love ran for 160 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries against USC and has 340 yards after two games.
His almost absurd 11.3 yard-per-carry average shows his big-play potential, but he also has flexed his muscles between the tackles. He nearly worked his way through heavy traffic and attempted tackles to break a long run on several occasions against USC, but was stopped by the last man.
“He’s running really hard for us and he’s seeing things well,” Bright said. “We just have to give him those opportunities to find lanes in a defense. Obviously we need to be better.”