Five things Stanford needs in order to have a bounce back 2022
It’s no secret that Stanford football did not have the 2021 season that they were hoping to have: 3-9 overall and 2-7 in the Pac-12. They finished the season on a seven game losing streak with the final four losses to Utah, Oregon State, Cal, and Notre Dame all being blow outs. After beating #3 Oregon at home, it all went downhill from there. And rather fast, too. It was a disaster.
With the Cardinal & White Spring Game coming up April 9th and spring practice already under way, Stanford is looking ahead to the 2022 season with the hopes of turning a new leaf and getting back to being the type of program that they feel reflects their values and standards. A turnaround won’t be easy and in truth, a season in which they go 6-6 overall would be a major bounce back. Even though they’re obviously aiming higher than that, to go .500 after the season they just had would be a major step in the right direction. Especially if they can reclaim the Axe in the process.
But in order for them to have such a season or do even better, Stanford is going to need to be much better across the board. That said, there are five things in particular that I think Stanford is going to need in order to have a bounce back 2022.
#1. Tanner McKee needs to be elite: One good thing Stanford has going for them this season is they know for sure who their quarterback is going to be. Last season, there was a competition between senior Jack West and sophomore Tanner McKee that extended into the first week of the season against Kansas State. McKee won the battle handily and after the first game, David Shaw saw all he needed to see and gave the keys to the car to McKee while West receded into the darkness.
By season's end, West had fallen behind Ari Patu and even Dylan Plautz on the depth chart. It was a puzzle of as to why he was in a quarterback competition with McKee to begin with. But, I don’t care to rehash that whole thing. The bottom line is McKee won the starting job as he should have and he’s going to be the starter this year. David Shaw made that very clear at the start of spring practice to all of us.
While McKee does have the starting job locked up as he heads into his junior season, that of course doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be expected to improve and be better than he was last season. Success in football starts with who is behind center and if Stanford is going to have a bounce back season, they’re going to need McKee to be a lot better than he was last year. He showed signs of being an elite quarterback and even had moments where he was elite. Now it’s just matter of sustaining that elite play week in week out. If McKee can do that, Stanford will be well on their way to having the kind of season they are hoping to have.
In terms of where McKee most needs to improve, I would say ball security and just being more confident making elite level throws. He threw 7 interceptions last year to his 15 touchdown passes. That’s a pretty solid touchdown to interception ratio for a first year starter, but that ratio needs to improve closer to 3-1. If McKee flirts with 30 touchdown passes and keeps his interceptions at 10 or fewer, that would be the kind of elite I’m talking about.
Obviously, an extension of this is for the receivers and offensive line to step up. If the offensive line can improve their pass protection and receivers/tight ends like Benjamin Yurosek, Michael Wilson, Elijah Higgins, John Humphreys, Bryce Farrell, and Brycen Tremayne have the kind of seasons that they’re capable of having, the chance for McKee to be elite is definitely there. This could also be a season where the freshmen make a real impact. Especially tight end Sam Roush and wide receiver Mudia Rueben since they’re both getting a jump on things by enrolling early.
#2. E.J. Smith needs to be the real McCoy: With Austin Jones and Nathaniel Peat both deciding they wanted a change of scenery, an opportunity has emerged for junior E.J. Smith to take the reins in the backfield alongside junior Casey Filkins. In their sophomore seasons, both guys showed flashes of greatness, but weren’t really able to sustain it. If they can show they are capable of handling the load, Stanford will be in a great position to have the kind of bounce back year they are hoping to have.
Touching more on E.J. Smith, he in particular will need to have a breakout season. While Filkins will need to be integral to the running game’s success, this is E.J. Smith’s backfield now and he needs to make the most of this new opportunity. David Shaw feels like Smith has a chance to be an elite running back and now it’s time for Smith to show it.
Running backs coach Ron Gould has molded a lot of great running backs over the years through his demanding and attention to detail approach. It’ll be interesting to see how Smith does under Gould’s tutelage and if he can become the next great running back to flourish under him.
#3. The secondary needs to be wreaking havoc: One of the biggest issues Stanford had last year was having a secondary that wasn’t at full strength. Jonathan McGill and Salim Turner-Muhammad didn’t come back until the end of the season, Jimmy Wyrick was a freshman, Ethan Bonner was hurt for much of the season, and Patrick Fields was balling out at Oklahoma. Kyu Blu Kelly at times was kinda out there by himself without a lot of help. Now he has a lot more help around him.
We saw right away the impact McGill had with the interceptions he had against Cal and Notre Dame. His return alone should have the team excited. You add a guy like Fields to the group and everyone else being healthy and a year older, this secondary unit has a chance to be really really good. If they play up to their full potential, Stanford’s defense should be much improved.
#4. The pass rush needs to step up: Another major issue for Stanford last season was their pass rush not being up to snuff. Simply put, they just didn’t put a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and make plays in the backfield. Stanford is going to need to get more out of their pass rush in 2022 and actually have it be a strength instead of a liability. Senior outside linebacker/edge Stephen Herron is going to need to be a big part of making that happen. He led the team in sacks last season with 3.0 to go along with his 19 total tackles. Incoming freshmen R.J. Cooper and David Bailey are going to need to make an immediate impact as well. I’m honestly less confident in the pass rush and the front seven guys than I am in the secondary, but the pieces are still there to make enough of a turnaround.
#5. Special teams needs to be more of a weapon: Last season, special teams didn’t have the kind of impact that it was supposed to have. The punting wasn’t that great, the field goal kicking never really got a chance to shine due to all the blowouts at the end, and the return game was just so-so. Stanford is going to need to be better in all aspects of special teams in order to have a better 2022 season.
If there’s one area that I could highlight, it would definitely be the return game. Stanford has had elite returners in the past and they need to find a way to get back to having that element of the game be a strong suit. David Shaw said during spring practice that he’s open to putting E.J. Smith out there if needed to give them the kind of spark they need. It’ll be interesting to see how that part takes shape and what kind of impact it makes.
Overall outlook: Just to sum this all up, I think all five of these areas are really going to be critical to Stanford’s 2022 season. They cannot be the team they hope to be if they fall short in any of these areas. I think the area I’m most confident in being a strength is the secondary. The depth they’re going to have on paper should make a real difference from a year ago.
The biggest question mark I think is E.J. Smith. Just because we didn’t see a lot from him last year: 26 attempts for 133 yards and 1 touchdown. That’s a pretty small sample size. I don’t doubt that the potential is there and that he could have a breakout season. But just given how little we saw of him, it’s fair to have a healthy dose of skepticism until he actually shows it. This is a case where he’s going to have to take the coaching of Ron Gould to heart as well as listen to whatever advice his father gives him. He has good running back minds around him. It’s just a matter of implementing their advice and taking care of his body.
As far as whether or not Stanford will have a bounce back 2022, it’s honestly too early to say. I do want to see what the spring game and fall camp brings. But I will say that all five of the areas I outlined are areas that I think Stanford can be successful in provided they approach things the right way.
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