Several solid PFF grades can't overcome major errors by Cardinal

It only takes a couple plays to dramatically change a game. There were several in Stanford's 40-21 loss to Utah Saturday night that were disastrous for the Cardinal.

After Jim Harbaugh led the rebuild of Stanford to become an elite program, and the baton was handed to David Shaw, one of the certainties an opponent faced for most of the past eight years is the Cardinal wouldn't help you win. That has not been the case this season and the Cardinal were giving hosts in the worst way Saturday in terms of helping an opponent win.

What PFF grades can't properly measure is how damaging a player's bad plays can be compared to the good he does with the rest of his snaps.

It started with Jovan Swann's remarkable lapse in football awareness to knock down the punter when the Utes were punting from the Stanford 40 with only two yards to gain for a first down. That decision by Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was a gift for the slow-starting Cardinal but it was returned to the sender. Utah then powered forward for a touchdown on the ground, which also showed Whittingham that he could run up the middle of Stanford's defense.

Despite facing third and 13 because of two negative rushes, KJ Costello and the offense got on track for a drive to potentially tie the game. Instead a nightmarish scene unfolded when Jaylon Johnson jumped a poorly thrown fade to JJ Arcega-Whiteside and raced 100 yards for a touchdown.

Two big pass plays got Stanford quickly back to the red zone on the next drive. But facing another third and long Costello tried to make a play when taking a sack likely gives Stanford its first points. Instead his falling-down throw was intercepted and nine plays and 72 yards later Utah scored on a fourth and two run from 35 yards out. Whittingham knew he didn't need to worry about two yards anymore and had a 14-point cushion to play with.

The final major mishap of the first half was an astonishingly poor decision by the coaches on the final play for Utah's offense. The ball was on Stanford's 47 with eight seconds left and the Cardinal put three defenders back on the goal line to defend against a Hail Mary. Utah countered with an easy pass for 17 yards to set up a last-second field goal. It flattened the good feeling of Stanford's quick touchdown that made the score 21-7. Instead it was a three-score 24-7 lead at the break.

There was no error in the second half that rose to the level of those three, but they created a deficit too great for a frantic comeback to overcome.

Half of the regular season is done and the strengths of the offense are clear. The pass blocking is good enough and the passing offense dynamic enough to lead the way on scoring drives.

Shaw has admitted he's "stubborn" enough to keep hammering away at the line of scrimmage and doesn't plan to abandon the identity of the program. He said after the Utah game:

"We have to run the football. I'm sure some people in this room will write, and some people outside of this room will write, that change will be due -- throw the ball all over the yard. Those people don't know me. Those people don't understand this program. Those people don't understand what it's taken to get where we are, and how many games that we've won with the philosophy that we have. It's a proven philosophy."

But sometimes when driving in the Bay Area your GPS has to reroute you to a detour to get around a massive traffic pileup. That doesn't mean you'll never get back to the route you prefer, but for the short term there is a better way.

That better way is almost certainly through the air. Utah got nine hurries and four sacks Saturday but they often needed to bring a lot of pressure to get to Costello, who managed a solid score despite "F" grades on two pass plays.

It's not a dominant pass blocking unit that can overcome anything the defense throws at it. But college offenses can score plenty of points with a passing game designed to work around an offensive line with limitations. Even though Stanford's screen game leaves a lot to be desired -- which has been the case since 2015 -- there are other ways to make a defense pay for bringing the house. That's what Utah resorted to on a couple of key downs, including the sack that forced the punt before Utah's decisive score to go up 37-21.

Kaden Smith, JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Trent Irwin each had 100 yards receiving Saturday, although some of that came when the game was no longer competitive. Colby Parkinson should be a matchup problem in the passing game. Youngsters Michael Wilson and Osiris St. Brown -- who had a drop, but that can't be his only target -- have the speed and athleticism to help open up the field.

Once Bryce Love is back the focus has to be to get him touches in the passing game. In the past Shaw's counter to why Love doesn't get more targets is that there isn't a need with the great play of the tight ends and receivers. But, if you're going to build drives with passes, then it helps take the pressure off a young quarterback capable of to occasional bad decisions to quickly throw to one of the best athletes in the country.

This is what offensive coordinator Tavita Pritchard said on that topic after an open practice Aug. 12: “It’s less about him becoming more versatile and us really putting him in those positions more. He’s always been a versatile guy. With the injury last year we had a more limited role for him. It’s getting to do things he did his freshman year. Splitting out and catching routes and make his way out of the backfield to do some things. Diversify his portfolio, if you will. It’s a movement back to that. I think it’s making sure we’re intentional about not only his preparation but how we’re using him.”

If you take out the sacks, Utah ran for 231 yards at a 5.5 yards-per-carry rate. Tyler Huntley was 17-of-21 for 199 yards. If you round up the passing number that means for the second straight week Stanford's opponent achieved a devastating balance of at least 200 yards passing and rushing.

The last three opposing quarterbacks have combined to complete 77 percent of their passes. It's one thing when Justin Herbert or new sensation Ian Book is picking apart a secondary. But Huntley has never been a renowned passer and the Cardinal couldn't force enough incompletions.

The grades for the game and much of the season show some of the explanations.

Stanford's safety play has been shaky through six games and it was a rough night for Frank Buncom. His stumbling, turned-around coverage of Samson Nacua on Huntley's heave led to the back-breaking touchdown that effectively ended the game.

Another issue is Stanford's pass rush. The Cardinal don't have the type of playmakers up front who can take over the line of scrimmage with just four players. Gabe Reid had the unit's best pass rush grade and he flashes some ability that is promising, but he also hasn't been able to finish a couple of sacks in the past two games. Part of the problem is experience and part of it is he needs to get stronger.

Redshirt freshman Dalyn Wade-Perry only played eight snaps. He played only 12 at Notre Dame after 24 and 21 the previous two games. It's a curious development for a player who the coaches were excited about after the Oregon game. Which begs the question of whether he's regressed or is banged up?

Stanford has to solve the pass rush problem. It's not going to come from a player suddenly becoming Solomon Thomas or Trent Murphy. The coaches are going to need to find ways to help the players get into the backfield and that may require taking some risks at times.

It will help to get Casey Toohill back, who was having a strong season.

Stanford's defense can be effective when the unit plays disciplined football like it did through the first three games. But the weaknesses can be exploited and the bye week comes at a good time to coach up some fixes.