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Stanford Football: 5 bold predictions for November 2017

By Trevor Jossart

PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 14: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal is congratulated by teammates after he catches a three yard touchdown pass against the Oregon Ducks during the first quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 14: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal is congratulated by teammates after he catches a three yard touchdown pass against the Oregon Ducks during the first quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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CORVALLIS, OR – OCTOBER 26: Quarterback Keller Chryst #10 of the Stanford Cardinal throws against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium on October 26, 2017 in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
CORVALLIS, OR – OCTOBER 26: Quarterback Keller Chryst #10 of the Stanford Cardinal throws against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium on October 26, 2017 in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

2. Keller Chryst has two 300-yard passing games

For those reading: Yes, this is a very bold prediction. Not saying Cardinal quarterback Keller Chryst is without skill or incapable, but the offensive scheme surrounding him is very evident that passing the ball is only needed when necessary.

Chryst has been bailed out of some poor performances so far this year thanks in large part to his Heisman-hopeful running back Bryce Love. In seven appearances this year, Chryst has only thrown the ball for over 200 yards once, coming in the team’s opening game against Rice — a 62-7 victory. Since then, his highest mark throwing the ball two games ago against Oregon, a 181 yard outing.

The statistics Chryst has put up this season would be reasonable to live with had the Cardinal chosen to never throw the ball, which is a potential possibility with their running game. Chryst has had all but two games this year where he failed to attempt 20 or more passes.

Stanford’s remaining games pose as a big opportunity for Chryst to air it out some more, and with Love battling injury, the team may be forced to his hand to lead them to victories.

During their remaining games, the Cardinal will face two solid defenses in Washington and Notre Dame, which are two far better teams than anyone Stanford has played this year arguably. The Cardinal will look to do what they do best against those teams, pounding the ball on the ground and controlling the pace of play.

The other two games remaining, Washington State and California, have the potential to be shootouts. While the Cougars do in fact rank in the top half of the conference in pass defense, they have also found themselves sleeping at times and with their potent offense, games turn high –scoring quickly. As for the California Golden Bears, the team ranks second to last in the Pac 12 in pass defense, but a respectable seventh in rushing defense — meaning teams love to pass the ball against the Bears.

There is a chance Keller Chryst boosts his yards per game average up quite significantly over the course of the last stretch of games.

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