1. Stanford has a lot of heart and character
This is far from David Shaw’s most talented team during his tenure at Stanford, with the Cardinal struggling with facets of the game they traditionally dominate. It’s been odd to see Stanford’s defense get sliced and diced, and even odder that Stanford’s typically mauling ground game has been running in quicksand all season long.
The Cardinal average less than 100-yards per game on the ground, and they’ve had to ask for more out of quarterback K.J. Costello than they ever would have expected. They’re also ranked worse than 80th in total defense, giving up 30+ points in more than four games this season. In the past two regular seasons, the Cardinal allowed only five such games.
Things weren’t much different on Saturday night, as Stanford failed to get their ground game going and were gouged defensively, and yet came very close to earning a win over what looks like the PAC-12’s best team.
Despite this Stanford team’s obvious flaws, the Cardinal have been competitive in a loaded division, and are still very much alive in the PAC-12 North race despite this loss to Washington State.
When in doubt, Stanford’s offense has resorted to throwing up jump-balls from Costello to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, and that play has been indefensible throughout the season so far.
Credit should go to David Shaw, who has proven time-and-time again to be an excellent football coach; a guy who every offseason is linked to NFL head coaching vacancies because the league recognizes the talent Shaw possesses. He might one day make the jump from Palo Alto to an NFL franchise, but for now he remains, and he consistently has his team ready to play, regardless of whether or not they match-up well with the opposition.