|
LB
Jon Alston (PHOTO CREDIT: David Gonzales/Stanford
Athletics) |
|
2004
Statistics
|
Coach:
Walt Harris
1st
year |
2004
Record: 4-7
|
|
SAN
JOSE STATE |
WON
43-3 |
BRIGHAM
YOUNG |
WON
37-10 |
SOUTHERN
CAL |
LOST
28-31 |
WASHINGTON |
WON
27-13 |
at
Notre Dame |
LOST
15-23 |
at
Washington State |
WON
23-17 |
OREGON |
LOST
13-16 |
at
UCLA |
LOST
0-21 |
at
Arizona State |
LOST
31-34 |
OREGON
STATE |
LOST
19-24 |
at
California |
LOST
6-41 |
|
2004 Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2005
Outlook
|
Stanford
gets a fresh start after winning just 10
games in three years under Buddy Teevens.
Former Pitt boss Walt Harris takes over
the program, bringing with him a decent
track record for turning any program into
a viable winner. He led the Panthers to
six bowl games in eight years, including
five in a row.
Harris
has installed the West Coast offense on
The Farm, with the idea that the high-percentage
passes will open the field for Trent Edwards
to be the player everyone knows he can be.
Edwards hasn’t lived up to his hype
yet, but under Harris he’ll have a
better year. On defense, Stanford will shore
up its holes in the passing game and make
marginal improvements. During the campaign,
see the offensive and/or defensive efficiency
rating(s) (as well as sack totals) to see
how the team is doing (will do) overall.
Harris will turn this program around rather
quickly, for he really doesn’t have
a major project on his hands.
Yes,
the Cardinal were just 4-7 a year ago, but
they lost three games by a field goal (including
a loss to national champ USC), and another
by just five points. With Harris’
track record, and the talent pool on The
Farm, there’s only one sure loss on
the schedule (at USC). They’re sure
to play inconsistently a few other places,
too – winning a couple they shouldn’t
while losing a few that same way.
In
the end, the Cardinal should be able to
qualify for their first postseason berth
since 2001, and get Harris to his sixth
straight bowl. Harris will be given the
room here (that he wasn’t given in
the Steel City) to build the program and
actually make it his own. Harris often starts
fast, but then progresses little once the
romance is done, so expect his rookie effort
in Palo Alto to avoid any ‘Frost’.
Projected
2005 record: 4-7 |
|
|
CB/KR
T.J. Rushing (PHOTO CREDIT: David Gonzales/Stanford
Athletics) |
STANFORD
*POWER RATINGS
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
QB
- 3.5 |
DL
- 3.5 |
RB
- 2 |
LB
- 3.5 |
WR
- 3.5 |
DB
- 1.5 |
OL
- 3 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS
|
Passing:
Trent Edwards, 271-148-11, 1718 yds., 9
TD
Rushing: J.R. Lemon, 93 att., 440
yds., 6 TD
Receiving: Evan Moore, 39 rec., 616
yds., 6 TD
Scoring: Michael Sgroi, 16-24 FG,
22-23 PAT, 70 pts.
Punting: Jay Ottoregio, 66 punts,
41.3 avg.
Kicking: Michael Sgroi, 16-24 FG,
22-23 PAT, 70 pts.
Tackles: Jon Alston, 62 tot., 37
solo
Sacks: Jon Alston, 10 sacks
Interceptions: Jon Alston, Brandon
Harrison, Mike Silva, Kevin Schimmelmann,
Nick Sanchez, Casey Carroll - 1 each
Kickoff returns: T.J. Rushing, 23
ret., 28.4 avg., 1 TD
Punt returns: David Marrero, 27 ret.,
8.3 avg., 0 TD
|
|
|
|
|
OFFENSE
- 10
|
----RETURNING
STARTERS----
|
DEFENSE
- 5
|
|
KEY
LOSSES
|
OFFENSE:
Alex Smith-TE, Kenneth Tolon-RB, Greg Camarillo-WR |
DEFENSE:
Scott
Scharff-DE, Will Svitek-DE, David Bergeron-ILB,
Jared Newberry-OLB, Stanley Wilson-CB, Leigh
Torrence-CB, Oshiomogho Atogwe-FS |
|
|
2005
OFFENSE
|
Quarterback
Trent Edwards was prematurely labeled “The
Next Elway” by some, an unfair goal to place
on anyone, no matter what talent level he may
display. A top recruit (No. 2 QB by rivals.com),
Edwards hasn’t done much to live up to his
hype (20 INT, 13 TD), but he’s still got
tremendous physical skills, and Cardinal fans
are just waiting for him to show his upside. John
Elway had his best years as a pro in the West
Coast offense, and Edwards is hoping for the same
results with Harris. With a strong arm and good
wheels, Edwards will shine, which will help eliminate
mistakes to then build methodically with those
higher-percentage passes. Backup T.C. Ostrander
was in a fight for the job throughout the spring,
but slipped a notch with his eventual marginal
play. He, too, was a prized recruit (No. 12 in
the country in 2003), and brings a good arm and
an even better mind to the table. Harris is thorough
at getting the most out of this position, so expect
genuine improvements.
Running
Back
J.R. Lemon had a good 2004 – if/when he
got the ball (4.7 yards per carry), which was
not enough for his potential impact to aid the
team’s results. Lemon has all the physical
tools to be a star. With his size and strength,
he’s a powerful runner, but he’s also
got tremendous speed. The former prep all-American
will have a huge year. Behind Lemon is a stable
of talented backs. Gerald Commissiong has a good
speed/power mix like Lemon, and Ray Jones gets
yards by making smart reads and using deceptive
speed. Physical-but-quick Kris Bonifas returns
as the starting fullback, so there are enough
ball-carrying options that Harris has no excuse
if he does not maximize this unit.
Receiver
This is a group that hasn’t quite lived
up to its potential, but part of that has been
the play of their hurlers. There is a load of
talent here, though. Mark Bradford won’t
burn anybody deep, but he’s very quick off
the line of scrimmage, which allows him to get
open early in his route. He’s also got the
ability to make plays once he has the ball (YAC).
Former Cardinal hoopster Evan Moore is the biggest
WR on the team, while Justin McCullum has shown
a penchant for making big plays with his speed.
Look for a big year out of Gerron Crochet, too.
He has been a sprinter on the track team most
of his career, but the senior also has battled
numerous hamstring pulls. He gave up track now
and subsequently had a tremendous spring.
Tight
End
Not manned by a returning starter, Matt Traverso
has shown good blocking skills over the past two
years, and will step in well. His senior (prep)
average was over 20+ yards per catch, so he has
good route-running skills, speed, and good enough
hands to make a “huge” impact as a
receiver, too.
Offensive
Line
All five starters (all 16 on the depth chart)
are back, and, if you know the school’s
stats from 2004, you’ll know why Stanford
is nervous. Just having the starters back doesn’t
make this a great group; not when they did so
little to protect their quarterbacks (41 sacks
allowed) and failed to open up sufficient running
lanes for the backs (2.5 ypc). Few things make
a line better than continuity, though, so the
fact that everyone is back will translate into
a measure of improvement, even if it’s only
a slight/partial one.
OFFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
2004 was a rough year for the Cardinal offense.
They couldn’t run the ball (ranked 114th),
had trouble passing (ranked 93rd in pass efficiency),
and struggled to get on the scoreboard (ranked
85th with 22 ppg). Enter Harris and his West Coast
offense. This offense is designed to make quarterback/offense
succeed incrementally, and Stanford has the players
(Edwards and Ostrander) to make such a plan work.
Lemon is an underrated running back who will finally
give the Cardinals a threat on the ground. None
of that will matter, though, if the line continues
to play as poorly as it has for the past two-plus
seasons. Still, Harris can play-call around this
if the need arises, so this system will succeed,
and will improve the offense on many levels. Expect
the line to be marginally better and for the West
Coast offense to be a hit.
|
|
WR
Evan Moore (PHOTO CREDIT: David Gonzales/Stanford
Athletics)
|
|
|
STANFORD
2005 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold |
OFFENSE
|
QB |
Trent
Edwards-Sr (6-4, 210) |
T.C.
Ostrander-Jr (6-3, 210) |
FB |
Nick
Frank-Jr (6-2, 275) |
Kris
Bonifas-Sr (6-1, 235) |
RB |
David
Marrero-Jr (5-10, 190) |
J.R.
Lemon-Sr (6-1, 225)
Anthony Kimble-So (6-1, 185) |
WR |
Gerren
Crochet-Sr (6-0, 170) |
Evan
Moore-Jr (6-7, 235) |
WR |
Mark
Bradford-Jr (6-2, 190) |
Marcus
McCutcheon-Sr (6-0, 200)
Justin McCullum-Sr (6-4, 220) |
TE |
Patrick
Danahy-Jr (6-5, 240) |
Matt
Traverso-Sr (6-5, 250) |
OT |
Jeff
Edwards-Sr (6-7, 290) |
Michael
Macellari-Jr (6-5, 290) |
OG |
Josiah
Vinson-So (6-4, 310) |
Bobby
Dockter-So (6-5, 290) |
C |
Brian
Head-Sr (6-4, 295) |
Alex
Flether-So (6-4, 290) |
OG |
Mikal
Brewer-Jr (6-3, 290) |
Ismail
Simpson-Sr (6-4, 290) |
OT |
Jon
Cochran-Sr (6-6, 315) |
Ben
Muth-So (6-6, 275) |
K |
Michael
Sgroi-Sr (5-11, 200) |
Derek
Belch-Jr (6-0, 185) |
|
|
2005
DEFENSE
|
Defensive
Line
The Cardinals aren’t deep (or experienced),
but they’ve got a trio of three-time letter-winners
as starters. NT Babatunde Oshinowo has girth and
he knows how to throw it around for optimal results.
The Cardinal will rotate several players at end,
but the leader of the group is Julian Jenkins,
an incredibly strong and agile player who finds
the ball. The other experienced player is Casey
Carroll, a reserve throughout his career. The
starters are solid, but depth is a concern.
Linebacker
If Stanford had four Jon Alston’s, it would
have the country’s best group. Alston is
first-team all-conference and has bounced from
end to outside backer in his tenure. No matter
where he lines up, Alston makes plays (14.5 TFLs,
10 sacks). He’s a gifted athlete with speed,
strength, and the heart of a champion, but he
needs some weight to be a draft choice (NFL).
Even though a bit small, he is excellent in the
run-stopping efforts. We see viable depth via
the many hungry competitors for the other outside
slot. Inside, the Cardinal will again depend on
many, but especially former starter Kevin Schimmelmann,
all-PAC 10 special teamer Michael Okwo, and Michael
Craven. Nothing flashy about Schimmelmann, but
he is efficient, especially in coverage. Craven,
too, has been a starter in the past, but has had
off-field troubles that limited his role. Regardless,
his instincts and ability to deliver punishing
hits will be an asset. The rest of the corps (besides
Alston) is well-sized and can truly (being from
The Farm) bring the wood.
Defensive
Back
Two years ago, Stanford was the worst team in
the country against the pass. The Cardinals weren’t
quite that bad in 2004, but they weren’t
much better, either. It was pretty much the same
group (acting again like overcooked toast), but
fortunately, only one now returns. That’s
good news, for fresh blood can only help. Strong
safety Brandon Harrison is the lone returning
starter, and he has the potential/ability with
his speed to make big plays. But he has been demoted
(on the two-deep), so a new start all around will
guarantee a fresh attitude. The spotlight will
be on the corners, who are deep yet untested.
The Cardinals do have some talent to work with,
but only T.J. Rushing brings any proven worth
to the table. Finally getting a chance to start
full-time, Rushing’s speed (10.68-sec 100;
state sprint champion in Okla.) allows him to
stay with just about any receiver around. Rushing
is a complete defensive player, so there is another
base around which to build.
DEFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
Different year, similar story. The Cardinal just
need to find a way to stop opposing quarterbacks
from shredding them. In the Pac 10, that is almost
always earned, and is rarely bestowed upon unworthy
squads. Oddly, as much as they struggled to stop
teams from going up and down the field (70th in
total D), they were pretty good in keeping them
off the scoreboard (33rd), mainly because they
forced 27 turnovers. Bending and not breaking
is a good mental cornerstone to start with for
rebuilding this back-seven. Though the run defense
seems to be fine, the main key will ostensibly
be how well Stanford can stop the pass. There
is better talent in the secondary now, therefore
making the defense better overall.
|
|
NT
Babatunde Oshinowo (PHOTO CREDIT: David
Gonzales/Stanford Athletics)
|
|
|
STANFORD
2005 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Casey
Carroll-Sr (6-2, 290) |
Pannel
Egboh-So (6-6, 240) |
NT |
Babatunde
Oshinowo-Sr (6-2, 320) |
Matt
McClernan-Sr (6-5, 285) |
DE |
Julian
Jenkins-Sr (6-4, 275) |
Gustav
Rydsted-So (6-4, 293) |
OLB |
Jon
Alston-Sr (6-1, 215) |
Emmanuel
Awofadeju-Jr (6-4, 240) |
ILB |
Kevin
Schimmelmann-Sr (6-3, 228) |
Michael
Craven-Sr (6-1, 230) |
ILB |
Michael
Okwo-Jr (6-0, 215) |
Mike
Silva-Sr (6-3, 225) |
OLB |
Timi
Wusu-Sr (6-3, 210) |
Udeme
Udofia-Jr (6-4, 255) |
CB |
T.J.
Rushing-Sr (5-11, 175) |
Wopamo
Osaisai-So (6-0, 190) |
CB |
Nick
Sanchez-Jr (6-0, 180) |
Carolos
McFall-So (6-0, 195) |
SS |
Brandon
Harrison-Jr (6-2, 205) |
Bryan
Bentrott-Sr (6-1, 180) |
FS |
Trevor
Hooper-Sr (6-1, 205) |
David
Lofton-Sr (6-4, 210) |
P |
Jay
Ottovegio-Jr (6-0, 190) |
Michael
Sgroi-Sr (5-11, 200) |
|
|
|
2005
SPECIAL TEAMS
|
Kicker
Give Michael Sgroi the nod as a quality kicker. It can
be a bit of an adventure with Sgroi, though, who missed
three field goals in a 5-point loss to Oregon State
and two in a 3-point loss to Oregon. Coverage didn’t
give up a return of longer than 30 yards, so look for
consistency here to make field position battles winnable.
Punter
Jay Ottovegio is coming off a great 2004 (2nd-team freshman
all-American). He’s got a strong leg (41.3 avg)
and was a good friend to his defense on numerous occasions
(landed 20 kicks inside the 20). Punt coverage was much
worse, so improvements here will come by way of the
deep talent pools for DBs and LBs.
Return
Game
Few complaints here, for with T.J. Rushing (28.4 avg,
1 TD), the Cardinal ranked 7th in kickoff returns. Rushing
is an explosive returner, while Marcus McCutcheon is
a solid second option. Primary punt runner-backer David
Marrero’s blazing speed makes him a threat to
break one any time, too. Udeme Udofia will keep Cardinal
special teams fresh with his knack for kick-blocking
(had two in ’04).
|
|
|
|
|