2008 Stanford Cardinal Preview

Jim Harbaugh did a lot of talking when he first got to Stanford, claiming to know Pete Carroll’s next career move and criticizing Michigan for its academic standards for football players. It seemed a little gutsy considering his only head coaching experience came at FCS school San Diego.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Cardinal

Stanford is loaded with experience. The question is whether all of those returning players are good enough for the Cardinal to continue to work their way up the Pac-10 hierarchy. Stanford’s upperclassmen didn’t come from top-level recruiting classes, but a few players have progressed into quality Pac-10 players. With nine starters back on defense, Stanford could improve on last year’s unit that ranked ninth in the conference in total defense and eighth in scoring defense. The Cardinal have a solid group of linebackers controlling the field and a couple of playmakers up front. The bigger question is whether there is hope for an offense that ranked last in the Pac-10 in scoring (19.6 ppg) and total yards (322.5 ypg). The Cardinal will need to see substantial improvement from quarterback Tavita Pritchard or a new face, possibly Michigan transfer Jason Forcier, behind center. Stanford also has to stay healthy on offense. Leading tailbacks Anthony Kimble and Toby Gerhart both missed substantial time last season due to injuries. Stanford lost a pair of good receivers in Mark Bradford and Evan Moore. It’s time for junior Richard Sherman to become the playmaker many believe he can be.

The Cardinal didn’t exactly go out and set the world on fire in Harbaugh’s inaugural season, but he did get Stanford on the path back to respectability after taking over a team that had hit rock bottom the year before with a 1–11 record.

Stanford went 4–8 in 2007, including a historic upset at USC and a couple of narrow losses. While many may have rolled their eyes when Harbaugh talked about winning big immediately at Stanford, there now may be some who believe those days could be closer than you think.

Harbaugh, by the way, is still talking. The difference now is more people might be listening.

“We did not accomplish our goals last season,” Harbaugh says. “Our goal was to win a Pac-10 championship and go to a bowl game. We were far from where we want to be. We expected to win.”

Stanford ended last season on a high, breaking a five-year drought in the Big Game against Cal. But the week before, the Cardinal suffered an unsightly home loss to Notre Dame. The biggest thing Stanford has going for it this year is that a change in culture has been established, and its returning players have hope. The Cardinal return nine starters on defense and eight first-teamers on offense.

“We only have two goals — to graduate players with meaningful degrees and win multiple Pac-10 championships,” Harbaugh says. “That will always be how we judge ourselves. We instilled a culture where competing and winning are appreciated, and those are all good things. But we need to be tougher, more athletic and better-coached.”

Quarterbacks 

Tavita Pritchard will go down in history as the quarterback who led Stanford to perhaps the greatest upset in the history of college football, but that doesn’t change the fact that his overall 2007 résumé was fair at best. Including the USC win, he threw nine interceptions compared with only five touchdown passes, and the Cardinal won only one more of his starts the rest of the way. Harbaugh says the position was open in the spring, with Pritchard getting challenged by Michigan transfer Jason Forcier and sophomore Alex Loukas, both of whom were highly recruited prospects out of high school.

Running backs 

Harbaugh says the tailback position is open, but if Anthony Kimble is healthy, he’ll be the man. Kimble was the Cardinal’s leading rusher last season despite missing five games because of a shoulder injury. Harbaugh was happy with how Tyrone McGraw and Jeremy Stewart performed in the spring, and each could push for significant playing time. Stewart came on near the end of last year while Kimble was out, and closed out the season with a solid 80-yard performance in a win over Cal. The Cardinal will also see the return of Toby Gerhart, considered one of the team’s top backs going into last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the second game against San Jose State. Stanford is set at fullback, where Owen Marecic is back after starting every game last year as a true freshman.

Receivers 

The Cardinal had one of the most dependable receiving tandems in the Pac-10 last season in Mark Bradford and Evan Moore, and both have used up their eligibility. The stage is set for Richard Sherman to emerge as the star many believe he can become. Sherman was Stanford’s second-leading receiver last season, but he’ll likely have to improve substantially on his numbers (39 catches, 651 yards, four touchdowns). Sherman has been plagued by problems with inconsistency and maturity — he was suspended for a game last year for exhibiting poor sportsmanship to teammates on the sideline — but Harbaugh is confident that he is growing up. “We have very high hopes for Richard,” he says. “He realizes that he needs to (step up), and he’s responding.” Doug Baldwin flashed promise as a true freshman and will be counted on to increase his productivity. Harbaugh also was happy with the play of Ryan Whalen in the spring. The Cardinal return three tight ends who combined for 46 catches last year.

Offensive linemen 

Stanford is blessed with experience but also needs to replace center Tim Mattran, a sixth-year senior last year who was the rock of the offensive line. Alex Fletcher, who started every game at right guard last year and was an All-Pac-10 second-team pick, is moving to center to replace Mattran. Chris Marinelli returns at right tackle and Ben Muth at left tackle. Allen Smith, who started the first three games last year at left tackle before going down with a season-ending injury, also is back and should fit in somewhere. Stanford has to replace departed starting left guard Mikal Brewer. Andrew Phillips, who got into four games last year — including the last two — was starting at left guard during the spring but will likely head into camp No. 1 on the depth chart on the right side.

Defensive linemen 

The Cardinal have a pretty good starting point with tackle Ekom Udofia, who had a breakout season in 2006 but was hampered by injuries last year. Udofia spent the spring recovering from a fractured ankle, but he is expected back for the beginning of fall camp. Stanford is counting on Brian Bulcke, who started the final two games of last year, to emerge on the other interior spot. But an injury also forced Bulcke to miss spring practice. Stanford is more stable on the outside, where starters Pannel Egboh and Erik Lorig are back. Egboh was a revelation last season, registering 13.5 tackles for a loss and six sacks.

Linebackers 

The strength of the Cardinal’s defense features experience, versatility and productivity. Stanford’s top three linebackers return, with Clinton Snyder anchoring the middle and Pat Maynor and Chike Amajoyi on the outside. Both Snyder and Maynor started all but one game last year and Amajoyi started six, but they formed the starting trio in the final four games. Snyder started the season on the strong side but moved to the middle down the stretch. He was among the conference leaders in almost every defensive statistical category. Maynor missed the first part of spring practice recovering from an ankle injury. The Cardinal also have depth with Nick Macaluso and Will Powers in reserve. Macaluso started six games at middle linebacker last year.

Defensive backs 

Like the rest of its defense, Stanford has experience here. Safeties Bo McNally and Austin Yancy were two of three defensive players to start all 12 games last year. McNally finished the season ranked second in the Pac-10 with 114 tackles. There’s depth, too, with Taylor Skaufel, who recorded 35 tackles as a true freshman. After serving as part-time starters last year, cornerbacks Wopamo Osaisai and Kris Evans are ready to assume full-time duties this year. But a wild card could be Corey Gatewood, who was recruited as a defensive back but played running back last season.

Specialists 

The Cardinal are starting over on special teams. Gone are four-year punter Jay Ottovegio as well as placekicker Derek Belch. Highly regarded David Green is expected to take over one or both positions. Stanford is looking for a new full-time kick returner, although Kimble, McGraw and Baldwin all have some experience handling the duties.

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