2002 record: 2-9 (none)

Pac Ten finish: 9th

2002 offensive stats (National rank, Pac-10 rank):

Rush: 133.2 ypg (76, 4)

Pass: 178.2 ypg (88, 10)


2002 defensive stats (National rank, Pac-10 rank):

Rush: 132.7 ypg (39, 9)

Pass: 252.0 ypg (101, 6)

Offensive Projected Starters:

(FL 6 Luke Powell (Sr.)

WR 86 Gerren Crotchet (So.)

LT 67 Kirk Chambers (Sr.)

LG 74 David Beall (Fr.)

C 71 Brian Head (So.)

RG 70 Jeff Edwards (Fr.)

RT 63 Mike Sullivan (Sr.)

TE 81 Alex Smith (Jr.)

QB 11 Kyle Matter (So.)

HB 26 Kenneth Tolon (Jr.)

FB 41 Cooper Blackhurst (Sr.)

Defensive Projected Starters:

DE 90 Louis Hobson (Sr.)

DT 92 Casey Carroll (So.)

NT 96 Babatunde Oshinowo (So.)

DE 18 Amon Gordon (Jr.)

OLB 42 Michael Craven (So.)

MLB 38 Jake Covault (Sr.)

OLB 37 Jon Alston (So.)

CB 2 Stanley Wilson (Jr.)

CB 29 Leigh Torrence (Jr.)

SS 21 Oshiomogho Otagwe (Jr.)

FS 46 Timi Wusu (So.)

Special Teams Projected Starters:

K 15 Michael Sgroi (So.)

P 39 Eric Johnson (Sr.)

KR 82 Grant Mason (So.)

PR 6 Luke Powell (Sr.)

Schedule:

S. 13 San Jose State

S. 20 at BYU

S. 27 at Washington

O. 11 at USC

O. 18 Washington State

O. 25 at Oregon

N. 1 UCLA

N. 8 Arizona State

N. 15 at Oregon State

N. 22 California

N. 29 Notre Dame

Outlook

Before one of his team's spring practice sessions, Stanford coach Buddy Teevens rattled off an analysis of his team - all 22 positions and special teams - in record time, probably five minutes tops. It's obvious that this guy is in a hurry.


The high-energy Teevens suffered through a tough transition period a year ago as the Cardinal fell to 2-9 overall and 1-7 in the Pac-10. Stanford fans had grown accustomed to high-quality football under Tyrone Willingham, so there is no doubt that Teevens wants to get his team back to bowl status as quickly as possible.


"The transition was difficult in many regards," Teevens says. "But our mindset is healthy now. There is a lot of enthusiasm and excitement."


Unfortunately, Year Two of the Teevens regime might yield a lot of improvement without the record reflecting it.


After its opener at home against an improved San Jose State team, Stanford will depart on road trips three consecutive weeks for games at BYU, Washington and USC. The schedule might prove to be a killer for a young team trying to find its way.


The hope on The Farm is based on seven returning starters on defense, along with a host of key defensive reserves who should mature into impact players. The defense will have to be good, because it might take time for the Cardinal to put together an effective offense after losing eight starters from a year ago.

Offense

Stanford has serious issues to solve at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, but Teevens' main question involves blocking. Who's going to do it?


The Cardinal is hurting on the offense line with only one experienced returnee in three-year starter Kirk Chambers, the left tackle. Kwame Harris' early departure for the NFL complicated an already dire situation, and now Teevens will have to rely on a host of unproven players, including seven redshirt freshmen.


Senior quarterback Chris Lewis, who started only five games a year ago before being sidelined with rotator cuff damage that eventually required surgery, will have to win back his job from sophomore Kyle Matter, who started six games last year. Both struggled in 2002.


Senior receiver Luke Powell is coming off a campaign in which he was severely limited by a badly sprained ankle, so he needs a return to form.


At tailback, either Kenneth Tolon, who rushed for 346 yards and four touchdowns in a reserve role, or J.R. Lemon must prove to be ready to carry the load for Stanford's rebuilt offense.

Defense

On the defensive line, Teevens is hoping the tremendous raw talent of players like junior Amon Gordon and sophomores Julian Jenkins and Babatunde Oshinowo will translate into production.


The top six linebackers from the 2002 squad return. The unit is so strong that David Bergeron, who started at one of the outside positions last season, will move inside to split time with Jake Covault. That will open the way for talented sophomore Michael Craven to take over full-time at one of the outside linebacker slots.


Cornerbacks Stanley Wilson and Leigh Torrence are returning starters, but Teevens will take a look at Grant Mason, a wide receiver who got some looks on defense in the spring, and sophomores Calvin Armstrong and T.J. Rushing. Stanford must find a way to shore up a secondary that gave up 252 yards passing per game last season. One player who should be solid is junior free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who led the team with 71 tackles.

Specialists

Both kickers return from 2002, but both need to show improvement. Punter Eric Johnson averaged 39.8 yards on 58 punts in 2002, and Teevens would like to see more consistency from him. Placekicker Michael Sgroi hit 9-of-15 field goals and had three misses inside 40 yards. A healthy Powell should return to his sophomore form, when he averaged 16 yards per punt return.

Final Analysis

Although Teevens built his reputation on his offensive savvy, Stanford's hopes will probably rest on its defense. Skeptics will wonder how much improvement can be expected of players who allowed 34.3 points per game, but Stanford has its share of physically gifted athletes who might come into their own after a year's worth of seasoning.

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