Offense |
Defense |
Depth Chart |
Further Analysis
It could even be argued that Harris deserved considering for Pac 10
Coach of the Year considering the team's talent level and a 4-4
conference record with the losses coming to Oregon, UCLA, USC and
Cal teams that finished with a combined 40 wins. But more fans will
only remember the 2006 Cardinal for one thing.
UC Davis 20, Stanford 17.
The Aggies were a mediocre D-IAA team finishing the year 6-5, and
their stunning upset over the Cardinal proved to be the difference
between a bowl bid and sitting at home for Harris's club.
Getting up for every game was one of the knocks on Harris's
Pittsburgh teams, and for Stanford to keep its head above water in
the improving Pac 10, it's going to have to win every close game and
beat every team it's supposed to.
Head coach: Walt Harris
2nd season: 5-6
13th year overall: 68-74
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 25, Def. 19, ST 2
Lettermen Lost: 19 |
Ten
Best Cardinal Players
1. QB Trent Edwards, Sr.
2. WR Evan Moore, Sr.
3. WR Mark Bradford, Sr.
4. SS Brandon Harrison, Sr.
5. LB Michael Okwo, Sr.
6. P Jay Ottovegio, Soph.
7. LB Mike Silva, Sr.
8. CB Nick Sanchez, Sr.
9. FS Trevor Hooper, Sr.
10. OT Allen Smith, Jr. |
|
2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
5-7 |
| 9/2 |
at Oregon |
| 9/9 |
at San Jose State |
| 9/16 |
Navy |
| 9/23 |
Washington State |
|
9/30 |
at UCLA |
| 10/7 |
at Notre Dame |
| 10/14 |
Arizona |
| 10/21 |
at Arizona State |
| 11/4 |
USC |
| 11/11 |
at Washington |
| 11/18 |
Oregon State |
| 12/2 |
at California |
|
|
2005
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
3-8
2005 Record: 5-6
Preview
2005 predicted wins |
| 9/10 |
at Navy
W 41-38 |
| 9/17 |
UC Davis
L 20-17 |
|
10/1 |
Oregon L 44-20 |
| 10/8 |
at Wash State W 24-21 |
| 10/15 |
at Arizona W 20-16 |
| 10/22 |
Arizona State W 45-35 |
| 10/29 |
UCLA
L 30-27 OT |
| 11/5 |
at USC L 51-21 |
| 11/12 |
at Oregon St W 20-17 |
| 11/19 |
California L 27-3 |
| 11/26 |
Notre Dame L 38-31 |
|
Because of
the academic restrictions, Stanford will never get the talent level
within 100 miles of where other Pac 10 teams can get to, but that
doesn't mean the program can't be successful. With a ton of returning
experience and the coaching staff settled into its second season,
there's no reason the program can't come up with its first winning
season since 2001.
Stanford will never have a top defense, but that's O.K. playing in the
Pac 10; no one outside of the UCLA basketball team can play D. However,
the offense has to be good enough to hang 30 on the board on a regular
basis, and Stanford couldn't do that last year with only five games with
24 or more points. In those five games, the Cardinal won three with the
two losses coming on last-second miracle comebacks by UCLA and Notre
Dame. In other words, a more potent offense will mean more wins. It's
that simple.
And a better attack should be an almost certainty with senior QB Trent
Edwards possibly being this year's version of Jay Cutler and becoming a
rising favorite among the NFL scouts. There's no depth in the receiving
corps, but the combination of Mark Bradford and Evan Moore will arguably
be second in the league only to USC's dynamic duo of Dwayne Jarrett and
Steve Smith. The line is very big and very experienced, but it has to
keep Edwards clean after allowing 83 sacks in the last two seasons and
getting no push whatsoever for the running game. The backs aren't good
enough to make plays on their own.
It'll be a fun second season under Harris with at least one major upset
and plenty of exciting shootouts. Most importantly, there's no UC Davis
on the schedule.
The Schedule: Only
having five home games might not seem that pretty, but two of the
road games are against San Jose State and Cal. Even so, it's not a
slate conducive for a big season having to go on the road to face
Oregon right off the bat and with trips to UCLA, Notre Dame and
Arizona State. This wasn't a bad road team last year going 4-1, so a
win at Washington is a possibility along with a few upsets. Forget
about going through the home slate cleanly with USC coming to
Stanford Stadium, but there's no reason the Cardinal can't go 4-1
beating Navy, Washington State, Arizona and Oregon State.
Best
Offensive Player: Senior QB Trent Edwards. It's his time to step
up and be the league's best quarterback. It's asking a lot in a
conference with Arizona State's Sam Keller and USC's John David
Booty (or Mark Sanchez), but he has all the tools and talents to be
a difference maker in at least two wins over bigger name programs.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior SS Brandon Harrison. There are other good
veterans on the Cardinal D from linebackers Michael Okwo and Mike
Silva, to defensive backs Nick Sanchez and Trevor Hooper, but
Harrison is the steadiest all-around playmaker and the tone-setter
for the secondary.
Key
player to a successful season: Offensive tackles Jon Cochran, Jeff
Edwards and Allen Smith. Stanford finished last in the Pac 10 in
total offense and last in rushing offense because of an offensive
line that finished 116th in the nation in sacks allowed and paved
the way for a mere 2.6 yards per carry. The tackles have size and
experience, and now they have to produce to allow the skill players
time and room to work.
The
season will be a success if ... Stanford wins seven games. It's a
better team than last year when it won five games and came within a
loss to UC Davis from going to a bowl game. Improving by another two
games isn't asking for too much considering all the returning
experience.
Key
game:
September 2nd at Oregon. The Ducks ripped through
the Cardinal 44-20 last season, but these two play in the season
opener this season. If you're going to pull off an upset, the best
chance to do it is the first game of the season when neither team
has had any game experience. While Oregon has plenty of veterans
returning, a great showing in Autzen Stadium would do wonders with
three winnable games (at San Jose State, Navy and Washington State)
ahead. A blowout loss wouldn't send up panic flares, but it wouldn't
be a good sign.
2005
Fun Stats:
- Fourth quarter scoring: Opponents 116 - Stanford 50
- Rushing touchdowns: Opponents 23 - Stanford 8
- Fourth down conversions: Opponents 9 of 16 (56%) - Stanford 1 of 7
(14%)
The Last Time Stanford…
…played in a bowl game…2001 (Seattle
Bowl vs. Georgia Tech)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…1996 (Michigan State)
…was shutout…2004 (UCLA)
…scored 50 points…2002 (San Jose State)
…went undefeated…1940
…won a conference title…1999 (Pac-10)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…1998 (Todd Husak)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…1991 (Tommy Vardell)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1999 (Troy Walters)
…had a first-round draft choice…2003 (OT Kwame Harris)