Stanford Football: Winners and Losers from Week 9 vs. Washington State

With smothering defense and fantastic special teams, the Stanford Cardinal have plenty to celebrate with their 24-17 win over the Washington State Cougars.

And while David Shaw has his team back in the thick of the Pac-12 North, Mike Leach is struggling to keep the Cougs—and his job—relevant.

Here's a look at some of the big winners and losers from Saturday's contest.

Loser: Mike Leach

Once again, Mike Leach and his high-powered offense were stifled.

Over their last three games, the Cougars have managed just 40 points, while averaging 333 total yards per game. They've rushed for a meager 40 yards.

WSU is now in a deep 0-5 hole in conference play, with just two wins on the whole season. With UCLA, Arizona State and Washington still on the schedule, the season is looking bleak.

To say Leach is on the hot seat is an understatement.

Winner: David Shaw

While one head coach's Pac-12 tenure is tumbling, another keeps getting stronger.

Entering his second year as Stanford's head coach, David Shaw was facing a tough situation. The NFL draft took away his star quarterback, two offensive lineman and a great tight end.

And while the season has seen some ups and downs, the Cardinal continue to march on with Shaw at the helm.

With another big conference win, Stanford is now tied for second in the Pac-12 North at 4-1. With games coming up against both Oregon schools, Shaw has the Cardinal in a great position.

Loser: Josh Nunes

Josh Nunes had a tough day Saturday, completing seven of just 15 passes for 136 yards.

Over his last two starts, Nunes is averaging only 175 yards per game, despite facing defenses that were giving up an average of 260 per game.

While no one expected Nunes to be Andrew Luck, he has to play better than this.

Over Stanford's next four games, they will face three teams that rank in the Top Five in rushing defense in the conference. Those will be hard to win if Nunes can't ramp things up.

Winner: Stanford Defense

No doubt the Stanford defense won this game. As a unit, they finished the game with 385 yards allowed, 10 sacks and one interception.

The lone interception was returned 25 yards for a touchdown, becoming the go-ahead score for Stanford.

Over their last three games, the Cardinal have allowed just 799 yards passing and a minuscule 137 yards rushing. Opponents have only scored 40 points in that span.

Loser: Oregon State Beavers

With the Stanford win, and Oregon State's road loss, these two teams now share a lot in common.

For one, they both lost on the road to Washington while ranked in the Top 10. More importantly, they're now 4-1 in conference play, tied for second place in the Pac-12 North.

In two weeks, these two teams will battle it out. With both teams yet to play Oregon, their match could have a monumental impact on the Pac-12 North. Unfortunately for the Beavers, the game will be played at Stanford.

With this big Cardinal win, and a big Beaver loss, November 10 just got a lot more interesting.

Winner/Loser: Jeff Tuel

Jeff Tuel has battled it out with Connor Halliday all season long for the Cougars starting quarterback job. With Saturday's game in the books, looks like Tuel has finally sealed the deal.

The senior completed 43 of 60 passes for a career-high 401 yards. He also had two touchdown passes, giving him seven on the season.

While WSU's season is all but lost, Tuel can at least finish his senior season as the undisputed starter.

So why is he also considered a loser? The guy was sacked 10 times, and that just can't feel very good.

Winner: Daniel Zychlinski

While the defense won the game for Stanford, it wasn't the only X factor.

When an opponent wins the time of possession battle like Washington State did, it's often times up to special teams to make sure you win the field position battle.

Cardinal punter Daniel Zychlinski did a great job of this Saturday. He finished the day averaging 42.8 yards per punt, with only one returned and three dropped within the Cougars' 20.

In such a close game, Zychlinski made all the difference.