Stanford Football Midseason Report Card

The season is half over and Stanford is in its bye week, so it's the perfect time for the mid-year report card. Jim Harbaugh's Cardinal have had some major highs and very few lows, but how has each unit performed? Let's examine the offense, defense, special teams and more, and dish out grades accordingly.

Here it is, your mid-season report card:

Offense

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PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 09: Andrew Luck #12 of the Stanford Cardinal drops back to pass the ball against the USC Trojans at Stanford Stadium on October 9, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

But for one miserable half against Oregon, Andrew Luck’s offense would earn an A+.

Luck has fully lived up to his hype, leading an incredibly efficient attack down the throats of every opponent the Cardinal have faced. Stanford scored eight straight touchdowns vs. Wake Forest (then took out the starters), punted only once to USC (on the first drive) and have been among the nation’s most effective offenses week in and week out.

It may not be as fast-paced and high-scoring as Oregon’s, but that’s a function of Jim Harbaugh’s “grind it out” design. Even in the post-Toby era, the offense is clearly the major strength of this team.

Grade: A

Defense

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SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 25: Shayne Skov #11 of the Stanford Cardinal hits Dayne Crist #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish forcing Crist to fumble at Notre Dame Stadium on September 25, 2010 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Imag

This is a lot harder to grade. Against bottom-feeders, Vic Fangio’s new 3-4 defense has been stellar. The Cardinal weren’t giving up the big play, were bending but never breaking, and were getting to the quarterback seemingly with ease. That changed at Oregon.

Starting with the Autzen visit, the D has given up huge numbers twice in a row. Stanford had no answer to Oregon’s offense, and left USC’s wide receivers basically uncovered for an entire game. But is it time to panic? Hardly.

Oregon and USC have two of the best offenses in the country, and Stanford doesn’t match up well with either team’s speed. The games were supposed to be the “murderers' row” for the Cardinal, and to judge the D solely based on those results would be foolish. So while it does lower the Card’s grade slightly, the end result has still been very acceptable.

Grade: B

Special Teams

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PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 09: Nate Whitaker #39 of the Stanford Cardinal kicks a field goal to beat the USC Trojans 37-35 at Stanford Stadium on October 9, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Field Goals: Great

PATs: Bad

Punts and Kickoffs: Great

Returns: Mostly non-existent

Consistency: Good

Game-Changing Plays: Average

My only major thoughts on special teams are as follows: 1) Nate Whitaker has been Stanford’s best kicker in as long as I can remember; 2) What happened to our dangerous kick returns? The blocking doesn’t look as sure as it did last season, and that’s a minor disappointment.

Grade: B+

Coaching

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SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 25: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Stanford Cardinal yells as he watches his team take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on September 25, 2010 in South Bend, Indiana. Stanford defeated Notre Dame 37-14. (Pho

Let’s see… Stanford reaches the top 10, gets national championship attention, has a legitimate BCS chance and has already beaten the damn Trojans for the third time in four years. And of course this comes at a program that seemed doomed to perpetual irrelevance just four years ago.

Harbaugh takes the right chances, manages the game efficiently, and seems to honestly care about his players. He’s also got a staff of NFL guys who clearly know what they’re doing, and Fangio in particular seems to be making great strides with the D. Opponents may complain bitterly about the Harbaugh show, but as a Stanford fan I couldn’t feel better.

Grade: A+

Overall

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PALO ALTO, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Andrew Luck #12 and Richard Sherman #9 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrate from the sidelines after Stanford scored a touchdown to go up 67-24 in the fourth quarter of their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Stanf

Four years ago, they said Stanford could never be relevant. Last year, they said the Cardinal couldn’t replace Toby Gerhart. This year, the Cardinal are a top-15 with one loss (to No.2 team and No.1 loudest stadium in the country). Clearly the midterm grades are going to be good. But there’s still work to do.

For this season to be truly special, Stanford needs to keep playing with the passion that got it here and take care of business every week. If Harbaugh’s boys can do that, this could be a legendary year.

Grade: A