Orange Bowl 2011: 10 Things You Need to Know about the Stanford Cardinal
It's bowl season, people, and you know what that means. If you thought college football was on the decline because the regular season is over, you are wrong.
Bowl season is a whole separate ordeal in and of itself, and thus merits a whole lot of coverage, so everyone can enjoy the final matchups of the year as best as they possibly can.
So, in carrying on the tradition of giving you more information than you're likely able to handle, here are 10 things you need to know about the Stanford Cardinal as they head to the Orange Bowl.
10. Stanford Hasn't Won a Bowl Game in 14 Years
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This is unfamiliar territory for the Stanford Cardinal.
Stanford went to its first bowl game last year since 2002, where they suffered a tough defeat to Oklahoma, extending their bowl losing streak to three, with their last win being in the 1996 Sun Bowl against the Michigan State Spartans.
Even more interesting is the fact that the Cardinal has not won a BCS bowl since their 1971 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
9. Stanford Can Still Run the Ball
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One of the biggest knocks against Stanford at the beginning of this year was that they wouldn't be able to run the ball after the departure of Heisman finalist Toby Gerhart (who was drafted in the second round of last year's NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings).
The Cardinal ended the regular season ranked No. 17 in the FBS in rushing yards per game average at 211 yards.
Surprise!
The Cardinal ran a bit of a committee backfield, focusing on senior Stepfan Taylor, but rotating in true freshman Anthony Wilkerson (a player with a lot of promise) and redshirt sophomore Tyler Gaffney.
They also continued to have excellent offensive line play, which could have been the real difference-maker as far as continuity goes.
8. Owen Marecic
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As some of you may know, Owen Marecic is the starting fullback for the Cardinal, and is considered the best traditional blocking fullback in this year's NFL Draft (although he has shown good hands and running ability as well).
This picture on the left, though, is from defense.
Owen Marecic is a remnant of the past, in that he is the only two-way player currently playing in the FBS, and is part of a waning group of said players.
Marecic is a crushing blocker (arguably the biggest part of the Stanford power running game), a good goal-line pass-catcher and rusher and a surprisingly good inside linebacker.
He is so good in both of these categories that, during Stanford's game against Notre Dame, Marecic scored an offensive touchdown (one-yard rush) and defensive touchdown (interception returned for a touchdown) within 13 seconds of each other.
The last player to score on offense and defense in the same game? Utah's former handyman Eric Weddle.
Marecic is simply fun to watch. Keep your eyes on him, because he will make plays in the Orange Bowl, guaranteed.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. The Much-Improved Stanford Defense
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Last year, the biggest pitfall of the Stanford Cardinal was their defense. Often times it appeared as though they couldn't stop anything even if they wanted to.
This year, under first-year defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the Cardinal ended the season as the No. 11 defense in the FBS for points against (averaging only 17.8 points).
Even more is the improvement in turnover production. Last year, the Cardinal forced only eight turnovers on defense.
This year? Nineteen (17 interceptions, two fumble recoveries).
A defense that teams used to laugh at has now become their greatest fear.
6. Stanford's Underrated Receiving Corps
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Sure, maybe it has a bit to do with who is throwing them the ball, but it's hard to deny that the Stanford Cardinal boasts a lot of receiving talent.
The three main players: Doug Baldwin, Chris Owusu and Ryan Whalen.
Doug Baldwin ended his career at Stanford with a bang, racking up 824 yards and eight touchdowns on 56 receptions. Baldwin has been inconsistent at times, but he has grabbed passes out of double coverage, made athletic sideline receptions, and shown big-play ability (take his season-long 81-yard touchdown reception as an example).
Chris Owusu is quite similar to Doug Baldwin as a deep threat. He has burning speed, decent hands and is one of the toughest players on the field. He was hampered by injury this season, but still managed to average 16.4 yards per reception and add three touchdowns to his career total.
Ryan Whalen, unlike the other two stars, is a Wes Welker kind of player. He isn't extremely fast, and he isn't the biggest player on the field, but he plays with a lot of intelligence, and his surprising strength and elusiveness have led him to become the second-best receiver for the Cardinal, and one of the best short-yardage threats out there.
5. The Cardinal Football Controversy
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Pictured here are two of the most important people to the Stanford Cardinal football team.
Also pictured here are two people who have been rumored to be on their way out the door this offseason.
In case you don't know, these two people are star quarterback Andrew Luck, who is assumed to declare for the draft and would be the consensus No. 1 overall pick in April, and head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has taken Stanford from 1-11 to 11-1 in the span of four years.
If these two leave after this season, it could be devastating for the Cardinal. All signs seem to point to them staying here for another year, though, which would mean minimal losses for Stanford.
4. The Offensive Line
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It should come as no surprise that the Cardinal placed three offensive linemen on the First Team All-Pac-10.
Stanford gave up an incredibly low five sacks through the 12-game regular season, and simply looked as though they could not be broken.
The offensive line consistently creates large, comfortable pockets for Andrew Luck, even against star defensive linemen like Stephen Paea and Cameron Jordan.
They are even excellent in run blocking. The Cardinal dominated the line of scrimmage, opening up huge running lanes for Stepfan Taylor, a major reason why the running game has hardly lost a step without the departed Toby Gerhart.
3. Defensive Line Play
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The most important part about the 3-4 defense is the play of the defensive line. If your three big men up front cannot occupy the offensive line and shut down running lanes, things are going to be difficult covering the run.
Somehow, though, the Stanford Cardinal has made the transition almost seamlessly. The play of the two defensive ends, Mattt Masafilo and Brian Bulke, has been pretty good, but the key to the new scheme has to be Sione Fua.
As a 4-3 defensive tackle, Sione Fua was a middle of the pack kind of guy. He was good against the run and he showed decent pass rush ability, but he didn't really stick out as a player.
This year, though, he has really held it down as a nose guard, and he has subsequently seen his draft stock pick up a lot of steam.
These guys have been the key to the new success that the Stanford defense has found.
2. Andrew Luck
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If you don't know who this guy is, it is clear that you haven't been watching college football this year.
Andrew Luck is the best quarterback in the NCAA right now and, had it not been for Cam Newton, would be the clear favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this year.
He is incredibly accurate, moves very well in the pocket, has a big arm and is surprisingly good on the run. He is the best professional prospect in the NCAA right now, and he makes every game great fun to watch, as you're assured to see him complete the long ball at least once.
1. Resilience
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If there is one quality that head coach Jim Harbaugh has instilled in his players, it is resilience. This is a team that comes out fired up every week, and that plays with fire, no matter what is going on.
This has arguably been the most important factor in their success. As their advertising slogan from 2009 suggests, the Cardinal work, and they work hard.
No matter what odds they are against, the Cardinal show up to play, and they play until the final whistle blows, the biggest reason as to why they are so much fun to watch.
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
11 of 11The Hypnotoad tells you to watch the Orange Bowl. And also to leave comments. The second one is optional.
Like the article? Follow me on Twitter @chriseggemeyer
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
