Notre Dame reaches the halfway point of the season when they return to Notre Dame Stadium to take on Pac-12 foe Stanford. The Cardinal have become one of the best teams in the nation in recent years, but now with top overall draft pick Andrew Luck gone and Jim Harbaugh's influence waning, how will Stanford respond. They'll still be tough and you wonder if the Irish can snap their losing streak this season.
LAST YEAR
Stanford had one of their finest seasons in school history going 11-1 in the regular season with only a loss to Oregon blemishing their record. For their effort, the Cardinal received a bid to the Fiesta Bowl where they fell to Oklahoma State 41-38 in overtime.
Against Notre Dame, Stanford jumped out to a lead and were able to hold off ND 28-14 for their fourth straight win over the Fighting Irish.
STRENGTHS
Stanford may have lost a ton on offense, but one guy they do bring back is senior tailback Stepfan Taylor. Taylor isn't a guy that gets a whole lot of publicity, especially when Andrew Luck is the quarterback, yet he's put together a terrific career. Last season he rushed for 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns while also catching 25 more receptions and two more scores. With a lot of new offensive talent around this year, Taylor will be a huge weapon for the Cardinal this season.
Stanford's defense ranked 26th in total defense last season and could challenge for that high of a ranking again. The front seven returns nearly intact and welcomes back Shayne Skov who missed nearly all of last season after injuring his knee. The secondary may have some holes, but the front seven will be a handful.
WEAKNESSES
Obviously when a team loses maybe the best quarterback in school history, that position is going to be viewed as a weakness to begin the season. No matter who fills the role, they're not going to be as good as Luck. Right now the competition centers around Brett Nottingham and Josh Nunes with Nunes possibly having the upperhand. Both may play, or one may take over. It won't matter either way because it's not Luck leading the huddle.
Besides Luck, the Cardinal lose a bunch of other talented offensive players. Tight end Coby Fleener, receivers Griff Whalen and Chris Owusu, running back Tyler Gaffney, and offensive linemen Johnathan Martin, Tyler Mabry and David DeCastro are all gone. It's tough enough to replace a starting quarterback, but to replace all the rest of the losses too? It's going to be a learning process early on.
BIGGEST QUESTION
Can Stanford maintain its excellence? Jim Harbaugh turned Stanford into a national power. With his departure to the NFL coupled now with the loss of Andrew Luck and increasingly the rest of Harbaugh's recruits, it remains to be seen if David Shaw can keep it up. The recruiting has been going well and the first year under Shaw was a success, but as Harbaugh's influence wanes and Shaw's increases, we just don't know how it'll work out. This year could go a long way to answering that question.
OVERVIEW
It seems obvious that the Cardinal will not be as good as they have been the past couple of seasons. Losing Andrew Luck almost guarantees that. But they will still be a formidable foe and a team in contention for a Pac-12 title. They do get four of their first five games at home with San Jose State and Duke warm ups for their showdown against USC in week three. They also have to travel to Washington, Notre Dame, and Oregon so the schedule appears to be another factor towards a potential dip. Still, while 10 or 11 wins may not be possible, eight or nine seems likely with an outside shot at more if the offense can come together. Oregon will once again be the biggest obstacle in their way to the Pac-12 championship game. Their trip to Eugene on November 17th could determine the North Division champion and the berth in the game.
Against Notre Dame, the Irish will either be rolling or limping into the contest. This seems like the best shot ND has had in beating the Cardinal since their last win in 2007, but it won't come easy. If Stanford is struggling on offense and Notre Dame has answered their questions, there's no reason to believe the Irish cannot win. But the odds may be 50/50 at best right now.
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