Well . . . that didn't go as planned, did it? Another trip to the woodshed for the Trojans, and this one hurt. Stanford ran left, ran right, and ran up the middle for a stunning 325 yards, and there was nothing SC could do about it.
I'm in pain writing about this shellacking . . . But here it goes:
Offense
QB - QB Matt Barkley had his worst game as a Trojan. You simply can't win with (3) INTs. Barkley had some terrific throws in the game, but those costly turnovers, which included a fumble, did him in. Barkley finished 21 - 31 for 196 yards with a TD pass and was sacked twice, as well.
Grade: D minus
RB/FB - RB Joe McKnight was a bright spot for the Trojans, finishing with 142 yards rushing on just (16) carries - a 9 ypc average. RB Allen Bradford had a TD run, but left the game early with an injury. Grade: B
WR/TE - WR Brice Butler had a little bit of a break out game, catching six balls for nearly 100 yards and a TD. RoJo also chipped in (7) receptions. No other receiver, however, was able to make an impact on the game. Grade: C
OLine - This group did not play that badly, and I don't think they were put in position to control the contest in the running game, even though McKnight had a very good game. They did give up a couple of sacks QB hurries, but that was due to SC's need to throw the ball exclusively in the 2nd half. Grade: C minus
Defense
DLine - This unit didn't make a play the whole game. Grade: F
LBs - See above comment. Grade: F
DBs - When the top tacklers for the game are the DBs . . . you know you are in trouble. Although the Cardinal passing game was not a problem, SC's DBs combined for (41) tackles, led by safety Will Harris who had twelve, coming up to make stops in the running game. Grade: C minus
Coaching
The offensive coaches missed the boat completely in this game. SC did not take advantage of the running game working well with Joe McKnight. This was a game in which McKnight should have had (30) carries, not the 16 he got. That would have allowed the Trojans to wear down the Cardinal defense, and keep the potent Cardinal offense off the field. Instead, SC passed on first down too much, and stayed in 3rd and long situations that were low percentage opportunities.
Defensively, I gotta blame the players. The whole stadium knew what Stanford was going to do . . . run the ball. Still SC was not able to stop it. And it wasn't just Cardinal RB Toby Gerhart who did the damage. On 3rd downs, QB Andrew Luck ran for a couple of key 1st downs on scrambles. At some point, a Trojan defender needed to make a stop . . . and they did not do it. Grade: F
Prediction Winner: There were no winners in this one.
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