Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/531612
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 133 BY JORDAN WELLS Stanford head coach David Shaw's squads finished 11-2, 12-2 and 11-3 overall, respec- tively, in his first three years in Palo Alto, Calif., including Rose Bowl appearances in 2012 and 2013. So despite a slide to 8-5 in 2014, and many starters departing the pro- gram, there's still a lot of optimism around the Cardinal entering 2015. "The expectations for this year's team are fairly high," said Andy Drukarev, publisher of CardinalSportsReport.com on the Rivals network. "Fifth-year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan had a terrific spring, building upon a very strong conclusion to last season. He'll be joined by a number of returning standouts on offense in what should be Stan- ford's most productive offense since Andrew Luck's last season on The Farm in 2011. "There are far more questions on the de- fensive side of the ball, where the majority of Stanford's defensive starters from 2014 graduated, and the program will look to sev- eral younger players to fill openings. But if Stanford's offense clicks and the defense stays healthy, I think 9-3 is a realistic record, and I wouldn't be shocked by 10-2. If the front-seven loses players due to injury and the offense falters like it did at times last year, the Cardinal could be in some trouble." Matching Luck's group, which averaged 6.8 yards per play (No. 6 nationally in 2011), is a lofty goal to aim for — but the Cardinal looks poised to at least jump to the next level from last year's 5.9 yards per play. Hogan returns after completing 232 of 352 passes (65.9 percent) for 2,792 yards with 19 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. The Cardinal also retains four of five starting offensive linemen, adds nationally coveted five-star wide receiver Trent Irwin to the mix, and features a blend of experience and incoming talent at tight end with junior Aus- tin Hooper and sophomore Dalton Schultz. Defensively, the unit that finished second nationally last year in yards per play allowed (4.2) loses eight of its top 10 tacklers, but the line looks to at least be in solid shape with the addition of transfer Brennan Scarlett from California. Talented linemen David Parry and Henry Anderson are among the departures, but Harrison Phillips and Solo- mon Thomas are expected to fill in nicely. Two departed NFL Draft picks from the secondary in safety Jordan Richards and cor- nerback Alex Carter could prove tough to re- place, but defensive backs coach Duane Akina has an impressive résumé that should help ease the transition for the younger talent. ✦ 2015 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2014 Result Sept. 5 at Northwestern — Sept. 12 UCF — Sept. 19 at USC L, 13-10 Sept. 25 at Oregon State W, 38-14 Oct. 3 Arizona — Oct. 15 UCLA W, 31-10 Oct. 24 Washington W, 20-13 Oct. 31 at Washington State W, 34-17 Nov. 7 at Colorado — Nov. 14 Oregon L, 45-16 Nov. 21 California W, 38-17 Nov. 28 Notre Dame L, 17-14 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 19-10 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 17, Stanford 14 (Oct. 4, 2014; South Bend) Head Coach: David Shaw, 42-12 (5th year) 2014 Results: 8-5 overall, 5-4 Pac-12 (finish); de- feated Maryland 45-21 in the Foster Farms Bowl Returning Starters: 8 (6 offense, 2 defense) 2015 Preseason Rankings: No. 7 by Phil Steele's, No. 11 by Sports Illustrated, No. 13 by Brian Fre- meau's FEI, No. 17 by ESPN's FPI, No. 24 by Athlon and Sporting News and No. 26 by Lindy's Did You Know?: Stanford's leading returning rusher, Remound Wright, is a former four-star recruit from Fort Wayne, Ind. … Class of 2015 signee Trent Irwin is the first five-star addition for the Cardinal since Andrus Peat, Kyle Murphy and Aziz Shittu in 2012. Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Stanford 23 STRENGTH: Tight End It comes as no surprise that tight end is a loaded group at Stanford. The Cardinal has a reputation for using multiple tight ends on a regular basis, one that has helped the team recruit the position well in re- cent years. Junior Austin Hooper reeled in 40 catches for 499 yards and two touchdowns in 2014, and NFLDraftScout.com projects the 6-4, 249-pounder as the No. 1 tight end in the 2018 NFL Draft. Juniors Greg Taboada and Eric Cotton follow Hooper on the depth chart, but don't be surprised if 6-6, 239-pound sophomore Dalton Schultz — who redshirted last year — leaps his way into the rotation. Hooper was the lone tight end last season to receive a large share of targets from quarterback Kevin Ho- gan. Expect the tight ends to see a bounce-back year at Stanford. WEAKNESS: Secondary Jordan Richards anchored the defensive backs with 79 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and five passes broken ups in 2014, before being selected by the New England Patriots in the second round of the NFL Draft. The only Cardinal player to record more passes defended than Richards was cornerback Alex Carter, whose nine passes broken up and one interception also helped him find a home in the NFL — selected in the third round by the De- troit Lions. Safety Kyle Olugbode finished third on the team with six passes defended in 2014, and he also left the program. Fifth-year senior Ronnie Harris is the lone figure with any significant experience returning, play- ing in 13 games (three starts) last season. The projected starters at safety appear to be con- verted offensive players in former wide receiver Kodi Whitfield and former quarterback Dallas Lloyd. Stan- ford signed multiple four-star secondary prospects in the 2014 and 2015 classes, including three in the last class, but how that talent translates to the field remains to be seen. STANFORD CARDINAL NOV. 28 • STANFORD STADIUM • PALO ALTO, CALIF. RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Remound Wright (601 yards, 11 TD) Passing: QB Kevin Hogan (2,792 yards, 19 TD) Receiving: WR Devon Cajuste (557 yards, 6 TD) Tackles: LB Blake Martinez (102) Sacks: LB Kevin Anderson (5.5) Interceptions: LB Blake Martinez (3) X-FACTOR: Fifth-year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 2,792 yards with 19 touchdowns and only eight interceptions last year. PHOTO BY STANFORDPHOTO.COM