Anthony Kimble Has Led the Cardinal in Rushing Each of the Last Two Seasons
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INTRODUCTION SEASON OUTLOOK COACHING STAFF PROFILES PLAYER 2007 REVIEW 2008 OPPONENTS RECORDS HISTORY UNIVERSITY Anthony Kimble has led the Cardinal in rushing each of the last two seasons. WWW.GOSTANFORD.COM • 31 Clinton Snyder is a nominee for 2008 Outlook the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik Awards. Stanford Football Hopes to Take Another Step Forward in 2008 Quarterback Tavita Pritchard led Stanford to victory over top-ranked USC in his first collegiate start. ew will argue Stanford was a much-improved (322.5). After going through the growing pains of learning its top four receivers from a year ago. Stanford will count on Ffootball team in 2007 under first-year head coach Jim a new offensive system under Harbaugh, Stanford hopes junior Richard Sherman (39 for 651, 4 TDs) and promising Harbaugh. familiarity of a new system, stability at quarterback and a sophomores Doug Baldwin (11 for 93) and Ryan Whalen The final record of 4-8, which included an epic upset healthy backfield will pave the way to a more consistent (1 for 11) to offset the losses of Mark Bradford (51 for 642, 3 victory over top-ranked USC and a notable win in the offensive attack in 2008. TDs) and Evan Moore (39 for 481) in the receiving corps. A season finale against defending Pac-10 Conference co- Stanford is unsettled at the quarterback position, big play receiver, Sherman led the team in receiving yardage champion California, was a three-game improvement which is not being viewed as a big concern heading into and touchdown receptions last season, while Baldwin and from the previous year, when the Cardinal struggled to fall camp, as the Cardinal feels it has three legitimate Whalen saw time in a reserve role. a 1-11 overall mark, including 1-8 in conference play. A options with seniors Tavita Pritchard, Michigan-transfer The Cardinal returns two tight ends in seniors Jim similar leap this year would land Stanford in a bowl game Jason Forcier, along with junior Alex Loukas, competing Dray (9 for 116, 1 TD) and Austin Gunder (10 for 86, for the first time since the 2001 season. for the starting role. Pritchard has the edge in experience, 2 TDs), however, Dray is a question mark heading into Statistically, the Cardinal improved in virtually every having made seven starts among his nine appearances last the season as he continues to heal from a season-ending category, most notably on defense, where Stanford year, including an upset over USC in his first career start. knee injury suffered in the TCU game. Notre Dame- finished with 37 sacks on the year, the fifth-highest total in Forcier saw brief time in a reserve role with the Wolverines transfer Konrad Reuland figures to play a large role in the Pac-10, ninth-best in the nation and 23 more than the in 2006, while Loukas has been an understudy to Trent the receiving game starting with the fourth game of the previous year’s total of 14. Not to be overlooked is the fact Edwards, T.C. Ostrander and Pritchard in his first two season at Washington. Stanford went from -11 to +3 in turnover margin, which years on The Farm. Defensively, Stanford welcomes back 18 letterwinners, was the second best mark in the Pac-10 behind Oregon. Regardless of who earns the start in the August 28 including 11 starters, from last year’s unit that was more Next steps? A healthier Stanford team that includes 43 opener against Oregon State, Stanford will be left with improved than numbers alone might indicate. The most returning letterwinners (24 offense, 18 defense, 1 specialist) two very capable backup signal-callers, which is a necessity notable change in personnel is on the sideline, where the and 20 returning starters (9 offense, 11 defense) along with over the course of a rigorous Pac-10 schedule. Cardinal welcomes 38-year coaching veteran Ron Lynn to the familiarity of new offensive and defensive systems, should Stanford is banking on a healthy backfield of Anthony position of co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. lead to more consistency across the board. However, at Kimble (115 for 509, 8 TDs) and Toby Gerhart (12 The Cardinal features two preseason honors candidates the end of the day, Harbaugh, a 15-year NFL quarterback, for 140, 1 TD) to shoulder the majority of the run on defense. Clinton Snyder (63-33-96), who is on knows his team will be judged by one thing – results. production after both players missed significant time preseason watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck “Everything that occurred in our first season is water due to injuries last season. Kimble saw action in just Bednarik Awards, leads a talented group of starting under the bridge, gone – never to be replayed,” said seven games, which was all he needed to lead Stanford linebackers that includes senior Pat Maynor (47-41- Harbaugh. “However, we can learn from the past. My squad in rushing and all-purpose yardage (136.9 per game). 88) and sophomore Chike Amajoyi (30-17-47). Safety and I understand that our goals have not been reached. Gerhart was well on his way to possibly shattering Bo McNally (71-43-114), last year’s leading tackler and “The greatest improvements made in a program come Stanford’s single-game rushing record in the second a candidate for the Ronnie Lott Award, heads up an from season one to season two. Nothing stands still; you game of last season against San Jose State, as he racked experienced secondary that includes returning starters are either getting better or getting worse. It’s important to up 140 yards on 12 carries, but suffered a season-ending Wopamo Osaisai (26-19-45), Austin Yancy (36-13-49) ask ourselves every day, ‘Are we getting closer to winning injury in the third quarter. and Kris Evans (27-13-40). the Pac-10?” It starts today. Injuries to Kimble and Gerhart created an opportunity With defensive ends Pannel Egboh (33-16-49) and “After wins over USC and Cal and the limited success for Jeremy Stewart, who finished his freshman year as Erik Lorig (23-14-37), along with tackle Ekom Udofia we had last season, we can’t allow ourselves to feel the team’s second leading rusher with 343 yards on 105 (21-10-31) returning to occupy starting roles upfront, comfortable. We have to challenge ourselves in the areas carries (3.3 average). Stewart gained confidence as the Stanford is optimistic the improvement this unit showed that need to be addressed in order to move forward.” season progressed, rushing for a combined 178 yards over a year ago will carry over into the 2008 season. Offensively, Stanford welcomes back 24 letterwinners the final three games of the season. Stanford’s kicking game will be entirely rebuilt following from last year’s unit that finished last in the Pac-10 in Establishing depth at wide receiver will be a main point of the losses of four-year starting punter Jay Ottovegio and scoring offense (19.6 points per game) and total offense emphasis, as the Cardinal looks to offset the losses of three of placekicker Derek Belch. 32 • WWW.GOSTANFORD.COM Here’s a position-by-position look at the 2008 Cardinal: Offense Quarterback INTRODUCTION The competition for the starting quarterback position figures to be the most-watched battle of the fall camp, with seniors Tavita Pritchard (6-4, 198) and Jason Forcier (6-2, 213) and junior Alex Loukas (6-4, 223) all vying for the starting role. Regardless of which player wins the starting job, Stanford will have quality depth at the position which will serve the Cardinal well during a long SEASON OUTLOOK Pac-10 Conference season. Pritchard has the edge in experience after making nine appearances and seven starts a year ago, completing 97-of-194 (50%) of his passes for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns. He secured his spot in Stanford football lore when he engineered an epic, 24-23 upset of top- ranked USC in his first career start, connecting with Mark COACHING STAFF PROFILES PLAYER 2007 REVIEW 2008 OPPONENTS RECORDS HISTORY UNIVERSITY Bradford on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 0:49 left to seal one of the biggest upsets in college football history. Forcier sat out last season after transferring from the University of Michigan, where he saw action in six games as a reserve quarterback in 2006. He adjusted well to a new offensive scheme during spring drills and impressed coaches with his quickness and mobility. After spending his first two seasons at Stanford as an understudy to starters Trent Edwards, T.C. Ostrander and Pritchard, Loukas demonstrated marked improvement, poise and confidence during the spring, indicating Toby Gerhart (above) was the team’s second-leading rusher as a true-freshman two he is ready to have a significant impact on Stanford’s years ago. Richard Sherman was the team’s leading receiver each of the past two years. quarterback scenario this season. “All three quarterbacks will be given ample opportunity to show what they can do during fall workouts,” said Harbaugh. “Our team feels confident that anyone of those three players can help us win football games.” With Kimble and Gerhart both sidelined with injuries for 86 yards and two touchdowns. A fifth-year senior, he Heralded freshman Andrew Luck (6-4, 215), who for the majority of last season, Jeremy Stewart (6-0, 210) started his collegiate career as a linebacker and saw most was rated as the fourth-best prep quarterback in the was called upon to fill the void in Stanford’s running game.