Don’t look now, but Stanford might be on its way to a bowl game in head coach Jim Harbaugh’s second season. Might, however, is the operative word.
With a 58-0 shellacking of Washington State on Nov. 1, the Cardinal is now 5-4 (4-2 Pacific-10 Conference) with three games remaining: at Oregon, at home against No. 7 USC on Nov. 15, and what’s sure to be a spirited Big Game on Nov. 22 at Cal. Bowl eligibility, seen as a gleam in the eyes of the athletic department when hiring Harbaugh as an inexperienced head coach, is within reach but will take a standout effort to obtain.
Sophomore quarterback Tavita Pritchard has stood out before. In his first career start, he led a 41-point underdog to an upset of then-No. 1 USC. Still, the Cardinal passing offense has been suspect at best (109th in the nation) and Pritchard has thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight) this season.
The Cardinal rushing attack, meanwhile, is currently on pace to break the school’s single-season rushing record of 2,259 yards, set in 1957. Junior running back Toby Gerhart opened some eyes in the Cardinal’s home opener, a conference victory against Oregon State, rushing for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Senior running back Anthony Kimble is the lightning to Toby Gerhart’s thunder, averaging 60 yards a game in a backup role.
Defensively, Oregon and Stanford continue the mirror effect that the offenses exhibit. The Ducks are 67th nationally in total defense; Stanford is 70th. Oregon is 104th nationally in pass defense; Stanford is 105th. Oregon is 20th in rush defense; Stanford is 21st. Something has got to, and will, give.
The Cardinal has three disruptive presences along the defensive line in ends Pannel Egboh and Eric Lorig, and tackle Ekom Udofia. The threesome has combined on the year for 73 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss (six from Lorig) and 4.5 sacks. Egboh even blocked a kick this year. Senior linebacker Pat Maynor leads the team in tackles (60) and tackles for loss (8.5).
Senior safety Bo McNally, a Lott trophy candidate, is the leader of the defensive backfield and has three interceptions, the most on the team. Senior cornerback Wopamo Osaisai is fast – he’s the reigning Pac-10 100m champion – and talented, ranking third on the team with 55 tackles.
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