The Stanford Cardinal’s New Year’s Day Rose Bowl victory over The
Wisconsin Badgers was the validation of a turnaround that was six years
in the making. Former Cardinal head coach Walt Harris was fired after a
one-win campaign in 2006. Former National Football League quarterback
Jim Harbaugh was then pegged as the man to revive Cardinal football. By
2010, Harbaugh had led Stanford to an Orange Bowl victory over The
Virginia Tech Hokies. That was Harbaugh’s final game on the sidelines
for Stanford as he would go to The NFL to become the head coach of The
San Francisco 49ers. Assistant coach David Shaw was then promoted to the
head coaching position for The Cardinal. In Shaw’s first year at the
helm The Cardinal went 11-2, but he didn’t receive that much credit
because current Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was finishing
his collegiate career in 2011 with The Cardinal. Most people including
yours truly figured that with the combo of Harbaugh and Luck now in The
NFL, Cardinal football would be in the midst of a downward spiral. Shaw
and his football team set out to prove the detractors wrong for 2012.
On September 16, Stanford hosted The USC Trojans who came to Palo
Alto as the second-ranked team in the country. After spotting The Men of
Troy an early lead, The Cardinal dominated the line of scrimmage as
they won 21-14. In the month of November, The Cardinal set themselves
apart in The Pac-12 Conferece by winning four straight games against
ranked opponents. After defeating The Oregon State Beavers in Palo Alto
on November 10, The Cardinal weren’t given a chance the following week
when they traveled to Eugene to take on The Oregon Ducks. The Ducks and
their high-powered offense were ranked second in The Bowl Championship
Series Standings, but The Cardinal turned the game into a brutal
slugfest as they won on a field goal by sophomore kicker Jordan
Williamson in overtime. The Cardinal then had to defeat The UCLA Bruins
twice in the span of seven days in order to qualify for their first trip
to The Rose Bowl since the 1999 season. The Cardinal were up for the
challenge and they were bound for Pasadena and The Rose Bowl. The
Cardinal never trailed The Badgers in The Rose Bowl in their 20-14
victory.
In the process Shaw became the first African-American head coach to win
The Rose Bowl as well as being the first to win a BCS bowl game. Shaw’s
Stanford team is a throwback to the days of leather helmets. Shaw was a
disciple of Harbaugh who played for Bo Schembechler at The University of
Michigan. All three men have had the philosophy that the game is won in
the trenches with your offensive and defensive lines. The Cardinal have
recently had powerful offensive lines that have sent Johnathan Martin
and David DeCastro to The NFL. Cardinal running back Stepfan Taylor
ended his collegiate career in The Rose Bowl as he ran behind physical
offensive lines and his numbers improved in each of his four years at
Stanford. This season was capped by Taylor rushing for 1,530 yards.
The
Cardinal might be the most physical team in The Pac-12 and that is due
to Shaw treating every game like a boxing match. The Cardinal will hit
you with body shots in the form of a physical offensive line. The
Cardinal will continue to run the football and hit you with body shots
for the first three quarters. By the fourth quarter the three yards runs
will turn into five yard gains. The five yard gains will soon become
ten yard gains. Before you know it Stanford’s opponent is gasping for
air as they are ready to be beaten into submission.
The Notre
Dame Fighting Irish are preparing to play in The BCS Championship Game,
but they were extremely fortunate to defeat The Cardinal earlier this
season. These two clashed in South Bend, Indiana on November 13. With
The Cardinal trailing by a touchdown in overtime, Stanford was faced
with fourth and goal. Taylor was ruled down inside the one-yard line,
but his forward progress was never stopped as he was on top of a pile of
players when he was marked down by officials. Taylor’s momentum carried
him into the end zone, but the play was ruled over and Notre Dame won
20-13.
The Cardinal are currently have the 38th ranked incoming
class according to ESPN. Stanford’s class is highlighted by Ryan Burns
from Ashburn,Virginia. The current Cardinal team has a good signal
caller in freshman quarterback Kevin Hogan. Hogan didn’t become the
starting quarterback until November 3 when Stanford faced The Colorado
Buffaloes. Hogan has been very efficient has he has never had a
completion percentage lower than 63.2. With a strong running game, Shaw
has never put Hogan in a position where he had to play hero ball. As
Hogan’s career at Palo Alto will progress I am sure that Shaw will open
up the reins more. Shaw might not be as good as Luck, but he still has
the potential to be a good quarterback. With a 23-4 record in two
seasons as head coach, Shaw is making Stanford fans forget about
Harbaugh as he is writing his own legacy. The Cardinal team is here to
stay and they are looking to continue being a dominant team in The
Pac-12.
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