This is home to Utah Coach Jim Fassel. It is where he went from a pup assistant full of big plans to head coach material. It is where he tutored John Elway and Turk Schonert to professional careers. And it is one place where, insiders say, Fassel one day hopes to return as head coach.
Fassel is back again at Stanford, the place locals fondly refer to as "The Farm," as Utah meets Stanford, Saturday at 2 p.m. MDT. In this week's Stanford sports information department release there is a headline proclaiming, "Utah's Jim Fassel Returns to The Farm."It would be surprising if Fassel didn't have a special affinity for Stanford; he spent nearly six calendar years there. After working three years as an assistant at Utah and Weber State, he moved on to Palo Alto, where he became the offensive coordinator under Paul Wiggins. His first year at Stanford he was under Rod Dowhower (1979), followed by four years under Wiggins. He then moved on to the USFL for a year, coaching with the Portland Breakers.
"Without question (it's like home)," said Fassel. "You spend that kind of time in a place, you develop close relationships."
Stanford's year has been a major disappointment. The sole win was an 18-17 verdict over rising Oregon. But losses came at the hands of Arizona (19-3), Pac-10 doormat Oregon State (20-16), San Jose State (40-33), Notre Dame (27-17) and Washington State (31-13).
Injuries have figured in. Green says eight players who were expected to start last spring are out due to injuries.
Stanford isn't especially big or fast, and passes nearly as often as Utes, averaging almost 47 a game, compared to 48 for Utah. Redshirt freshman quarterback Steve Smith threw 68 passes against Notre Dame to set a Stanford and Pac-10 record and break Elway's old school record of 63.
Protecting the quarterback has been a serious problem for the Cardinal; they have allowed 29 sacks so far. But the defense is allowing far fewer yards per game - 344, compared to 490 the Utes are giving up.