Fifth in a 12-part series previewing the Pac-12 football season.
BURBANK, Calif. — Despite the “ups and downs” last season Stanford coach David Shaw is looking forward to getting his team back on the field.
“We’re a talented football team,” he said. “We’re lacking a little experience in some spots. But, at the same time, that’s the reason why you recruit and you recruit depth — so when spots open up, you have great guys vying for those positions.”
The Cardinal return 10 starters. However, eight of them are on offense — leaving question marks elsewhere.
Even so, Shaw expressed optimism about his team at Pac-12 Media Days.
“The biggest thing for me and our team right now is for us to play like we played at the end of the year — which was to play fast, to play with confidence, to play with energy, to execute and make plays,” he said.
Stanford was 5-5 overall before closing things out with victories at California, at UCLA and in the Foster Farms Bowl over Maryland. The Cardinal prevailed in those games by a combined score of 114-48.
OFFENSE: Shaw considers fifth-year senior Kevin Hogan “one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the nation.” Hogan passed for 2,792 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. Sophomore running back Christian McCaffrey is a player to watch. He averaged 9.4 yards over 85 touches as a freshman. Junior tight end Austin Hooper and senior receiver Devon Cajuste (34 receptions) are the top returning targets for Hogan. The Cardinal have four returning starters on the offensive line.
DEFENSE: Stanford is reloading with only two starters back in the mix. Senior linebackers Kevin Anderson (11.5 tackles for loss) and Blake Martinez (102 tackles) are the lone holdovers. However, the Cardinal are on a roll defensively. They’ve led the Pac-12 in run defense for four straight years and in scoring defense for the past three seasons.
“I think Blake Martinez will be a household name by the end of the year,” Shaw said. “I think a lot of people know how good he can be.”
EXTRA POINTS: Highly touted freshman Jake Bailey is expected to compete for both the kicking and punting jobs. ... Stanford hasn’t had a losing season since going 5-7 in 2008. ... The Cardinal have a pair of three-game homestands this season. They host Arizona, UCLA and Washington in October then Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame visit in November.
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