Inside the Pac--a look at the Stanford Cardinal for 2002
Defensively speaking, Stanford is up a tree
By:
Malamute, 28 June 2002

Since the Stanford
Cardinal returns just three players on defense, you could say that the Tree is
up a tree for next season. On the brighter side, Stanford returns seven players
from an offense that finished first in total offense (Pac-10) last season--and
that includes returning quarterback Chris Lewis, a redshirt junior.
Lewis has plenty of
experience, having backed up oft-injured QB Randi Fasani in 2001; Lewis finished
tenth in the league in total offense, while Fasani finished fifth in that
category. Lewis, threw 163 times last season, completing
90 passes (55.3%).
This upcoming season, Lewis will be throwing to 6-foot-7 Teyo Johnson (who was
Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year last season) and to 5-8 Luke Powell, both of
whom will provide Pac-10 cornerbacks with a flashback of a "Mutt and Jeff"
cartoon, as part of the Fun 'N Gun offense.
Not a laughing matter, Powell
averaged 72 yards and Johnson 51, in yards per game as receivers
last season.
In April, six Cardinal players were selected in the seven-round NFL draft:
Randy Fasani, RB Brian Allen, OG Eric Heitmann, C Zach Quaccia, FS Tank
Williams and ILB Coy Wire. Their loss leaves some gaps to fill; just three
players who were among the leaders in Pac-10 statistical categories last season
return to the Cardinal (Table 5).
Having another gap to fill after head coach Tyrone Willingham opted for Notre
Dame, the Cardinal hired Buddy Teevens, pronounced Tee-vins, as its new head
coach. Teevens, 45, an Ivy league graduate, will try to unravel the meaning
of the Stanford mascot, the Tree.
That aside, he spent the last three years
with Steve Spurier at Florida, where he was the assistant offensive coordinator
and tight ends coach last season. Prior to that he spent two years at Illinois as Offensive
Coordinator. Teevens was a head coach for 12 seasons at Maine, Dartmouth and Tulane from 1985-96. He compiled an overall record of 50-76-2.
Along with the conundrum of their mascot, the Stanford spring game is somewhat of
a mystery. Matched against the defense, the Cardinal offense won 54-33--which
clearly shows that it is going to score a lot of points next
season; likely the defense will give up a lot of points. Points were awarded
for a number of glorious deeds, too numerous to describe, and somehow it figured in the scoring. The offense scored five touchdowns on the day.
Lewis was 2-for-18 for 176 yards and two touchdowns, and Teyo Johnson had
six catches and two touchdowns. None of the defenders started in more than half
of the games last season, and new defensive coordinator Tom Williams was quoted
as saying, "I think we saw the inconsistencies of youth."
On defense, junior NT Matt Leonard is the strength up front. Williams is impressed with
linebacker, redshirt freshman Michael Craven (three tackles), a highly regarded
player out of La Quinta.
"It's a tall order," Williams was
quoted as saying, looking to replace the entire line-backing corp and three
quarters of the secondary. Of that group, only safety Colin Branch
returns. He played in 11 games last season and is credited with 28 tackles and
1 interception.
Incoming freshman David Beall, 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, should add some beef to
the offensive line, as will newcomer Jon Cochran, 6-foot-6, 290. They'll
augment an offensive line anchored by three starters from last season, Kirk
Chambers (T), Greg Schindler (G), and Kwame Harris (T). Stanford finished first
in rushing offense last season (Pac-10), and some big holes should open for
running backs, Kerry Carter (senior), Kenneth Tolon (sophomore), and Justin
Faust (junior).
Senior fullback Casey Moore led all runners in the spring game, gaining 24
yards on 3 carries. Carter didn't play.
Punter Eric Johnson returns; he averaged 38.1 yards per punt last season.
Unless it's Johnson, it's not clear who will replace Mike Biselli, Stanford's
field-goal specialist from last season. Sophomore Michael Sgroi, listed as a
place kicker on the roster, may try for the threes.
Stanford
recruited another outstanding quarterback to be in Trent Edwards, out of Los
Gatos. He'll join the team in August. Incoming freshman David Lofton, son
of NFL great James Lofton, is listed as a dual threat quarterback, but he could
help out at a number of positions.
All things considered, we give the Tree 28 power points, which are 13 points
less than Washington, our current leader. (See
Table 8 below). This ranking is based on the information shown in the tables below,
along with others not shown. Tied
for second are UCLA and Washington State, each with 38 power points. The complete
Pac-10 power point rankings, along with the data used to derive them, will be published at
a later time.
Table 1. On the upside
Upside Item |
Comment |
QB Chris Lewis returns |
His experience gives the offense stability |
Stanford has an 11-game season to keep its
players relatively healthy. |
Most teams are playing 12 games, and some 13
(see Table 9). Stanford doesn't play Washington, our power point leader. |
Seven offensive players return |
Last season, Stanford was number one in total
offense (Pac-10). |
WR Teyo Johnson is the real deal |
Was Co-Freshman of the Year in the Pac-10
last season. |
Buddy Teevens played QB at Dartmouth and
was honorable-mention All America QB in 1978 |
Buddy will feel right at home in the Pac-10,
a passing league. He has plenty of experience as an offensive
coordinator. |
Stanford will be more offensive minded in
2002 |
They won't be as conservative as they were
last season. |
Their mascot, the Tree, continues to confuse other teams
in this league. |
Fortunately for the Huskies, who they don't
play them, they won't be barking up the wrong Tree this year. |
Table 2. On the downside
Downside Item |
Comment |
The Tree have two road killers. |
Playing at Oregon and UCLA adds -2 to their
power point ranking. |
Buddy Teevens is new to this league and will
need time to adjust. |
His Fun 'N Gun offense will need some time
to play in Peoria, or maybe that should be Palo Alto. His losing record as a head coach happened years
ago, so forget that stat. |
Only three players return on defense |
New defensive coordinator Tom Williams has
his work cut out. |
Lewis will be backed up by redshirt sophomore
Ryan Ecklund, 6-foot-7, out of Federal Way, WA. |
He was 5for 12 and 63 yards in the spring
game but didn't throw a pass in a regular season game in 2001. |
We give the Tree 28 power points, 13 behind
the leader, Washington (See Table 8). |
"Scoreboard, baby," is what counts,
according to AD. Power points are just for fun. |
Key losses will hurt |
NFL bound Coy Wire, Tank Williams, Randy
Fasani, Brian Allen, Zack Quaccia, and Eric Heitmann will be
missed. |
Table 3. Returnees on offense
Player |
Pos. |
Eligible Yr |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Ryan Wells |
WR |
Sr. * |
6-0 |
195 |
Kirk Chambers |
LT |
Jr. |
6-7 |
295 |
Greg Schindler |
RG |
SR. * |
6-6 |
310 |
Kwame Harris |
RT |
Jr. |
6-7 |
308 |
Brett Pierce |
TE |
Sr. * |
6-6 |
245 |
Casey Moore |
FB |
Jr. * |
6-2 |
240 |
Luke Powell |
FL |
Jr. * |
5-8 |
170 |
* Used redshirt year
Table 4. Returnees on defense
Player |
Pos. |
Eligible Yr |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Matt Leonard |
DT |
Sr. * |
6-4 |
290 |
Craig Albrecht |
NT |
Sr. * |
6-4 |
290 |
Colin Branch |
SS |
Sr. * |
6-0 |
205 |
* Used redshirt year.
Table 5. How key returnees, 2001, did in the Pac-10
Player |
Category |
Pac |
Stat |
Chris Lewis |
Total Offense |
10 |
161/g |
Luke Powell |
Receive/yds/g |
7 |
71.8 |
Chris Lewis |
Pass Effic. |
5 |
135.5 |
Eric Johnson |
Punting |
9 |
38.1 |
Table 6. Tree's Offensive Statistics in Pac-10, 2001
Category |
Finish |
Scoring Offense |
1st |
Pass Offense |
4th |
Turnover Margin |
4th |
Rushing Offense |
1st |
Total Offense |
1st |
Pass Efficiency |
3rd |
First Downs |
3rd |
Fourth-down conversions |
8th |
Red Zone Offense |
6th |
Third-down conversions |
1st |
Sacks Against |
2nd |
Time of Possession |
1st |
Average Finish |
2.92 |
Table 7. Tree's Defensive Statistics in Pac-10, 2001
Statistic |
Finish |
Scoring Defense |
6th |
Pass Defense |
8th |
Rushing Defense |
1st |
Total Defense |
6th |
Pass Efficiency Defense |
6th |
Opponent first downs |
4th |
Sacks By |
9th |
Opponent 4th down conversions |
5th |
Red Zone Defense |
5th |
Opponent 3rd down conversions |
5th |
Sacks Against |
2nd |
Average Finish |
5.2 |
Table 8. Stanford's Power Point Ranking (points range from minus 3 to
plus 5,
relative to other Pac-10 teams). The complete rankings for all Pac-10 teams will be published later
on.
Item |
Pts |
Coaching Staff * |
1 |
Home-field advantage % |
3 |
Quarterbacks *** |
4 |
Road Killers ** |
-2 |
Offensive Returnees & |
4 |
Defensive Returnees & |
1 |
2001 Offensive Rank & |
5 |
2001 Defensive Rank & |
3 |
2001 Top 25 Games # |
4 |
Punting @ |
3 |
Field goal kicking @ |
2 |
Total |
28 |
* New head coaches gets 1 in this league. After that it's based on won/lost record
(or tenure) relative to other coaches in the league. As dean of Pac-10
head coaches, Mike Price (WSU) automatically gets 5 points.
** Playing at either UCLA, Oregon or Washington is considered a road killer.
Rivalry games played at their joints are not. Reser Stadium (OSU) is fast
approaching road killer status.
*** Seniors get 5 points; however, he has to have a capable backup--otherwise,
it's 4.
# The number of top 25 teams (according to the last USA/Coaches Poll) played
during the regular season. This
helps normalize the 2001 offensive/defensive rankings, e.g., the hammering
Washington took at number one Miami skewed its 2001 stats downward.
% Based on its last five-seasons at home against Pac-10 opposition.
& Compared to other Pac-10 teams
@ Relative to other returning kickers in this league based on last season's
stats.
Table 9. The Cardinal's 2002 Schedule
Date |
Opponent |
September 7 |
At Boston College |
September 14 |
San Jose State |
September 28 |
At Arizona State |
October 5 |
At Notre Dame |
October 12 |
Washington State |
October 19 |
Arizona |
October 26 |
At UCLA |
November 2 |
At Oregon |
November 9 |
USC |
November 16 |
Oregon State |
November 23 |
at California |