Consistently good, bad in given areas
Consistency is no doubt important in pouring cement or making tapioca. In sports, consistency is often an empty word.
When teams struggle, when they have one good game followed by a bad game, or a habit of taking off quarters, they are said to be inconsistent.
Maybe they’re just not great teams.
It seems that way for Stanford, which heads toward Saturday’s two-week-delayed 121st Big Game with an explosive passing offense — and a lot of problems.
The Cardinal (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12) have given up 38 points to Notre Dame, 40 to Utah and 41 to Washington State — all losses — and 42 in a victory Saturday over a threewin UCLA team.
Their running game for much of the season has been anemic, mainly because of unimpressive blocking. Most of the wins have been built on the passing game, and in recent weeks, the Cardinal have relied on it more and more, a sharp contrast to head coach David Shaw’s traditional love for the ground attack.
Shaw said after the UCLA game that his level of comfort hasn’t been high this year. Elaborating on Tuesday, he said he was referring to the roller-coaster season, not the need to the abdication of the ground game.
“We’ve never been in a groove where we feel great because we’re constantly replacing somebody or putting out a fire,” he said. “I’m very comfortable with my football team. It’s just that the circumstances, and our level of play, has not been comfortable for me.
“We have not run the ball with the consistency that we like. And we’ve thrown the ball well, so we’ve been going with what’s been working. Our quarterback (K.J. Costello) is probably a year ahead of where we thought he might be, so that’s excellent for us, which allowed us to put more on his shoulders.”
That explains why on a 3rdand-1 call near midfield in the first quarter Saturday, the Cardinal passed. Shaw said Costello chose a pass because of the Bruins’ formation, but it went incomplete. The point is: Not too long ago, a pass in that spot would have been almost unthinkable for Stanford.
Now the Cardinal have won two in a row and have a chance to finish the season with a flourish.
Depending on the outcome of the Cal game and whether Washington State makes it to the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day, the Cardinal could wind up anywhere from the Redbox Bowl in Santa Clara to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, to the Las Vegas Bowl. It wasn’t good news for Stanford that the Cougars dropped to No. 13 (from No. 80) in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and are unlikely to play in New Year’s Day bowl. Injury updates: Guard Nate Herbig is likely to be back for the Big Game after a long absence. Guard Foster Sarell might be back, too. Outside linebacker Joey Alfieri is fine. Tight end Kaden Smith’s status is looking better, and cornerback Alameen Murphy might be OK despite an injury against UCLA.
On the other hand, outside linebacker Casey Toohill and guard Drew Dalman will remain sidelined. An injury Saturday probably puts defensive end Dylan Jackson out for both the Cal game and the bowl. And reserve inside linebackers Mustafa Branch and Andrew Pryts are out, putting the backup roles in the hands of untested freshmen Jacob Mangum-Farrar and Ricky Miezan and senior Ryan Beecher. Briefly: Shaw called USC’s retention of head coach Clay Helton “good news for college football. … He’s done an outstanding job at USC.” … Wide receiver Connor Wedington has played three games, so he has one more before giving up his redshirt year, according to the new NCAA rule. It probably will be the bowl game, Shaw said, barring a series of injuries in the Big Game.