David Shaw's Equivocation and Stanford's Lost Potential

\            This past Saturday, Stanford football fans saw things that they had not seen since the halcyon days of Andrew Luck. They saw spirals, pinpoint passes, effective scrambling, well-thrown deep balls, and even a completion percentage above 50%. Kevin Hogan, in his first collegiate start, brought all of these welcome additions to the Stanford offense and he did it against the No. 13 team in the nation.

            Ever since Hogan took over mid-way thru the Colorado game, the Stanford offense, formerly known for 3-yard runs and under-thrown passes, has transformed into an explosive force. The passing game has been rejuvenated with Zach Ertz looking like a future NFL star, and running back Stepfan Taylor is taking full advantage of the running lanes opened by the threat of Hogan’s arm and his legs. With Stanford’s defense playing as tough as ever, fans have ever reason to believe that they can topple No. 2 Oregon on Saturday.

            The success of this quarterback switch has brought many plaudits to the ears of Coach David Shaw, but a few ungrateful malcontents have wondered aloud about the tardiness of Hogan’s promotion. I am one of these malcontents. We believe that Hogan should have been promoted at the beginning of the season or at least during the atrocious University of Washington game. If Shaw had possessed such foresight, then it is not a stretch to say Stanford might be undefeated and in the national title mix. Stanford’s first loss to Washington by 4 was accompanied by an 18-37 for 170 yards and an interception stinker by former QB Josh Nunes. Stanford’s second loss came on a questionable call in OT (the referees clearly robbed them but that is a whole different story) to Notre Dame. Nunes could only muster a pathetic 12-25 for 125 yards and 2 interceptions in that outing. Nunes’ combined QB rating in these losses was 77.9(and believe me it felt like he should have had a -77.9 when you were watching the games), so, considering that Kevin Hogan’s QB rating is 178.0(!), it is pretty safe to assume that Stanford would have won these games with Hogan leading the charge. Stanford would have been riding high in the polls as chants of Hogan for Heisman rang out across the Pacific Northwest.

            Instead, Stanford has been effectively eliminated from BCS contention and relegated to the role of spoiler. After this season, the national title drought will grow to 73 years and there is no end in sight. Key players, from Chase Thomas to Zach Ertz to Stepfan Taylor, will be leaving for the NFL next year and Stanford may not be able to recover. All fans have left to look forward to is a victory at Oregon and a possible Rose Bowl berth. Ironically, if David Shaw and his team accomplish these goals, my argument will only be strengthened and the group of malcontents will only grow larger.