Shaw endorses Chryst, but QB needs to improve
Stanford quarterback Keller
Chryst is last among the 12 quarterbacks listed in the Pac-12 in passer efficiency. He has completed 52.1 percent of his passes, well below the accuracy of every other regular quarterback.
Following the worst performance of his young career — 8-for-19 with two interceptions and a lost fumble in Saturday night’s 20-17 loss at San Diego State — Chryst got the proverbial vote of confidence. Head coach David Shaw said the redshirt junior is still solidly his No. 1 quarterback.
“I believe we have a quarterback that can take advantage of the athletes we have outside, both in our receiver and tightend positions,” Shaw said Tuesday. But he acknowledged it didn’t happen against the Aztecs. The tight ends, for instance, caught only one pass, although another was dropped by Dalton Schultz.
Chryst threw too long on four potential big plays, including two intended for Donald Stewart and one for tight
end Kaden Smith. Chryst bounced a short one toward
Trent Irwin, threw low on a swing pass that Bryce Love couldn’t handle and threw too low on a 15-yarder toward tight end Colby Parkinson.
Worst of all, he ended the final two possessions of the first half with turnovers. On a 3rdand-12 play, he threw into a crowd and the resulting interception enabled the Aztecs to go just 15 yards for a touchdown. Then he failed to avoid a blitzing cornerback, who should have been blocked by Love, and lost the ball when he was sacked.
His final pass of the night was an underthrown deep try for J.J. Arcega-Whiteside that was intercepted in the final minute.
Shaw said his own bad play call led to the first pick. “I shouldn’t have put him in that position, and the quarterback’s got to protect a bad play call,” he said.
Chryst obviously will have to play a lot better when the Cardinal (1-2, 0-1 Pac-12) play UCLA (2-1, 0-0) and quarterback Josh
Rosen (1,283 yards, 13 TDs, 2 interceptions) on Saturday night in their first home game.
Chryst has “done an outstanding job through training camp and practices” in addition to the first two games of the season, Shaw said. “I think he’s determined to come out and play a great game.”
Chryst lost in his second straight start after winning in his first seven, but in truth, Stanford hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record under his guidance. Last year, Arizona, Oregon State, Oregon, Cal and Rice were well under .500. Stanford beat North Carolina in the Sun Bowl, but he was out after his knee injury in the second quarter. Stanford crushed Rice again in this year’s opener.
Chryst worked hard to come back from his torn ACL. The suspicion remains, however, that he has lost some mobility. “He’s moving extremely well” in practice Shaw said. He conceded that Chryst might not have “the same exact top speed.”
That non-gamble: Many Stanford fans probably gasped when Shaw opted for a short field-goal try rather than go for a first down on 4th-and-lessthan-a-yard at the Aztecs’ 4 in the third quarter. Shaw typically goes for the yardage, with a herd of extra offensive linemen.
After the game, Shaw defended the choice, saying his team (down 13-7) needed two scores to win. But that rationale applies only in the late stages of a game; there were nearly 20 minutes left.
On Tuesday, he said, “We weren’t playing like gangbusters on offense” and a thirddown run had just been stuffed. “It may have seemed conservative, but at the time, I think it was the right decision.”
In making it, though, he possibly conceded four points, and the Aztecs won by three.
Briefly: Starting inside linebacker Sean Barton is out indefinitely with what looked like a right knee injury (Stanford doesn’t disclose injuries). Shaw said he “potentially” could miss the rest of the season . ... The Sept. 30 home game against Arizona State will begin at 1 p.m. and will be shown on Pac-12 Networks.