Seniors can put season back on track with win
STANFORD >> After four losses in five games — including back-to-back defeats against Washington State and Washington that ended its chances of winning the Pac-12 North — Stanford has a chance to get back on track when it hosts Oregon State on Saturday in its final home game of the season.
The Cardinal (5-4, 3-3 Pac-12) is a 24-point favorite against the Beavers (2-7, 1-5), who won at Colorado in overtime but have lost all of their other conference games by at least 17 points.
“My goal is to play our best football, which we have not done for any stretch of time this season,” Stanford coach David Shaw said. “That’s where the goal for me starts and stops. If we can play 60 minutes of football like we have a quarter here and a quarterand-a-half there, then we’ll finish out the season in great fashion.”
Here are three things to watch: POINTS GALORE >> Running back Bryce Love is still hobbled and leading receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside, who is tied for second in the country with 11 receiving touchdowns, will almost certainly sit out today’s game because of an apparent ankle injury. But if there was ever a good time to be missing weapons on offense, this might be it. The Beavers have allowed at least 34 points to every FBS opponent they have faced this season.
Overall, Oregon State is 127th among 129 teams in points allowed (44.8) and 128th in yards allowed (536.9).
Arcega-Whiteside would be a big loss, especially in the red zone. But K.J. Costello, who is averaging 320.5 yards passing over his last four games, still has plenty of targets.
Kaden Smith, whom Shaw called “potentially the best all-around tight end in America,” leads the nation in receiving yards by a tight end (601) while showing his versatility by lining up outside, in the seam and on the line, while Trenton Irwin has proved his worth as a possession receiver.
Expect Conor Wedington to start in place of Arcega-Whiteside, and Osiris St. Brown and Michael Wilson to see more action.
NO GIMME >> Though Stanford is a prohibitive favorite, a win isn’t guaranteed. The Cardinal was about an 18-point favorite in last season’s meeting, but needed a 3-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining to escape Corvallis with a 15-14 win.
“They’ve got kids that play hard and with heart,” Shaw said. “We saw that last year. We won on the scoreboard, and they kicked our butts all over the field.”
This year, the Beavers attack is led by freshman running back Jermar Jefferson, who has rushed for 1,034 yards, tied for seventh in the FBS. Stanford has faced two other running backs among the FBS leaders in rushing yards per game this season, with mixed results. Arizona State’s Eno Benjamin was held to 38 yards in 11 carries, 85 yards below his average, but Utah’s Zack Moss had 160 yards and two touchdowns in 20 carries.
Oregon State will also have quarterback Jake Luton, who started last week for the first time since the season opener and completed 31 of 45 passes for 301 yards against USC. The Beavers have scored 258 points this season (28.7 points per game), already surpassing last season’s total of 248.
SENIOR DAY >> This will be the final home game for a group that includes Love, Irwin, center Jesse Burkett, linebacker Bobby Okereke and corner Alijah Holder.
“It’s going to be one of those things where you’ve put all that work in with your boys, and it’s one last time to just go out on that field and play for each other,” Irwin said. “It’s going to be surreal. I think there’s going to be some emotions that I can’t describe or even feel yet, but it’s going to be fun.”
Perhaps the emotions of the day will help Stanford with something that has been plaguing it all season: slow starts. The Cardinal has been outscored 69-28 in the first quarter. It trailed 21-0 at halftime against Washington last week in a game it eventually lost 27-23.