Keys to extending win streak vs. Beavers
Stanford coach David Shaw compared his team to the Rolling Stones — no matter where they’re playing, they’re going to put on a show.
“We’re a traveling band right now,” Shaw said. “You know, just tell us the venue, we’re good. This country, another country, turn the bus around and go back and play the local dive — we’re going to go turn it up. I think our guys are just at that point now, let’s not worry about where it is. Let’s go there and be at our best.”
It worked last week. Forced to uproot to Seattle last Tuesday after Santa Clara County issued a ban on contact practices and games, the Cardinal (2-2) practiced at Wash
ington’s indoor facility and at Kennedy Catholic High School before conducting its walkthrough at a local park in view of ducks and Washington fans who heckled them with chants of “Go Dawgs!”
The Cardinal then went out and upset No. 23 Washington 31-26 before taking 10 buses Sunday to Corvallis, where it has spent the week preparing for Saturday’s game at Oregon State (2-3).
For sophomore linebacker Levani Damuni, the time away from campus means nightly FaceTime calls with his wife of six months. For sophomore safety Jonathan McGill, it means catching up on ‘The Mandalorian’ on Disney Plus. For everyone, it means adapting to an unexpected two weeks in the Pacific Northwest while trying to continue a two-game winning streak.
Here are four keys to making the most of Saturday’s game (7:30 p.m., ESPNU) as Stanford looks to extend its 10-game winning streak against the Beavers: NEW RECEIVERS » After having to miss the season opener due to a false positive
coronavirus test, and then getting out of quarantine just before the second game, quarterback Davis Mills finally seems to be hitting his stride.
But now comes a new test. Leading receiver Michael Wilson and fellow starter Connor Wedington were both injured against Washington, so sophomore Elijah Higgins and junior Brycen Tremayne will be making their first starts Saturday.
Mills, who threw for three TDs in Corvallis last year, may need to rely even more on Simi Fehoko, who had two critical third-and-long catches during Stanford’s game- sealing drive against the Huskies. HELPING MILLS » The depleted receiving corps won’t be as big an issue if Stanford runs the ball like it did against Washington. Austin Jones ran for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns against the Pac-12’s stingiest run defense, becoming the first Cardinal player since Christian McCaffrey in 2016 to record back-to-back games with multiple rushing TDs.
His backup, Nathaniel Peat, is averaging 7.6 yards on 24 carries this season. They should find some holes against Oregon State, which allows the conference’s second-most rushing yards a game (206.4).
Jones, Peat and Mills have benefitted from an offensive line that has started the same five players all season. Besides running for touchdowns on its first three drives against Washington, Stanford didn’t allow a sack and gave up just one tackle for loss against the Huskies, who had 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in their other three games this year. JEFFERSON IS BACK » Oregon State star running back Jermar Jefferson has been cleared to play after missing last week’s loss to Utah due to contact tracing. The junior is second in the conference with 168.8 rushing yards a game, and his seven rushing touchdowns is tied with Jones for the most in the Pac-12.
Jefferson only had four carries for 17 yards against the Cardinal last year, though teammate Artavis Pierce had 16 carries for 141 yards. Stanford had allowed a 100-yard rusher in its first three games before stopping that streak against Washington.
But Shaw announced Thursday that two defensive starters — fifth-year outside linebacker Jordan Fox and sophomore cornerback Salim Turner-Muhammed — have been ruled out for Saturday, making the repeat task tougher.