The most stunning and complete loss in Shaw era

There will be plenty of talk this week about the proud and mighty Stanford football program disintegrating into confusion: the indecision, the delays of game, crazy alignments that had no chance to succeed, the generally tortured communication Saturday night in a disturbing 44-6 loss at Washington. But that misses the larger point.

In a development no one expected, the Car-

dinal were completely overwhelmed on both sides of the ball. Skill players did the winning and losing, on paper, but the battle in the trenches was an appalling mismatch.

Welcome to the new Pac-12, ruled by Washington without a single dissenter.

It’s not that the Huskies were carelessly underrated. Some picked them to win the conference, and with their boisterous home crowd having a huge effect, they figured to build on a 4-0 start with a representative showing, at the very least, against David Shaw’s team.

Shockingly, it wasn’t even close. Stanford didn’t look even slightly competitive against this brand of powerhouse. If the teams were to play in Palo Alto next week, giving Shaw a week to adjust, who knows? That’s not reality. What matters is that these are the only two teams that looked capable of representing the North Division in the Pac-12 championship game — and the Huskies essentially have a two-game lead over Stanford, taking into account the head-to-head result.

This was the Cardinal’s most stunning defeat in the Shaw era, which dates to 2011. They were twice crushed by Oregon — 45-16 two years ago and 53-30 in ’11 — but at least dropped a few hints of offensive threat. When quarterback Ryan Burns hit JJ Arcega-Whiteside for Stanford’s touchdown Friday night, late in the third quarter, it hardly dimmed the embarrassment of a previous play: three big linemen shifting way out in the left flat, in front of Bryce Love, only to watch defensive back Kevin King storm through everybody and break up the pass play with a crushing hit on Love.

Shaw was amused to hear that Christian McCaffrey had an “off game” with 138 yards against UCLA last week, and he was right. McCaffrey never broke a signature play, but he was a force all evening. This time, McCaffrey was legitimately stopped: just 34 yards rushing in the first half, when the game was decided, and 49 total thanks to a Chris Petersen-coached defense that provides a sterling balance to his creative, multifaceted offense.

(Let’s get one thing out of the way right here: the “statistic” that McCaffrey has never scored a touchdown in a “true” road game. What’s the Rose Bowl, a fake road game?)

This marked the third straight week, in the wake of USC and UCLA, that a team was not just gunning for Stanford but building its entire season around it. The Cardinal held up superbly against the Southern California rivals, but this was a whole new deal. So much of the Trojans and Bruins is about yesterday, past glory, tradition. The Huskies are right now, a program on the rise combining physical intimidation with blinding speed.

Washington led 23-0 at the half and it felt more like 50-0, with a total-yardage edge of 225-83. “If you’re a Stanford student,” ESPN analyst Danny Kanell cracked at halftime, “you might as well go to the library. This is ugly.”

Here’s something to consider, though: Stanford played without its two starting cornerbacks, Alijah Holder and Quenton Meeks, and the difference was significant. Injured fullback Daniel Marx was missed. And if you look at the schedule — what should be a home-game breather against Washington State next week, then an off-form Notre Dame — it’s easy to imagine the Cardinal getting back in position to make a long, serious run.

The memories of Friday night, however, will haunt. And they will linger. When the pundits and bowl organizers address the Pac-12 in trying to set up the fourteam College Football Playoff, the focus is entirely on Washington until further notice.