Stanford was out-coached. That’s a statement no one ever expects to hear when describing David Shaw and staff. But Utah beat the Cardinal in a very competitive contest by executing schemes that exposed one main weakness for Stanford—team speed. There were some noteworthy performances for both teams, both good and bad.
(JR) Ty Montgomery, WR, Stanford, (#7), 6’2, 215
Sans Brandin Cooks (Oregon St), no other Pac 12 receiver has looked more impressive this season than Montgomery. The junior has excellent size and speed to break big plays from anywhere on the field. He made a handful of critical plays Saturday that kept Stanford within reach of a victory. His first was a 100-yard kickoff return in the 1st quarter, his second kickoff return touchdown of the season. The other critical play was on Stanford’s last drive, when Montgomery quickly accelerated past defenders on a quick screen for 14 yards on a crucial 3rd and 7. He’s got a “pro” body and impacts the game in multiple facets. You could argue he’s been Stanford’s team MVP this season.
Trent Murphy, OLB, Stanford, (#93), 6’6, 260
Murphy has been one of the most impressive defensive players in the Pac 12 this year, but he had a very “up-and-down” performance against the Utes. He lines up from a standup position in the Cardinals’ base 34 but also has the ability to line up as an end in a 43. He’s at his best rushing the passer off the edge from the OLB position where he shows solid snap anticipation and uses his length to create space between he and the offensive line but he lacks great athleticism and agility in space. Utah exposed this by getting the ball out quickly to its skill players on the edges, forcing Murphy react and redirect from the edge quickly, which he struggled with.
(JR) David Yankey, OG, Stanford, (#54), 6’5, 315
Utah’s front 7 is very underrated, as they have some solid athletes lined up along the defensive line and linebacker corps who play aggressively and enjoy physicality. However, it was surprising to see Yankey play an “average” game by his standards. While there were no glaring negatives, Yankey was challenged by the disruptive ability of Utah’s defensive line and was slow to help on co-op blocks on several occasions allowing pressure up the gut of the pocket.
Trevor Reilly, OLB, Utah, (#9), 6’5, 245
Reilly made an impact in one of the biggest games of his career forcing one fumble and recovering two, including a critical 3rd quarter strip-recovery on Montgomery to give momentum back to Utah’s offense up 21-14. He answered some questions about his ability to hang in the trenches against smash mouth football by showing toughness to take on blocks and the relentlessness effort to fight through and shed, although this doesn’t reflect most of his film. He showed above average speed in pursuit however, and tackled well throughout the game. A team captain, Reilly is also a tough, high character guy who played the 2012 season despite an ACL injury and has said he’s dedicated this season to his 1-year old daughter who is battling cancer.
Other Notes:
(JR) Dres Anderson, WR, Utah, (#6), 6’1, 187
The son of former NFL receiver, Flipper, Dres has become quite the playmaker himself. He was one of the best athletes on the field Saturday and consistently got behind Stanford’s coverage units. On his best play, he displayed outstanding coordination tracking and adjusting to a contested deep pass down the sideline and the balance to finish through contact for a touchdown. His speed is also dangerous on fly sweeps, which was also a play he ran in for a touchdown.
Tyler Gaffney, RB, Stanford, (#25), 6’1, 220
Statistically, Gaffney had a solid game amassing over 100 yards on the ground but if you watch his runs, he leaves a lot of yards on the field. His vision has been subpar the last two weeks, and some of that could be a result of facing more talented defensive fronts.
Josh Mauro, DE, Stanford, (#90), 6’6, 280
With Henry Anderson sidelined to injury, Mauro is getting more playing time on the defensive line. Mauro is the “splash play” guy and the most explosive of the bunch, but he struggled with his backfield vision against Utah as they did an outstanding job of mixing up plays between the tackles and attacking the edges. The more film he’s putting together, the more it seems as though his average recognition have kept him behind lesser athletes throughout his career.
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