Q&A with Go Mighty Card

To get you ready for the game this weekend, we are doing a Q&A with Hank from the Go Mighty Card blog.

I sent Hank some Stanford related questions he was kind enough to answer for the WSU Football Blog and in turn I answered his questions which you can find at the Go Mighty Card Blog. Lets get to it…

At Stanford, they have re-defined what they considder "success".

Longball: What concerns Stanford's fans the most on their side of the ball going into this game?

Hank: The Cardinal won't be at full strength this weekend, and that's probably the main concern. Starting defensive end Henry Anderson is out with a knee injury, but Josh Mauro filled in well for him last week, playing strong on the line of scrimmage and even coming up with an interception. Safety Ed Reynolds will be missing during the first half as he serves out a suspension stemming from a targeting infraction in the 4th quarter of last week's game. Devon Carrington will likely replace him in the starting lineup. Finally, the best offensive lineman on the team (and the best in the conference), left guard David Yankey won't play this week as he deals with a family situation. Normally such a loss would be devastating, but the quantity of linemen at Stanford matches the quality. Yankey will be replaced by sophomore Josh Garnett, who will likely be incredibly motivated as he makes his first career start. Even better than that, Garnett will likely be playing in front of a huge contingent of fans, as he hails from nearby Puyallup.

Longball: What concerns Stanford's fans the most about the Cougs?

Hank: In a word, the offense. The Stanford defense finally figured out how to stop Oregon's spread rushing offense last year, but there are still some concerns about how things are going against the passing game. Arizona State's Taylor Kelly had a career day against the vaunted Cardinal defense, passing for 367 yards, and with the secondary a bit thin this week (nickelback Barry Browning is also out), that would appear to be Stanford's weak point entering this weekend's game.

Longball: After back to back to back BCS bowl games, what is Stanford's standard for a successful season in 2013?

Hank: Winning a national championship is the clear goal of everyone associated with the program, from coaches to players to fans, I think that any season that ends with a BCS bowl game would have to be considered a success. If the Cardinal were to drop below that level and end up in the Alamo Bowl, or someplace like that, I think the season would be seen as a huge disappointment. This is all new to us, but Stanford fans are quickly learning that success is a double-edged sword. When Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh led the team to the Orange Bowl three years ago, there was a definite feeling that the program had peaked, and there was a sense of joy just for receiving the bid to that game. Those days, for better or for worse, are over.

Longball:  What are your thoughts about playing in Seattle, vs. making the trek to Pullman?

Hank: I have to believe that it's better for Stanford to be playing in Seattle than in Pullman. For one thing, Stanford players have always complained about the length and hassle of that trip out to Eastern Washington. Instead of flying into Idaho and taking a long bus ride to get to the Palouse, they'll only have to fly into Seattle. Also, there is a strong Stanford contingent in the Seattle area, so I'm guessing there will be a fair amount of friendly fans in the stadium, and even though CenturyLink Field can be ferociously loud, I'm not sure that will be the case for a Washington State game. We'll see.

Longball: On paper Stanford looks to be a solid favorite. Should we play the game anyway? If so, why?

Hank: Just like this game, this question is a trap. Sure, Stanford is expected to win, but the Cougs are too good to be blown out. I'm predicting a 37-17 win for the Cardinal, but the team will have to be focused on both sides of the ball for that to happen.

Longball: What is the first thought that comes to your mind when I say the words "Andew Furney"?

Hank: Well, my first thought was Google. Until this evening, I had no idea who Andrew Furney was, but now I see that's one of the best kickers in the conference. It's my sincerest hope that Furney doesn't impact this game at all.

Thank you to Hank for answering our inane questions and giving us some insight into this weekend’s matchup. Of course he got that last answer wrong. We would have accepted “clutch”, “cheeseburger”, or “cuddles”. Other than that, well done sir.

Be sure to check out Go Mighty Card's questions for us. Enjoy the game, folks and Go Cougs!