Broncos 49ers Football

Image Credit: San Francisco 49ers

Opponent: Stanford Cardinal (7-5, 5-4 Pac-12 Conference)
Location: Levi’s Stadium (68,500)
Date: Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Time: 10:00 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: ESPN, Maryland Sports Radio Network

(Discuss this article on the BSL Message Board here.)

Stanford Preview

The Stanford Cardinal have been one of the most successful college football programs in the country over the past few years. Under the leadership of both Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw, their “Power Coast” offense and stifling defense have always garnered the attention of not only the Pac-12 Conference, but the entire country. However, the Cardinal struggled to find consistency this season. They fell out of the Top 25 and beat just one ranked team that they played.

Stanford’s struggles can be placed solely on the struggles of the offense. Their defense was one of the best in the country once again, ranking second in the nation in points allowed per game. However, the offense that prides itself on a punishing running game ranked 75th in the country in rushing yards per game. Senior quarterback Kevin Hogan is having a solid season under center for Stanford, and his statistics are on par with his 2013 season. He has thrown for over 2,600 yards and has completed over 65% of his passes. The 17 touchdown passes he has thrown for is a bit lower than his number in 2013, but his 8 interceptions are also lower. He has taken significantly more sacks this season, and has attempted about 40 more passes than last season. These two numbers are indicators of Stanford’s struggles to run the ball.

Stanford’s offense is usually referred to as a “Power Coast” offense. At its core, it is a pro-style offense, but it mixes in a few extra looks to keep defenses off-guard. The running game is based on power, one of the oldest plays in the football playbook. Stanford usually runs this play out of formations with a fullback, having the backside guard pull and lead the running back into the hole between the playside guard and tackle. For many years, this running style was usually paired with a deep play-action passing game. However, Stanford has paired it with a West Coast passing game, thus the “Power Coast” designation.

The West Coast passing game was famously invented by Bill Walsh, the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers during their most successful era. Instead of relying so heavily on a deep passing game, it relies on short, quick passes that are very easy for a quarterback. This offense usually requires a somewhat mobile quarterback with good accuracy. Kevin Hogan fits that bill very well for Stanford. This season, Hogan has run for 245 yards and 5 touchdowns. Some of his carries come on scrambles, some of them come on designed carries, and some of them come on option plays. While the Cardinal prefer to put a fullback or two on the field and run power at their opponent, they also have the ability to spread the field and run the option with Kevin Hogan.

The leading rusher for Stanford is Remound Wright. He has tallied 127 carries for just 552 yards this season. He does have 8 touchdowns, but that number becomes less impressive when you realize that the only other running back with any rushing touchdowns is fullback Patrick Skov, who has 4. Ty Montgomery is the team’s leading receiver, and has more than double the number of receptions as any other receiver. He has amassed 604 receiving yards on the year and has caught 3 touchdowns. Stanford will try to get him the ball in many different ways, and he also has 23 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown this season. (Update: Montgomery has been ruled out for this game due to a sprained shoulder.)

One thing that you will see all game for Stanford is their incredibly deep offensive line. It is not at all uncommon for the Cardinal to send 6, 7, or even 8 offensive linemen onto the field at any given time. Sometimes these linemen will be backup offensive linemen or defensive linemen, but David Shaw loves to get his extra big men involved as 300-pound tight ends. Stanford will also put these big men into the backfield as fullbacks, especially near the goal line or in short-yardage situations.

Maryland Preview

The Maryland Terrapins touched down in San Francisco on Christmas Day, and have been using their time to practice and see the sights of the city. Star wide receiver Stefon Diggs has returned to practice after taking over a month off after suffering a lacerated kidney. The team has put their heartbreaking loss to Rutgers behind them, and are ignoring all of the talk about a blowout at the hands of the Cardinal.

Sixth-year quarterback C.J. Brown will be starting his final game for the Terrapins, and has rebounded well after a somewhat poor start to the season. He is fully healthy after dealing with some nagging injuries early in the year, and the coaching staff will likely be completely comfortable calling plenty of designed runs and option plays for him. When the Terps have success offensively, they are able to run the ball. The coaching staff switched up the offensive tackle positions after the Michigan State game, and the team has succeeded in running the ball in their last two games.

The Maryland offensive line will be fully tested by Stanford’s 3-4 defense, which is one of the best in the country. Their front seven is their strength, led by junior linebacker Blake Martinez, who leads the team with 95 tackles and is tied for the team lead with 3 interceptions. The defensive line is led by senior lineman Henry Anderson, who leads the team with 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks. Expect offensive coordinator Mike Locksley to use the entirety of his playbook to attempt to get something going in the running game. He likes to use everything from inside zone runs to outside zone runs, counter runs to power runs, and every type of option and designed quarterback run you can think of. Expect him to also roll C.J. Brown out on many of the team’s passing plays both off of play-action out of the pistol and out of the shotgun.

The Maryland defensive line will also be fully tested by Stanford’s offensive line. As was mentioned above, the Cardinal love to add extra offensive linemen to boost their power running game. For a Maryland run defense that has struggled for most of the season, their front seven will need to be ready to limit the big runs down the field and force Kevin Hogan to pass when the Cardinal get into the red zone. Many of the players along the Maryland front seven are playing their last game with the Terrapins, so this is their opportunity to show why they should be given a look at the next level.

Maryland Interview

This week, I was able to speak with both Chris Garman and Matt Zenitz about Maryland football. Chris is a Terps beat writer for PressBox, and Matt is a Terps beat writer for the Baltimore Sun. I’d like to thank both of them for their participation and for their insightful responses.

BSL: The Maryland Terrapins are the biggest underdog of any team playing in a bowl game this season. They’ll be traveling west for what is essentially a home game for the Stanford Cardinal. However, the Terps have played well on the road this season, winning both in Ann Arbor and in Happy Valley. Do you believe that the score will be as lopsided as other experts, or do you believe that the Terps will keep it close?

Garman: Maryland’s offense will be the key for the Terps to keep this game close. The Cardinal defense is one of the best in the country and C.J. Brown has had his share of struggles this season against the better defenses he has faced. It will be interesting to see the game plan that Mike Locksley puts together for the offense and how they try to move the ball. If Brown can get the ball to his playmakers like Stefon Diggs and Deon Long while making plays with his feet, the offense will have a chance to score some points.

The player I am keeping an eye on to make game changing plays is going to be Will Likely on both defense and special teams. During stretches when the offense is struggling, his ability to change the field on punt returns and even produces a touchdown could be what the Terps need to keep games within reach.

Overall, I expect the Cardinal cover the two touchdown spread, but the cover will come late. Maryland’s road success gives promise in a game that is in Stanford’s backyard, but the Cardinal are a more quality opponent than the other road wins that the Terps have collected.

Zenitz: It’s a tough matchup for Maryland. Stanford has one of the best defenses in the country, and Maryland’s offense has been inconsistent throughout the season. I think Maryland can compete in the game, but I can see why Stanford is favored as heavily as it is. Stanford has five losses, but all five came against ranked teams, and three of those games were decided by three points.

BSL: Randy Edsall has been a hot topic around College Park for the entirety of his tenure at the University of Maryland. Starting from a dismal 2-10 season in 2011, his teams have won 7 games in each of the last 2 seasons, with a chance of an eighth win this season if they can pull off the upset over Stanford. Edsall’s contract expires at the end of next season, and there will almost certainly be a decision made about his contract this off-season. What are your general impressions of Coach Edsall, and do you believe he has earned a contract extension with the Terps?

Garman: The program has improved each year since Edsall’s arrival. After a rocky start and several player departures in year one, he has righted the ship and got his team to consecutive bowl appearances. Entering the first season in the Big Ten Conference, it didn’t seem like many gave the Terps a shot to make a bowl game, yet here they are. The loss to Rutgers in the regular-season finale was a tough one to swallow, but it still doesn’t take away from the year the team has had. Edsall got arguably his biggest win with the program this year at Penn State and did something no other Terps coach has done by winning in Happy Valley.

His recruiting is trending upward, especially within the state. The high school talent in Maryland is now looking at Maryland as a realistic collegiate option and not just the place closest to home. “The movement” that the high school players in the area are starting in wanting to play for Edsall has a lot to do with his progression of the program. He has earned a contract extension with the Terps and I believe he will get a new deal before the start of next season.

Zenitz: I wouldn’t be surprised if there isn’t any decision made regarding Randy’s future until after next season. There are two years remaining on the contract after this season, so Kevin Anderson may wait to see what the team does next year before making any decision. That said, it wouldn’t surprise me either to see Kevin add a year or two to Randy’s contract to avoid any problems in recruiting.

BSL: Maryland has made some waves on the recruiting trail in the past month, most notably grabbing 4-star DL Adam McLean from Quince Orchard High School in nearby Gaithersburg, MD. There are still a few key prospects still considering the Terps (Quarvez Boulware and Isaiah Prince to name just two), but what are your impressions of Maryland’s 2015 class as it stands right now?

Garman: The impact of the Terps’ first season in the Big Ten and the win at Penn State is being shown through some of the recent commitments to the program. McLean was a big commitment, getting him to flip from Penn State and will help retool the defensive line for next year. Ellis McKinnie and E.J. Donahue will add more depth to the offensive line which is always good for Edsall to have. Also, I like the addition of quarterback Gage Shaffer and what he could potentially bring in the future.

If Isaiah Prince commits to the Terps, that will be consecutive seasons that Edsall is able to keep Maryland’s top high school player in the state. The wins over teams in bordering states over the past two seasons (West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Penn State) has and will go a long way in the future recruiting success of the Terps.

Zenitz: I think Maryland is doing a great job in recruiting and has some good stuff in the works. Adam committed. So did Keandre Jones. And Maryland is selling other big-name local recruits like Dwayne Haskins, Isaiah Prince and Quarvez on this “hometown movement.”

Zack’s Keys to the Game

  • Get the running game going – As tough as it will be against Stanford’s front seven, Mike Locksley will have to try to get some sort of a running game going to have success offensively. If they can do that, it will open up the play-action passing game for C.J. Brown.
  • Limit big plays by Stanford – Stanford’s running game has struggled all year. The Terps will be challenged by the Cardinal’s large offensive line, but forcing Kevin Hogan to pass and get behind the chains will make their lives a lot easier.
  • Get the game to the fourth – Maryland is supposed to get blown out by Stanford. No one is expecting much from them. In games like this, if you can get the game to the fourth quarter and be within striking distance, anything can happen.
Zack Kiesel
Zack Kiesel

Terps Analyst

Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: [email protected].

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