To learn more about Oregon State's opponent this weekend, BeaversEdge.com chatted with CardinalSportsReport publisher Jacob Rayburn, who covers the Stanford Cardinal.
1. A 1-3 start is very atypical compared to the norm under David Shaw. Why have the Cardinal been slow out of the gate this year?
Rayburn: "It's a long list and the origin of several problems was a couple of years ago. The short version is that an already thin depth chart has been devastated by injuries and no position is in worse shape than the offensive line. Freshman Walter Rouse has been at left tackle since All-American Walker Little was hurt against Northwestern. It's likely freshman guard Barrett Miller will play at left guard for the injured Devery Hamilton. Right tackle Foster Sarell is not 100 percent so it's uncertain how well he'll hold up for a full game. If he can't go, freshman Jake Hornibrook will probably step in.
If you've noticed a theme with freshmen it's because Stanford's recent recruiting at the position left it vulnerable to having a severe shortage of linemen. As a result, the five-member 2019 class has been leaned on from the jump. So, the line is doing the best it can under the circumstances and actually is holding up well in run blocking.
Another major issue is that quarterback KJ Costello hasn't really been right through two and a half games. He missed the second half of the season opener because of a head injury and then didn't play at USC the following week. His most productive half by far has been the first one of the season and since then nothing has really clicked in the passing game. Costello may not play in Corvallis due to a hand injury he suffered during the first drive versus Oregon. He slammed his throwing hand into a helmet and has not thrown much this week in practice while wearing a wrap around his thumb. If he can't play then Davis Mills will take over. The former five-star has shown flashes in relief of Costello but has also surprisingly missed throws that many onlookers would not have predicted based on practice performances. Stanford needed Costello to shine and lead a young but relatively talented receiver corps that could hopefully score enough to cover for other problems. Stanford has five offensive touchdowns in four games. The defense has two.
On the defensive side of the ball, there is a major playmaking problem in the secondary and the current plan seems to be to just try to limit big plays, of which they gave up many against USC and UCF. The Knights, in particular, blitzed the Cardinal secondary in the first quarter in Orlando. That development caused the coaches to start integrating the next generation. Freshman Jonathan McGill started at nickel Saturday and freshman Kyu Kelly started at the corner opposite Paulson Adebo.
