Offensive offenses
Stanford will take a win in any way
Michelle Smith, Chronicle Staff Writer
In a conference full of offense, the Stanford Cardinal still look half-empty. Yet here they are, sitting alone in fourth place in the Pac-10, one game from bowl eligibility heading into Saturday's Big Game against Cal. "I would definitely like to be putting up 40 points a game all the time and have everybody with 1,000-yard seasons," said Stanford junior wide receiver Mark Bradford. "But I'm definitely happier with the number of wins we have right now." With the exception of quarterback Trent Edwards, the Stanford offense is a cast of unknowns, who have forged an identity through gutty, efficient use of their opportunities and personnel, rather than gaudy offensive statistics. The Cardinal rank near or at the bottom of the Pac-10 in every offensive category. They currently trail behind last season's averages in passing and total offense. They need five more touchdowns in two games to match last season's total. "I think a lot of it has been getting a grasp on coach Harris' system," said left guard Josiah Vinson. "It's much more complex than what we had. I think we have been improving, but we've also been dealing with injuries." As the Cardinal have found out this season, the best-laid plans can become yesterday's depth chart in a hurry. Harris thought he was inheriting an offense with 10 returning starters. He thought he was inheriting an offensive line with a combined 85 starts worth of experience. He thought he would rely on a fifth-year senior running back and that he had one of the biggest receiving targets in the Pac-10 at his disposal. But things don't always work out exactly like the plan. "You fashion a plan around your skill players, and sometimes you fashion it around who's still standing," Harris said. Wide receiver Evan Moore was injured and lost for the duration in the season opener. Starting center Brian Head, a fifth-year senior, started two games before injuries forced him to end his career. Head's replacement, Tim Mattran, went down with an injury five games later. Senior tailback J.R. Lemon, the team's top returning rusher, sat out the first three games with an injury. Bradford went to the sideline in the first quarter of the UCLA game and hasn't caught a pass since. Saturday in the second half against Oregon State, Stanford played without fullback Nick Frank and senior wide receiver Justin McCullum. Starting tight end Matt Traverso was sidelined before the game with a shoulder injury. Yet Stanford still won. "There are times when it looks like we are just keeping our head above water," Vinson said. "But we have made a lot of improvement and we have tried not to beat ourselves." Stanford has gone to great measures to limit mistakes, following Harris' favorite saying, "More games are lost than are won." Stanford has during the ball over just 16 times this season, the lowest total in the Pac-10 and went four straight games without a turnover. And the Cardinal are the least penalized team in the conference. Not all of the changes Harris has made have been necessitated by injury.
Harris remade the offensive line. In the case of Head, injury forced his hand. At other spots, Harris moved in younger players, such as Alex Fletcher, who beat out Ismail Simpson at right guard and then moved to center after Mattran's injury. Sophomore Allen Smith won the job at left tackle over Jeff Edwards five weeks into the season. Edwards returned to the starting lineup at right tackle last week at Oregon State, taking over for Jon Cochran. "I couldn't have expected the way things have gone, but it's given other people an opportunity," Edwards said. "That's the way coach Harris is, he wants the best guy in the best situation and he puts you there." The running game is still the source of frustration and inconsistency that it was when Harris arrived, last in the Pac-10 and 98th out of 117 Division I teams with a 112.2 average. Lemon was challenged to take a lead at tailback and then got hurt in fall camp and fell to the back of the pack. Harris took a chance on redshirt freshman Anthony Kimble after converting him from wide receiver and sophomore Jason Evans, who carried the ball just once in his Stanford career coming in to the season. Neither have yet established themselves as go-to ballcarriers. Frank became a fullback during spring practice, moved over from the defensive line and has had a solid season. "It does look different than I thought it would in the spring, but you have to adjust to your players," Harris said.
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