UCLA Football: An Early Preview of the Stanford Cardinal

UCLA Football will open Pac-12 against the Stanford Cardinal. This is Go Joe Bruin’s early look of that conference opener.

Is it football season yet? Do you feel like you’ve been waiting forever since the last time the UCLA Football team was on the field? Well, I feel the same way. So to cure our continuing sense of despair due to UCLA Football withdrawals, let me take a moment to preview Stanford.

I know what you’re thinking. Why would she pick such a terrible game to preview? We’re gonna lose anyway. Again. Did I get it right?

I picked Stanford because sometimes I think it’s the only game that matters.

The last time UCLA Football beat Stanford was in 2008. That was a really long time ago. George W. Bush was still POTUS. The Giants beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. OJ Simpson was finally found guilty of something. Serena Williams only had 9 grand slams (she has 23 now). Folks, 2008 was basically a different era.

This means UCLA Football Head Coach Jim Mora has never posted a win against the Cardinal since he began his tenure in 2009.

This year, the Bruins will start their Pac-12 conference schedule against Stanford in Palo Alto. Could this year finally be the year?

What: UCLA Bruins at Stanford Cardinal

Where: Stanford Stadium

When: Saturday, September 23rd

Stanford Cardinal Head Coach David Shaw is in his sixth year and he has a 64-17 record with the team. The Bruins have not been able to decode the tree under Shaw’s tutelage. However, the Cardinal will begin the 2017 season without their star player Christian McCaffrey, who will be catching Cam Newton‘s invisible arrows next fall.

Is this the golden opportunity the Bruins have been waiting for?

Stanford Offense:

Here’s the good news (you wanted them first, right?). Stanford are not as strong on offense as they’ve been in the past.

November 5, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Keller Chryst (10) hands the football off to running back Bryce Love (20) during the first quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

With McCaffrey gone, Stanford will look to running back Bryce Love to fill in some big shoes. Love is a proven runner; he tallied 115 yards (in the bowl game McCaffrey skipped for fear of injury) against North Carolina. But he’s no McCaffrey. Stanford relied so much on the Heisman hopeful that he finished his college career with 1206 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. Love has a long road ahead before proving he can fill the gap left behind.

Things at quarterback also haven’t been the same since Kevin Hogan left. Last year the Cardinal tried a couple of quarterbacks through the season. And, as of April, there was no clear leader in the race for starting spot.

That’s because Keller Chryst who was likely to be the starting QB had surgery early this year from an injury suffered in the Sun Bowl. He is expected to be out for at least six months. Senior Ryan Burns who had started the first seven games of 2016 flirted with the idea of transferring but has instead returned to school.

The bad news for the Bruins is that Stanford managed to hit 10 wins last season despite the QB woes. But the good news is that McCaffrey had a lot to do with that. Without him on board, the UCLA defense might–just might–slow down the Cardinal this year.

Stanford 2016 Offensive Stats

Total Offense: 367.1 (11th in Pac-12)

Passing Offense: 158.2 (12th)

Rushing Offense: 208.9 (4th)

Scoring Offense: 26.3 (9th)

Stanford Defense:

Aaaaaaand the bad news. Stanford is still pretty stacked on defense. Despite losing Solomon Thomas to the draft, the Cardinal still has 8 returning starters. Defensive linemen Dylan Jackson and Harrison Phillips are Stanford’s best talent on the line, but they will still have to step it up for the team to continue playing like Thomas never left.

Stanford 2016 Defensive Stats

Total Defense: 368.1 (4th in Pac-12)

Passing Defense: 223.6 (5th)

Rushing Defense: 144.5 (5th)

Scoring Defense: 20.4 (2th)

Next: Grading the UCLA quarterbacks heading into 2017

Final Analysis

UCLA got so close to beating Stanford last year. The Bruins were leading 13-9 in the fourth quarter before the Cardinal surged to defeat UCLA 22-13. This year could be an opportunity for the Bruins. Stanford isn’t as strong offensively as it has been in the past, and the Bruins will be playing essentially the same defense they did last year. If the UCLA offense can keep it together this time, maybe we will see UCLA’s first win against Stanford since 2008. That’s a big maybe though.