Scouting Report - Stanford Defense
Thanks to what Jim Harbaugh built, people think of the I-formation and physical football when they think of Stanford’s program. For awhile, casual fans likely associated a nasty defense with them as well. From 2010-2014, the Cardinal defense was really good. The lowest they ranked in total defense during that time was 28th and it culminated in them rising up to 3rd in ‘14.
Things started to take a downturn in 2015 and they haven’t been nearly as good as they used to be. They have been ranked 43rd, 38th, and now 61st in total defense the last three years. Partly due to them not developing front seven talent like they used to and possibly due to some departures on the coaching staff, they just aren’t anywhere close to as good as they have been in the past.
They are bad on 3rd down (107th) and bad at preventing touchdowns in the red zone (91st). Combine that with them being bad at stopping the run (4.69 yards per carry, 90th) with a defense that hasn’t been that productive at disrupting the football (97th in Havoc Rate) and it’s kind of crazy that they somehow have only given up 20.7 points per game.
This is not Miami or Georgia’s defense we are talking about. The Irish should be able to move the ball on them all game long and there are definitely players that Chip Long and the coaching staff can attack.
One great player and a lotta meh up front
Notre Dame has not faced a great nose tackle this season, but that will change this Saturday with Stanford’s Harrison Phillips. He has unique skills at that spot with great hands and outstanding lateral quickness. I can’t remember seeing any other 3-4 team have their starting nose guard as their second leading tackler, but Phillips is not like many other nose guards.
His 12.5 tackles for loss show what kind of impact he is capable of. Sam Mustipher will have his hands full going up against him and he’ll often need help to get him blocked in the run game. Phillips is also the best pass rusher on their team as well.
That speaks highly of what Phillips can do, but not so highly about the rest of the team front as pass rushers. I don’t see anyone who can dominate in their front. They used to always be so solid across the line. That’s just not the case anymore. I think Notre Dame can run at defensive end Eric Cotton all game long like they did with Christian Rector versus USC. Cotton really struggles to shed blocks and was moved off the ball quite a bit against Cal and Washington State. Cal especially ran his way when they needed to make a play.
He will be lined up on the left and will go up against right guard Alex Bars often. This is a game where Bars could gain a lot of confidence back by controlling Cotton at the point of attack.
Okereke can ball
Inside linebacker Bobby Okereke has transformed himself into a very good player this year. He can really do everything on the field for the Cardinal, including cover running backs in man to man and be explosive as a blitzer. He also has a pick six against Washington State this season.
He’s the one guy they have who can play for just about every program in the nation. The rest of the group is solid, but not spectacular. Outside linebacker/edge Peter Kalambayi was supposed to be a great pass rusher for them the last two seasons, but he’s just not consistent enough. T
hey used to roll deep at linebacker. They do a good job as blitzers as a group, but that’s the only thing that stands out about them. Look for them to bring an inside linebacker as a fourth rusher as much or more than they bring an edge defender. That’s something I’ve seen frequently from Stanford this season.
A strong secondary
The numbers may not be stellar, but I think this is a really good group in the secondary. Safety in particular might be the best position group on the team next to the offensive line. Three guys that play there, Justin Reid, Ben Edwards, and Frank Buncom, are all players the Irish wanted to sign in recruiting. All three are very good and cover a lot of ground.
Reid is the best of the bunch, though. He is probably one of the best safeties in America. He is a ballhawk (5 interceptions) and can absolutely bring the wood as a hitter. He can fill the alley versus the run and has corner skills if matched up on a slot receiver. He looks the part of a high NFL Draft pick.
He actually may have to play corner in this game because he’s the next man up if someone goes down at that spot. They lost starting corner Alijah Holder for the season against Oregon State and it’s been a big blow for them. He is a very good player in coverage and had three forced fumbles as well.
Replacing him is senior Alameen Murphy. I don’t want to say he has been bad, but teams have targeted him quite a bit and he has given up a lot of catches. Most of those have been underneath stuff, but it’s like he is playing safe to not get beat deep. He is the field corner and I think the Irish will throw it his way quite a bit.
They’ll do that partly because boundary corner Quenton Meeks is so good. He is big (6’2” 200) and can has great feet for a guy his size. His ball skills are very good too. I would not throw his side very often and we could see it go down that way if Equanimeous St. Brown ends up being out this weekend.
Other stray thoughts
- Inside linebacker Joey Alfieri really flashed as a blitzer against Cal. He’s not going to be easy for a back to pick up and his motor is non-stop.
- When they put inside linebacker Mustafa Branch in the game, Notre Dame willl need to run the ball his way. He is a tough kid, but 218 pounds is 218 pounds. Get a guard on him at the second level and run right at him. Cal did for big yards on a couple of plays.
- Seven running backs have rushed for 100 yards or more against Stanford this season. I think Notre Dame has a chance at making that nine after this game.