Shaw tried to look at the bright side. “But we got worn down”. Injuries are contagious sometimes, and no team is immune. Solomon is listed as day-to-day. And as long as QB Anu Solomon can return after having his bell rung last week, the Wildcats should be able to moves the chains.
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Stanford is getting hurt where it can’t afford it, on the defensive side of the ball. Who do you see stepping up the most in the coming weeks? In addition to the Wildcats, the Cardinal has not lost to Cal, Colorado, UCLA and Washington State during Shaw’s tenure. The running game has been a bright spot in a somewhat disappointing season. Reserves Nate Lohn, Jordan Watkins and Torsten Rotto got extensive playing time, while outside linebackers Joey Alfieri and Mike Tyler also played hybrid end positions. Hogan injured the ankle in the victory over USC.
Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan is available, though he’s still feeling the affects of a sprained left ankle sustained in the win over Southern California two weeks ago. Thomas had three tackles, including one tackle for a loss, in the win over Oregon State.
The Wildcats are 8-20 ATS in their last 28 games on grass and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in October. He had two catches for 58 yards in the victory over Oregon State, including a sensational 49-yard touchdown reception on a ball that was thrown deep down the sideline into double coverage midway through the third quarter.
– Saturday will mark the 29th meeting between Stanford and Arizona.
– Stanford won in overtime, 54-48, when the programs last met in 2012. Randall only throws fastballs, really, and the receivers have a hard time catching his passes.
Sanders rushed for 97 yards and two scores for the Cardinal. He’s all about making the No. 18 Cardinal one of the best rushing teams in the Pac-12. During that span, the Cardinal has amassed 114 points, a 38.0 points per game average.
Another three-and-out and it looked as if Stanford was poised for the blowout.
One thing to keep in mind for Saturday. The Cardinal might need to utilize the passing game more against Arizona, which is fifth in the Pac-12 against the run but 11th against the pass. The Beavers are inexperienced on defense, but linebackers Rommel Mageo and Manase Hungalu have played well early and helped shut out the Spartans in the second half last week. The Cardinal held the Beavers to 111 rushing yards and outrushed them 217-0 in the second half. Randall also rushed for 128 yards and one touchdown in 16 attempts.
Scouting the pass defense: Stanford’s inexperienced secondary was exploited a bit in the victory over Oregon State. That led to the Beavers tying the game at 7-7. Without Wright, or momentum after being trucked by UCLA, Arizona will have a tough time slowing down the surging Stanford offense.
All four of Arizona’s losses have come to teams now ranked in the top 13 of the AVCA Top 25. Ukropina went into the contest as one of nine FBS kickers who made five or more field goals without a miss in the first three games. The offensive line paved the way for RBs Christian McCaffrey and Barry Sanders, who combined for 303 yards while averaging 8.2 yards per carry. Wilson has three straight 100-yard rushing games and ranks seventh in the nation with 570 yards on the season.
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– Stanford has scored at least 37 points in each of its past four games against Arizona. Check out the Arizona vs. Stanford prediction and game preview. The senior All-American and national team member has 309 career goals, 23 shy of matching Tony Azevedo for the all-time lead at Stanford and in the MPSF. Kevin Hogan is completing 63.4 percent of his passes for 938 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. The defense – and particularly the front six – has been the most disappointing part of Arizona’s play thus far this season. Shittu is expected to play this week after X-rays revealed no broken bones or torn ligaments. Scarlett is expected to play this week. He suffered the injury in the season-opening loss to Northwestern.
