Like any football coach, Stanford’s David Shaw had some sleepless nights this season as his team achieved a 7-5 record. To clarify, many college football programs would be thrilled to be 7-5 at this point of the year. The reason Shaw has done his share of tossing and turning this fall is because the Cardinal went 34-7 and reached three BCS bowl games in his first three seasons.
Shaw is tasting his first pre-New Year’s Day bowl game on Tuesday when Stanford meets Maryland in the Foster Farms Bowl at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium. As far as bowl games go, this bowl isn’t too shabby with Levi’s being a fancy new stadium, and all. Plus, it’s in close proximity to Stanford, allowing students and fans, who may not be able to travel to a more distant bowl, a chance to attend.
Shaw should be credited for keeping the status quo with what his predecessor, Jim Harbaugh, built in his four seasons as head coach at Stanford. When one thinks of it, Harbaugh had only one year with more than eight wins, his last. That was 2010 when the Cardinal finished 12-1, ranked No. 4 in the country. Harbaugh went 8-5 in 2009, with prominent wins over Oregon, UCLA and USC, something that should be duly noted.
It’s easy to armchair quarterback decisions made by Shaw and his staff this season, but now is not the time. Bottom line, the Cardinal lost three games by a total of nine points. This Stanford team could easily be 10-2 and playing in a big-time bowl, albeit not in the Rose or Sugar, host venues of the inaugural four-team playoff.
Questions about Shaw may abound from alums, but the ultimate question is this: Is he the right coach for Stanford football, now or in the immediate future? The answer is an emphatic, “Yes.”
Shaw is the perfect coach to represent the Stanford brand. This is not Alabama or LSU. This is Stanford, a school that prides itself on academics. Shaw is a Stanford grad, having played football at Stanford from 1991 to 1994. His father, Willie Shaw, had two stints as an assistant football coach at Stanford (1974-76, 1989-91). Stanford’s defensive coordinator, Lance Anderson, is technically the “Willie Shaw Director of Defense.”
Stanford is in David Shaw’s blood. He is 42 with a personality ideal to recruit athletes to come play football at Stanford. Shaw isn’t a fast-talking salesman, like Alabama’s Nick Saban, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer or LSU’s Les Miles. Shaw is down-to-earth, the kind of guy a mother would want their son to play for.
Next spring will be Shaw’s most challenging spring, mainly in regards to the quarterback and his offense. After a lackluster 26-10 loss at Arizona State, Shaw returned three days later to the weekly press conference, opening his heart. In essence, he admitted he wasn’t running the offense best-suited for his personnel and that changes were in the offing. Not many coaches would do that.
The result was a more wide-open passing game. In turn, quarterback Kevin Hogan’s play rose. Whether Hogan returns or not for next season, Shaw needs to keep leaning to throwing the football more and running more creative plays. Starting tackle Andrus Peat is probable to leap early to the NFL, a big loss to any run game. Unless a power back emerges to run the power run game instilled by Harbaugh, Stanford may be better off in a run-and-shoot or gun-option read formation.
Shaw will have next season what he didn’t have this season — homefield advantage against the best teams on his schedule. Stanford played Oregon, Notre Dame, UCLA, Arizona State and Washington on the road this year. Next season, Arizona, the Bruins, Huskies, Ducks, Cal and the Irish visit Stanford Stadium. University of Central Florida — 9-3 before Friday’s Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl game with North Carolina State — has a date on Shaw’s turf in Week 2 next year.
Will alums expect a better win-loss record next season? Sure. Will Stanford cut down on its penalties, where it was second-worst in the Pac-12 conference this season? They had better. Will play on both sides of the ball be crisper, more organized? Let’s hope. Will the defense create more turnovers? Can’t produce much less.
Does Stanford has its man in Shaw? Y-E-S.
Email John Reid at jreid@dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at twitter.com/dailynewsjohn.
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