Stanford Football Could be Brewing an Upset at SMU

Stanford football is 2-3 on the year entering their second bye of the season, with their next game scheduled for Saturday, October 11 in Dallas, Texas against SMU. Last season this game was played on The Farm, and it wasn't pretty, with SMU running away with a 40-10 victory. While it may not be the likely outcome, there is a chance that Stanford comes returns the favor in two weeks.

A lot of the reasoning for this comes from Stanford's bye week, which will give Cardinal interim head coach Frank Reich an extra week to concoct a game plan, while giving his players a chance to heal up. Stanford should have more weapons ready to go for this one than they would have if the game was taking place next weekend.

The other part of the equation here is that SMU is just 2-2 on the season, with wins over East Texas A&M and Missouri State. The losses have been at home to Baylor (48-45) in double overtime, and on the road at TCU (35-24).

When SMU came to town last season, they were the No. 21 ranked program in the country. This year they aren't, and their two wins aren't exactly against championship contenders.

Over the course of their four games, SMU has scored 139 points and given up 106, so they're in the green which is the god news for them. Stanford has scored 103 and given up 147, with their two wins being by a total of 11 points, and two of their three losses being by at least three touchdowns.

The case for Stanford here is that their offense is showing that they're able move the ball more effectively than in recent seasons, and luckily for them, SMU is willing to give up some points as well. The task at hand will be stopping or slowing down one facet of the Mustangs' offense.

Their QB, Kevin Jennings, has racked up 1,126 yards through the air this season, along with nine touchdowns to five interceptions. They're able to get big chunks of yards when he's slinging the ball around, so the Stanford corners are going to have to create a turnover or two (preferably at a backbreaking moment), while limiting the passing game just enough.

SMU's running back, T.J. Harden, has accumulated 57 carries for 309 yards and five touchdowns himself, and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Being able to pass and run the ball effectively could be where Stanford has trouble keeping up with SMU. In both of the Cardinal wins, the opposition has essentially given up on the running game, allowing their defense to play for the pass.

That may not be the case in a couple of weeks, which will add a wrinkle to how this game plays out.

While Stanford will likely be the underdogs in this matchup, the offense has been picking up steam since the BYU game, and could end up being able to more or less keep pace with SMU. If the defense can do just enough to limit the Mustangs, then the Cardinal could be in business and earn their third win of the season to even up their record.

The matchup last season wasn't close. Expect the Cardinal to perform a whole lot better in this matchup.