What Went Wrong For Stanford Defensively Against Virginia?

On Saturday, Stanford took on Virginia in an ACC clash in what Stanford fans were hoping would be a continuation of the positive vibes from the previous week against Boston College. The Cavaliers were heavy favorites, and at the end, they made it look ugly.

From the jump, the Cardinal looked outmatched defensively, as Virginia QB Chandler Morris tore up the entire Cardinal defense. He hit every target, making big plays all night, and leading the Cavs to a 48-20 victory.

Stanford fans were shocked, but not just because they lost, but how they lost. The defense was viewed as a big bright spot for the program heading into the game, and even a driving factor for the team's success. That changed on Saturday.

What went wrong for the Cardinal happened on many different levels. It wasn’t one position room, or one player—it was the whole unit.

The defensive line, which has been solid this past season, looked awful. Whether the credit goes to the Virginia offensive line or poor play in this game from the defensive line, white jerseys could not get to the quarterback, and Morris looked as comfortable as could be.

When a field general as good as Morris gets unlimited time, it is too easy for the Cavs to score, which is exactly what happened.

In coverage, Stanford needed work. It felt like every Virginia skill player was just quicker, and easily got around guys in coverage. All night, players such as Trell Harris and his three touchdowns in the first quarter absolutely dominated the guys in coverage.

On a regular day, win or lose, Stanford’s defense has forced turnovers, scored points defensively, and held opponents short of the end zone to force field goals over touchdowns. Especially when the opponent is in good field position, Stanford has held them to three. That was not the case on Saturday.

Stanford has a lot of work to do. They now sit at 1-3, and have very few games that look like potential wins on their schedule. But next week, they have their easiest game yet, with San Jose State coming to The Farm.

Although the Spartans had some high preseason expectations, a 1-2 start with poor performances against Central Michigan, a 16-14 loss, and Idaho, a close 31-28 win, SJSU hasn’t lived up to expectations at all.

Next Saturday, the two play for a huge matchup. Schematically, San Jose State throws the ball, especially to dynamic receivers Danny Scudero and Leland Smith. Their quarterback, Walker Eget, has been inconsistent, but has looked great at times. Defensively, Stanford needs to make their mark, and hold the Spartans to prove how great of a unit they can be.