*** NCAA Football Preview - Stanford Cardinal ***

From The My Sportsbook

By Brian Mason, College Football Staff Writer

2003 SEASON IN REVIEW: The Cardinal opened the season with wins over a bad San Jose State team (31-10) and a solid BYU squad (18-14), which gave hope that the team would not be as bad as first predicted. That however was not the case, as Stanford then went on to lose its next four contests and its last three of the year, including an embarrassing 57-7 loss to Notre Dame in the regular season finale. At just 4-7 overall, things shouldn't get much worse for head coach Buddy Teevens. The Cardinal went just 2-6 in Pac-10 action, which left them tied for eighth in the conference standings. A terrible approach to offense and the nation's worst pass defense have fans of this once proud program calling for Teevens' head. Stanford averaged just 95.8 ypg on the ground last season (112th in the country) and just 187.2 ypg through the air (89th in the country). While the rush defense seemed to be impressive, holding opponents to just 137.5 ypg, the reason for its success was because teams had no problem just airing the ball out on Stanford (296.3 ypg). Teevens is now 6-16 in his two years at the helm for the Cardinal and a slow start in 2004 could mean his firing by mid-season.

2004 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: The Cardinal have no true superstars at any position coming into 2004 and the major question mark is centered around sophomore quarterback Trent Edwards, who started four games as a freshman and looked below average at best in those contests. Edwards was once a top recruit for Stanford, but he played anything like one last year, completing just over 45 percent of his passes. He finished with four touchdowns and nine interceptions, as his decision making was erratic and misguided. Edwards must improve or this offense has no chance of even ranking in the Top 100 squads in college football this season. Kenneth Tolon returns at tailback after rushing for 522 yards and two scores last year. Tolon averaged just 3.5 ypc in 2003, but has the size and speed to easily surpass that disappointing output. Sophomore Mark Bradford will likely be the team's top receiving threat and with reason. Bradford led the team with 587 receiving yards as a freshman last year and showed signs that he could be a game-breaker with some seasoning. There is little depth or talent behind Bradford, outside of reliable tight end Alex Smith. Stanford's offensive line allowed 33 sacks last season and does not look all that much better this year, despite the return of two starters.

DEFENSE: The defense has nine starters returning from a season ago, including free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who was a Second-Team All-Pac 10 member in 2003. Atogwe led the squad with 90 tackles last year and has posted 161 stops over the last two years, as well as five interceptions. The rest of the secondary from last year is also returning for Stanford, but cornerbacks Stanley Wilson and Leigh Torrence are better at tackling than they are in covering receivers. Defensive tackle Babatunde Oshinowo should improve on his four sacks from 2003, but this defensive line is not all that athletic, has trouble getting to the quarterback and lacks experience. The linebacking corps will likely be the strength of the defense, as Jared Newberry and David Bergeron could both be above average players at their positions.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Michael Sgroi returns at kicker, but needs to improve on his 7-of-18 accuracy problems from 30-49 yards in 2003. Eric Johnson is out as the team's punter and redshirt freshman Jay Ottvegio takes over in his place. Ottvegio has a strong leg and surprising talent, which will be used often this year with the way Stanford fails to the move the football.

OUTLOOK: Teevens will be on the hot seat all year long, as this squad has little chance of finishing with more than four wins for yet another year. Stanford has one of the most inconsistent sets of cornerbacks in the country and its offense lacks depth and talent. The schedule again starts off this year with winnable matchups against San Jose State and BYU, but from there on, wins will be nearly impossible to come by. The Cardinal play five of its last seven games on the road and will have to try and hold off the offenses of Arizona State, Oregon State and California in their last three games. Stanford is no longer one of the premier programs in the Pac-10 and if Edwards cannot improve under center, this could be one of the most grueling seasons for the Cardinal in recent memory.