He has played tackle and defensive end and rated as a 2-star on 247. He’s also an excellent student who has a 32 ACT, 1390 SAT and a 4.0 GPA.

Stanford beats Oregon State 26-15, here’s the in depth review

When I played football in high school, there was an unwritten rule that if the quarterback threw for over 300 yards or the running back ran for over 100 yards than the quarterback/running back would feed the linemen on Monday pans of bars or burritos. Just make sure you feed the big guys to put emphasis on the need for them in the trenches to make the rest of the offense work.

This week the offensive line for Stanford needs to buy McCaffrey’s lunch, as he ran for 199 yards and did not get a lot of help from the line. I will talk about the rest of the game, but this needs to come first because we as fans and viewers of this team cannot miss it. McCaffrey is being wasted, he is absolutely ridiculous as a football player, but also as an athlete. He jumped over two guys in one jump! And they were not even next to each other! He does things that a super hero does in a comic book. But he has a porous offensive line and struggling quarterback. Yes, one can point to plays like the 51 yard dash were there was decent blocking, but for at least half his carries the first man he makes miss is in the backfield. If he had a better performing offensive line and quarterback production, a healthy McCaffrey might have the Cardinal playoff bound, particularly with this defense.

Speaking of the defense, fumbling to start the game is not exactly great and sadly not all that surprising, but the defense set the tone by playing physical up front and forcing the Beavers away from the run and into the teeth of their secondary. The Beavers could not capitalize on the opening fumble and had problems all game long. The Beavers are a run first team and when forced into throwing, the result was two interceptions from a linebacker unit we have not heard much from this season. The Stanford defense did allow some chunk plays but for the most the Cardinal part did a good job bending, but not breaking. Solomon Thomas looked good, the linebackers had some turnovers and my defensive player of the game was safety Justin Reid who came up and made a lot of tackles at the line of scrimmage.

This was a great defensive game for Stanford in which they matched up well and asserted dominance on the line with more guys and more strength. On the outside, the corners and safeties for Stanford could match the speed of Oregon State’s receivers by messing with their timing on the line of scrimmage. Great defensive games back to back as the defense regains health.

On offense there are still plenty of problems, so let us cover the good first. When talking with the Building The Dam website, one of the players I highlighted was Bryce Love. Stanford did a great job getting him involved in the offense and he once again showed that he is a really talented back with lots of speed. I would not be surprised if in the weeks to come Love is lined up in the backfield and McCaffrey in the slot. The running game overall was mediocre, lots of times backs would get hit very early but both are slippery enough to mask those problems.

However, the bigger problem was that it seemed as if Keller Chryst had never taken a snap before. He also struggled greatly through the air and ended with more yards on the ground. The offensive line shares some blame there as well, as they let pressure right up the middle time and again and rarely let Chryst step up in the pocket.

Yet again Stanford won against a lesser opponent because they have two backs, at least one corner and at least one player from the front seven headed to the NFL. Shaky wins for the Cardinal but wins nonetheless.

Stanford had a rough game last week against the Colorado Buffaloes. As a result of the Cardinal offense’s inability to put points on the board David Shaw announced in Tuesday’s press conference that Stanford will be making a switch at quarterback. Keller Chryst will be the starting QB against Arizona Saturday night instead of Ryan Burns. Coach Shaw offered plenty of praise for Ryan Burns and reiterated that it would be easy if the offensive woes were just at the QB position but the fact remained that the offense is not getting it done.

Alijah Holder had initially been injured back in September against UCLA. After several missed games he was finally able to return to action against Colorado. Unfortunately that return was cut short as Holder suffered another injury and this time he is done for the season. Holder along with Quenton Meeks made a formidable secondary for the Cardinal. Coach Shaw has said he is not sure yet who will take Holder’s place but he did say that several guys have played really well in his absence. Shaw said he would see how the week goes before making a decision on the position.

Offensive lineman David Bright who was out for the Colorado game is questionable for Arizona Saturday night Shaw said they will evaluate him later in the week. Guard Johnny Caspers is also questionable for Arizona. Caspers was banged up during the Colorado game but did return to finish the game. Caspers will also be evaluated later in the week. Shaw is not sure if he will bring in Nate Herbig or some other combination of players, it will depend on how things go in practice this week. Daniel Marx is still injured but “trending upward” as David Shaw put it. Marx has already missed several games and may still need a couple more weeks to heal but Shaw is not considering a medical redshirt for Marx yet.

Christian McCaffrey is healthy and available so Shaw expects that the offense will use plenty of McCaffrey and Bryce Love on offense. Preparing last week was difficult because they were not sure whether McCaffrey would play or not so they were not sure who they were going to use. Hopefully for Stanford this tandem can make things happen to take pressure off of the injured and struggling offensive line as well as the new starting quarterback. Shaw said they need to get first downs and sustain drives in order to get receivers like Michael Rector and the tight ends more touchdowns. Love and McCaffrey frequently touch the ball on first down so getting this tandem going can really help sustain drives and spread the ball around.

You can watch the full press conference below:

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Stanford may be without the greatest player in college football this Saturday.

Stanford may be without its best player against Notre Dame this Saturday. "[Christian McCaffrey]'s pretty beaten up," David Shaw said, indicating that a decision may not be made until Friday, or possibly not even until game time.

Christian McCaffrey was taken out in the 3rd quarter against Washington State. He jogged off the field to the locker room with a team physician, and later returned to the sideline to complete agility drills. He did not, however, return to the field for the remainder of the game.

Prior to the injury, Christian McCaffrey held the longest streak in the country with at least 100 all-purpose yards. After getting pulled out of the game, his streak was broken at 19 games.

We learned quite a bit about USC but are left with plenty of questions.

Saturday night did not go the way USC expected. The Trojans wanted to walk out of Palo Alto with a statement win against 7^th ranked Stanford; instead they walked out with 27-10 beating, as well as more questions than answers.

Discipline is still an issue- Discipline continues to hit USC on the field. During last Saturday’s game, USC committed eight penalties for 56 yards. Six of those penalties were false starts on the offensive line which ended up hurting the Trojans offense by putting them in third and forever situations.

If USC is going to improve then their discipline has to be addressed. The Trojans can’t expect to compete with the better teams in the Pac-12 if they cannot play disciplined football. Expect Clay Helton to spend the team’s short week addressing the matter.

Trojans Lack Physicality On The Defensive Line- One of the keys to the game against Stanford was the ability to get physical with the Cardinal. The Trojans defensive line were unable to do that. The Cardinal offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage which allowed Stanford to gain 6.5 yards per carry. There were a lot of 3^rd and 3, 3^rd and 2 situations but the defensive line was unable to stop Stanford from easily converting them. USC has failed to match up physically on each side against Alabama and Stanford and that’s very concerning. Noah Jefferson being out for the game didn’t help but that’s no excuse for the defensive line to get beat up front.

Trojans offense showing signs of improvement but still inconsistent- USC has showed signs of offensive improvement against Stanford. They were able to run the ball and move the chains against Stanford, however the offense only managed to score 10 points. USC failed to put together a consistent scoring drive to keep them in the game. A lot of that came from key dropped passes, inability to get JuJu Smith-Schuster going, and false start penalties. You can blame coaching but something has to change in order for the offense to consistently get into the end zone. There’s too much talent on the offense for USC to only score 10. Clay Helton and Tee Martin have a lot of work to do this week to figure out the issue. The positive from all of this is that the running game is Alive and Tight Ends were used more for this game.

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We asked the writers their thoughts on the upcoming Stanford football game against USC

Charlie Foy: Stanford and USC have played a close game in almost every matchup over the past few years. This year will be semi-close and make Stanford fans nervous. I think Stanford will control the entire game but never dominate. For Stanford to win, Ryan Burns and Bryce Love will need to take pressure off of Christian McCaffery. Burns needs to avoid turnovers, and Love needs to be a dynamic play maker. I think Burns and Love will both step up.

Prediction: Stanford 24-17

Nerdnation23: A ranked Stanford team versus an unranked USC team is not common but it's a world that I would rather live in. USC will always have great athletes but they still don't have a good football team. Even if McCaffrey gets half his AP yards from the championship last season, he'd still have 230. Stanford will do just enough at home and win 31-17.

Tony Fernandes: Think this matchup will be closer than people think. USC was embarrassed in week 1, yet came back and executed much more effectively in game 2. USC/Stanford is always a rivalry game, and the Cardinal will be in for a dogfight. Look for Stanford to get McCaffrey out in space, and utilize Bryce Love a lot this week. Stanford will come out victorious 24-16.

CMolesky: This is a big rivalry game for both teams as USC is looking to prove they are not as bad the Alabama loss and Stanford is sitting on the outside of the top, fighting for a chance to get in. This will be a close one but Max Browne's completion percentage drops to 45 in close games. Burns is far more dependable in a tight spot and in a game where both teams have star playmakers the QBs will be the difference.

Matt Levin: Stanford and USC games are usually close. This will not be the case on Saturday night. Stanford will start the night off slow after not playing in two weeks. Once Stanford's offense can find a groove, there will be no looking back. The Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love duo will be unstoppable. Burns will look sharp in his second game as well. Defensively, Stanford may be a bit slow, but their offense will be too much to handle. Stanford wins by 2 or more possessions.

Nick Dempsey: USC was embarrassed in the opening week. The Trojans looked much better in week two but it was at home against Utah State. USC goes back on the road where Clay Helton has only won 2 games away from the Coliseum. The first win was against Cal, the other Colorado and they struggled in both of them. Eking out wins on the road against two of the worst teams in the Pac-12 and then losing all other road games under Helton does not exactly inspire a ton of confidence. USC has struggled mightily away from the Coliseum under Helton and I expect that trend to continue. Stanford - 34 USC -17

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The first commit from the class of 2018 is a big one.

On Tuesday, Stanford received its first verbal commitment from class of 2018. Quarterback Jack West, a pro-style passer from Alabama announced his intentions of joining coach David Shaw and the Cardinal to further his football career.

West is a highly regarded prospect. Ranked the 8th best pro-style passer in the class of 2018, West holds 24 total offers so far, including some from the most prestigious college football programs in the nation like Alabama, Auburn, and USC. Here's Scout.com's take on West.

He has the prototypical quarterback look in his size and intelligence while he's developed a strong arm in the process. Progressing with his footwork of late, West is coming off of his first year as a starter at the prep level so the sky is the limit over the next two seasons as he continues to work on his pocket presence and when to take risks or not. But with his build, passing diversity and trajectory, he's going to be an ideal pro-style signal-caller in college.

While Stanford didn't take a quarterback in the 2015 cycle, this marks the fourth time in five years that they've grabbed a four star or better passer (including Ryan Burns, Keller Chryst, KJ Costello and Davis Mills). It's a nice reminder that in spite of the academic rigors, David Shaw and company are having little trouble finding elite talent.

Of course, recruiting in college football is fluid. Even without considering the academic requirements that so frequently deter Stanford hopefuls late in the cycle, there's considerable change from initial commitment to signing day. That's not to say West isn't serious in his commitment or that you should temper your expectations a huge amount, but just a reminder: it's a long process.

Also fluid are the rankings from sites like 247 and Rivals. Stanford has proven a top evaluator of high school talent, frequently finding top talent from lower ranked players. West is already a blue chip recruit, but don't be surprised to see his stock rise even more as he attends more camps and we get more data from his junior and senior years of high school football.

It is a great time to be a Stanford football fan, but it was not always that way.

The Bay Area is home to world champions both on and off the field. The Bay Area is home to billion-dollar companies like Facebook and Oracle and billion-dollar franchises like the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and the Golden State Warriors. Then you have Stanford University. The best university not only in the Bay Area but in the world.

Stanford is the alma mater to great minds and great athletes. Heck, many people don’t realize that without Stanford, Nike co-founder and chairman wouldn’t have got his business degree to actually create his own billion-dollar empire. Now back to point, since 2010, the Bay Area has taken off to new heights and from a sports standpoint, the world has tipped on its axis. Since 2010, the San Francisco Giants have won 3 world championships, the Golden State Warriors have won one championship with a Finals appearance loss, The San Francisco 49ers and San Jose Sharks have made it to the championship in their respective sports and Stanford has gone to 3 Rose Bowls with 2 victories, won an Orange Bowl, and had a Fiesta Bowl appearance.

Now while we celebrate the championships with pride and humble ourselves with championship losses, let’s never forget that just 10 years ago, Stanford football was the Enron of college football. While we should enjoy every moment of our current success, never forget where we started.

10 years ago, Stanford football was heading into its second season under Coach Walt Harris. Harris had taken his previous team, University of Pittsburgh to the Fiesta Bowl just two years prior and while he knew Stanford was in total rebuild mode, he had shown some progress in his first season on the Farm. It started in week 1 with a road victory at Navy. Stanford had only won 2 road games in 3 years under Buddy Teevens and scored 40 points on a team not named San Jose State for the first time in 4 years. And when I stated he showed some progress just two sentences ago, I meant to say after game 1; it went down the drain for the next 22 games. The following week, Stanford lost to UC Davis; a loss that 10 years later almost seems unfathomable. Stanford finished the year 5-6 and for a team that hadn’t gone bowling since 2001, it SEEMED like progress. Fast forward to 2006 and 2005 would go on to feel like a dream.

Stanford opened up the season at ranked Oregon and while Stanford lost 48-10, they put up a fight early on to make you think that while losing isn’t great, it was a good team and we should be able to fix some problems down the road. Enter another week 2 Walt Harris special. Stanford was actually forced to play AT San Jose State as Stanford was still rebuilding the stadium. Stanford had been treating San Jose State as a little brother in the series and was dominating the series. Stanford would go up 27-7 in the game and into half 34-21 and it was looking like another blowout was going to happen. Instead, Stanford turned it over twice deep into SJS territory and would give up 14 unanswered and lose 35-34. It was their first victory over the Cardinal since 2000 and last one since. That loss would linger into the following week where it should have been a grand time as the new Stanford Stadium was open. After the jet flyover, it was the last loud thing you heard as Stanford crawled into a ball and lost 37-9.

The next 3 games would determine the 2006 season and if Stanford showed life that it could possibly play for a bowl game or hope the worst doesn’t happen and go winless. Stanford would go on to lose all 3 games in ugly fashion. They were outscored 43-3 in the first halves of those games, 98-20 overall, and were shutout in one. And to keep the honesty about how bad Stanford football was, the following week against Arizona looked like something even the Cleveland Browns don’t see. Stanford didn’t just lose 20-7 that day. Stanford scored their only points of the day on a pick-six. Stanford was shutout just two weeks prior and had more of an offense that day. Starting quarterback Trent Edwards went down with an injury early on but I know some middle-school kids who could have found a way to do something. I WILL PUT IN CAPS TO ILLUSTRATE THE OFFENSE: 4 FIRST DOWNS….FOUR!!!! 52 TOTAL YARDS AND THAT IS BECAUSE THE 58 PASSING YARDS WERE ENGATED BY -6 RUSHING…. When you see Christian McCaffrey running the football this season, REMEMBER THIS. Stanford was 0-7 at this point and would go on to lose to Arizona State and USC by a combined score of 80-3 in the following weeks.

A true fan and maybe even just any real person in life doesn’t forget the time or two that they were thrown under the bus. Just 5 years earlier, Washington Coach Tyrone Willingham was the head coach at Stanford. He was the head coach for 7 years at Stanford and while there, won 44 games, single-handedly beat Cal 7 times and STILL owns the record for most consecutive wins in the Big Game, and went to 4 bowl games including the Rose Bowl in 2000. He was on top of the world but in 2001, he left Stanford in the middle of the night to accept the position of Head Coach at Notre Dame. He didn’t just leave it at that as while at Notre Dame, he faked a punt on Stanford in 2003 while already having 50 points. It was the ultimate sign of disrespect.

Again, fast forward back to 2006 as 0-9 Stanford rolls into Washington as Willingham and Co. have lost 5 straight games but this should be the game to change that. It was a brutal game to watch as it went scoreless in the first and 3-3 into half. With just under 7 minutes to go in the third, Stanford had scored a touchdown on a pick-six and Stanford had a lead a game for the first time since September against San Jose State. A little over 465 minutes of tied or trailing football for Stanford was over. Early in the 4th quarter, Richard Sherman caught a 74-yard touchdown pass and Washington put up a second-half goose egg and lost 20-3. Tyrone Willingham was never really the same and would eventually go 0-12 just two years later. That was the end of hating Tyrone Willingham.

Unfortunately for Stanford, that victory, like the Navy victory in week 1 of 2005 was all for nothing as Stanford would lose their home finale against Oregon State 30-7. From a fan point of view, Stanford went right down the field on their opening possession and scored a touchdown and looked like a football team. The next 3 ½ quarters said otherwise as that was their only scoring possession. It also was Stanford’s first season since 1960 where it went winless at home. Stanford would limp into the season finale against a Cal team that featured players such as Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett, DeSean Jackson, Alex Mack, among other future NFL players. Anyone who is a fan of the Big Game knows anything can happen and while Stanford never had the lead at any point, Stanford was down by 6 or less for over 50 minutes in the game and had a chance. That chance was taken away with a field goal by Cal with 58 seconds remaining to go up 9 and seal the game 26-17. Stanford would finish their worst year since the 1983 Stanford team that also had 1 win.

Harris was fired two days later and while Stanford was truly debating on going into Division II, they waited it out and hired Jim Harbaugh…. The rest of that story is history. So the next time you see someone stroll into Stanford Stadium and they just assume Stanford will win, remind them we all don’t get to take day trips to Paris. Some of us have endured loss after loss and we should enjoy every minute of our championship runs in the Bay Area because you never know when the other show might drop.

Do you love Stanford football? Do you love College recruiting? Well then come on over and join the Rule of Tree team.

As many of you know our head of recruiting coverage Sean Levy has done a fantastic job keeping us current on all things Stanford football recruiting. He did such a fantastic job, in fact, that he was called up to be a paid writer for another publication. While myself and the entire Rule of Tree staff will miss Sean, and we all wish him well,his departure does leave a rather large hole to fill.

So if you are interested in helping us fill Sean's rather large Stanford football recruiting shoes then read on. Or just please send a writing sample to nickdempsey [at] gmail.com or Jack at jmblanchat [at] gmail.com

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The Rule of Tree Audience is growing, and we need to grow as well to meet the demands of our bigger audience. Therefore, Rule of Tree is looking for Stanford fanatics, passionate sports writers, content creators, and digital marketers to join our team. We are a Stanford sports blog with a national audience and part of the SB nation network. Contributors to the network have gone on to work for the LA Times, ESPN, SI.com, Grantland, Rivals, 247sports, Scout, SB Nation (national), Comcast sports, and many more companies.

In this opportunity (or internship if you can get the school credit for it) we will help you cultivate the tools and skills necessary to launch your career, including but not limited to:

-Honing and perfecting your writing skills
-Helping you understand how to captivate a digital audience
-Teaching you the basics of growing your social media audience
-Providing opportunities to create other forms of digital content such as podcasts
-Helping you learn the basics of search engine optimization
-Building your personal brand

We are looking for people who enjoy writing, creating podcasts, videos, social media, and all sorts of content. We are also looking for someone willing to learn and improve, can be self-motivated even while working remotely and are passionate and dedicated to contributing regularly (you will get out of this what you put in).

Rule of Tree is a group of passionate sports fans dedicated to covering the school and sports we love. That is why we are here. You do not have to be a die hard member of Nerd Nation, however, to join. If you just want to improve your skills, we will gladly work with you to help you get the absolute most personally and professionally out of this position while providing exposure to a national audience and cultivating your personal brand. In other words, we will invest in you personally and help you get to where you ultimately want to go.

You can find out more about the SB Nation Network here.

To be considered, please send a resume and a writing sample to nickdempsey [at] gmail.com or Jack at jmblanchat [at] gmail.com

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