It's hard to believe that the 2014 season is already half way over, but it's true. We know that the Cardinal is 4-2 after the first six games, and we know how they got there, but how have the individual groups done? I'll look at several different position groups this week, break down what they've contributed thus far, and where needed give some suggestions about should be done in the second half of the season.
During the Andrew Luck Era and the year after, Stanford Football earned the moniker Tight End U thanks to a series of great players at the position, most notably Zach Ertz, Coby Fleener, and Levine Toilolo. When those three departed for the NFL, however, the tight end cupboard was bare, and the offense suffered in 2013 as a result.
How bad was it? The offensive coaches raided the defense and tried to convert two different defensive ends (Luke Kaumatule and Charlie Hopkins) to tight end, and the results weren't surprising. Those two combined for just five catches, and as a group the position produced only 10 receptions for 89 yards and not a single touchdown. (In 2012 Ertz and Toilolo caught 93 balls for 1291 yards and 10 touchdowns.)
So with the black hole of 2013 as a baseline, this year's group of tight ends couldn't help but improve, and improve they have. In these first six games, Austin Hooper has already eclipsed the tight end total from last season, catching 16 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown, Eric Cotton has also contributed with five catches for 111 yards and a score, and Greg Taboada joined the party last week with a pair of touchdowns of his own against Washington State. These three tight ends have given quarterback Kevin Hogan much-needed intermediate options in the passing game, but there's also big play potential as evidenced by Hogan's 39-yard strike to Cotton last week, a play that brought to mind Coby Fleener at his best.
The best part of this tight end situation is that all three players are just sophomores with three years of eligibility remaining, and the most talented tight end on the roster, true freshman Dalton Schultz, hasn't even seen the field yet. Tight End U is back. Get used to it.
Semester Grade: B
[Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
