The fourteen most important things that happened in the world of Stanford Football in 2014, presented in chronological order, with a few general developments listed at the end.
1. The Rose Bowl -- January 1, 2014
When the Cardinal lost to USC in early November of 2013, I walked out of the Coliseum in a fog of depression, knowing that the Rose Bowl was surely out of reach. But when the front-running Oregon Ducks somehow lost to Arizona by 26 while Stanford was pummeling Cal by fifty, the Cardinal was back in the driver's seat. Yes, it's always disappointing to lose, but as I walked out of the Rose Bowl following Stanford's 24-20 loss to Michigan State, I wasn't sad. Any season that ends in Pasadena on January 1st, is a successful one, regardless of the outcome.
2. National Signing Day -- February 5, 2014
Some college football fans will tell you that National Signing Day is the biggest day of the year, as exciting as any bowl game. After signing a small class in 2013, David Shaw and his staff rebounded by inking 20 players, many of whom contributed as true freshman. Running back Christian McCaffrey emerged as a star and Harrison Phillips got significant time on the defensive line while players like Terrence Alexander, Daniel Marx, and Casey Tucker also saw the field, but two of the brightest lights in this class, tight end Dalton Schultz and quarterback Keller Chyrst, are still waiting their turns. When all is said and done, Card Class 14 will be seen as one of the best signing classes in Stanford history.
3. Stanford Signs Deal with Central Florida
The Knights aren't exactly a football juggernaut, and their American Athletic Conference isn't one of the Power 5, but there is a huge benefit to this two-game arrangement. Stanford hosts UCF on September 12 of this year, but four years from now they'll get to travel to Florida, home state of some of the best high school football players in America. That's never a bad thing.
4. USC 13, Stanford 10 -- September 6, 2014
Here's all you need to know about this game, probably the most frustrating loss in the David Shaw Era: every single Stanford possession reached at least the USC 32 yard line, yet the Cardinal managed only ten points. The offense self-destructed in several different ways, and this game was the first sign that the 2014 season might be... different.
5. Notre Dame 17, Stanford 14 -- October 5, 2014
Entering this game, there was still hope. Sure, the USC loss was painful, but it was far enough away at this point that it could be dismissed as an aberration. After losing to Notre Dame, however, it was hard to make excuses. Yes, it could easily have been a Stanford win, and Notre Dame looked like a t0p-five team at the time, but soon enough we'd learn the truth about them, and we were beginning to see the truth about the Cardinal offense. The defense? Phenomenal.
6. Arizona State 26, Stanford 10 -- October 19, 2014
For me, this was rock bottom, more so than the losses to USC, Notre Dame, or Oregon. All three of those games could be explained away: the Cardinal dominated the Trojans and came one play from beating the Irish, and by year's end we saw that the Ducks were one of the two best teams in the country. But Arizona State, a team that was probably the third- or even fourth-best team in the Pac-12 South, thoroughly dominated the Cardinal on this date.
7. Stanford 38, Cal 17 -- November 22, 2014
Sure, there was no suspense involved, but the Axe is still the Axe. And it still resides in Palo Alto.
8. Ty Montgomery's Injury -- November 22, 2014
Montgomery was a great player for the Cardinal during his four years, but through no fault of his own, he never reached his full potential. There were growing pains and injuries early on, and misguided utilization by the coaching staff during his senior season, and then this season-ending injury. Ironically, the offense took off after losing Montgomery, but once again, that says more about the coaching staff than it does about Ty.
9. Stanford 31, UCLA 10 -- November 28, 2014
I just watched this game again the other night, and it's still as amazing as it was when I saw it the first time, sitting in the stands at the Rose Bowl. Kevin Hogan had the best game of his career (more on that in a minute), and the Cardinal thoroughly dominated a team that was two wins away from the College Football Playoffs. This was clearly the peak of Stanford football in 2014.
10. The Foster Farms Bowl -- December 30, 2014
Stanford crushed Maryland, 45-21, in a game that was never really in question. After four straight BCS appearances, the Foster Farms Bowl was clearly a step down for the Cardinal, but there isn't a single program in America that wouldn't be happy ending its season with a bowl win like this.
11. The Rebirth of the Tight Ends
Probably the biggest difference over the past several seasons between the Stanford offense and those of its contemporaries throughout the college football world has been the importance of tight ends in the game plan. After having players like Coby Fleener, Zach Ertz, and Levine Toilolo as the focal points of the offense, the tight end cupboard was bare in 2013. Last year things looked much more familiar, with Austin Hooper, Greg Taboada, and Eric Cotton emerging as legitimate threats, combining for 55 receptions for 710 yards and 5 touchdowns. Few schools can match that type of tight end production, but look for those numbers to increase in 2015.
12. The Emergence of Christian McCaffrey
When Ed McCaffrey's son committed to the Cardinal, there were some who whispered about his Heisman potential, and early on we saw glimpses of that with brilliant runs here and there. By the final quarter of the season, however, McCaffrey started converting that potential into reality with stellar performance against Utah (eight carries for 77 yards), UCLA (11 for 64), and Maryland (7 for 57). But with McCaffrey, it wasn't just about the numbers. He revealed himself to be the most electric player on the Stanford roster, and he was a threat to score each time he touched the ball. To say there is excitement surrounding his future would be a huge understatement.
13. The Confidence of Kevin Hogan
If one of my parents had died during my senior year at Stanford, I'm not sure I would've been able to continue going to classes and keeping my head above water. How Kevin Hogan managed to do that while quarterbacking the Cardinal every Saturday afternoon is completely beyond me. It should be no wonder that he struggled at times, but beginning with Big Game, Hogan was a completely different player and as good as any quarterback in the Pac-12 not named Marcus. That's as big a reason as any for the sharp improvement of the offense over the home stretch.
14. The Dominance of the Defense
There's no way to discuss 2014 without saying something about the Stanford defense. Any way you look at it, this was the best defense in the conference and one of the best in the nation. They finished third in the country in scoring defense (17.8), third in total defense (296.3 yards per game), sixth in sacks (46). They carried this team, plain and simple, and they were an absolute pleasure to watch.