Perhaps more so than any team in the country, the emphasis of Stanford's offense changes from year to year depending upon the personnel. We're not talking about seismic shifts here -- this will always be a pro-style offense that emphasizes the running game -- but the coaching staff will typically have to make subtle adjustments to account for strengths and weaknesses of the roster.
In 2013, for example, when there were essentially no tight ends, the wide receivers enjoyed their most prolific season as a unit in the Harbaugh/Shaw era. The chart below shows the wide receiver production during Kevin Hogan's career. Although the numbers fluctuate wildly, look at the last column, which lists the passing yardage totals from each season. The offense remains the same; the ball just isn't always going into the same hands.
Year | Rec. | Yards | TDs | Passing |
2012 | 79 | 969 | 6 | 2802 |
2013 | 139 | 2594 | 20 | 2904 |
2014 | 144 | 1798 | 12 | 2988 |
2015 | 89 | 1256 | 10 | 2742 |
Another disclaimer -- these numbers are for receptions by players with a WR listed next to their names in the program. It wasn't unusual for tight ends to line up as wide receivers in 2012, for example. This season, one of the biggest factors depressing the wide receiver production was Christian McCaffrey, a running back who ended up leading his team in receptions and receiving yards, with much of that work coming on plays in which he lined up in the slot.
But even with the best player in America stealing some of their shine, the Stanford receivers were still a productive unit in 2015. It could be argued that senior Michael Rector made the biggest play of Stanford's season when he hauled in a pass from Hogan after a flea-flicker and scored the team's first touchdown of the season in the second quarter of the second game. Now that the Cardinal has topped thirty points in twelve straight games it's hard to imagine that the offense was ever a question, but things looked bleak before that play. Rector never quite fulfilled the promise he showed when he averaged 30.8 yards per catch as a freshman, but this season he showed that he could be more than just a deep threat. His 32 catches for 486 yards included a career best eight for 103 against Oregon, and his five touchdowns led all wide receivers. Rector still has another year of eligibility remaining, but he's been dropping hints recently that seem to indicate the Rose Bowl could be his final game. Cardinal fans certainly hope that it isn't.
Last year it was Devon Cajuste who had to decide whether or not to return for his final year of eligibility, and his decision to stay seemed to solidify an offense that had finally put things together over the last few games of 2014. Great things were expected from Cajuste, but a high ankle sprain suffered during the off season lingered into the fall and limited his effectiveness. He didn't miss a game, but by his own admission, he wasn't at full speed until deep into November. He had only 20 receptions for 232 yards over the first eleven games, but he had his biggest game (5 for 125 and a touchdown) against Notre Dame, including a huge 27-yard catch and run that put the Cardinal in position for Conrad Ukropina's game-winning field goal. It was just one more great moment in a great Stanford career.
Behind those two starters, Francis Owusu was the most consistent contributor. Even aside from his Play of the Year catch against UCLA, the junior receiver was effective, coming up with one or two catches per game. Senior Rollins Stallworth, the one-time walk-on, started the opener against Northwestern and had a high of three catches for 39 yards against Oregon.
The receiver to watch in years to come, however, is freshman Trenton Irwin. He had only eleven receptions for 138 yards, but his combination of hands, speed, and route-running points towards greatness. Expect him to be a starter in 2016 and an all-conference candidate in 2017 and '18. He's that good.
As a group, these five players probably underachieved a bit. More was certainly expected, but that's probably because no one expected Christian McCaffrey to dominate the offense as much as he did. Even so, we can only grade them on their production.
Overall Grade: B-