Four Keys To Stanford Upsetting No. 5 Washington

Stanford is hosting one of the best teams in the country

Stanford has a lot of adversity to overcome in 2023, as they are in year one of a rebuild under Troy Taylor, they lost 12 starters to the transfer portal and another seven to the NFL, and the Pac-12 is the strongest it has ever been.

In their last four games, three of them have been against ranked opponents and the one non-ranked team was Colorado who was at one point ranked No. 18 in the country. They were able to upset Colorado after a 29-point comeback, but they struggled mightily against UCLA last week and will play the best team in the conference on Saturday in No. 5 Washington.

The Huskies are on a terror this season, and rank among the top teams in the country in just about every offensive category imaginable. However, they are a team of humans just like Stanford, which means they can be beaten. 

So, here are four keys to upsetting Washington for the Stanford Cardinal.

Create Turnovers

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Washington is the last undefeated team in the Pac-12 so obviously, no one has the blueprint, but only a couple of teams have kept it close to them and they both had one thing in common; they turned Washington over. Oregon picked off Michael Penix Jr. one time which was enough to keep it close, and Arizona State forced four turnovers last week, rendering the offense useless. Stanford isn't known for forcing a lot of turnovers, but they have had some missed opportunities. If they can get Penix uncomfortable in the pocket he may try to take a couple of risks, which could work out in their favor. 

Feed Elic Ayomanor and Tiger Bachmeier (Quickly)

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Washington's pass defense is nowhere near as good as their own passing attack. They rank No. 108 in the country, and have been exposed over the past few weeks. Stanford found success against Colorado's secondary with quick passes, and being that the offensive line has struggled so much, should work that as much as possible. Elic Ayomanor is as fast as they come, and letting him do work after the catch and making this secondary tackle him would be a nightmare for Washington. The same goes for Tiger Bachmeier who just has a knack for getting open and making big plays. If Ashton Daniels can find these two frequently it'll make up for the lack of run support.  

Limit Penalties

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Troy Taylor was bewildered at how many penalties they committed against UCLA. They had penalties kill drives for them, prevent scoring chances for the offense, and some help out the opponent's offense. If this game is close, it is because Stanford is not helping Washington beat them. They cannot afford to get into a shootout with the Huskies because that would essentially be like bringing a water gun to a gunfight, so if their drives are ended because of preventable mistakes, it'll be a tough showing.   

Get The Run Game Going

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Stanford's offensive line being so inexperienced has led to them struggling mightily, which has wiped out half of Troy Taylor's playbook. One of the biggest downsides to the offensive line being so ineffective is the fact that they can't run the ball despite having three or four talented running backs. The backs are being used to block instead, and Taylor has shied away from running the ball. If they can get a couple of big run plays early, that could open up everything else. It would also unleash more playmakers who have essentially been on ice all season.