2015 Stanford Cardinal football team

Last updated

2015 Stanford Cardinal football
Stanford Cardinal logo.svg
Pac-12 champion
Pac-12 North Division champion
Rose Bowl champion
Pac-12 Championship Game, W 41–22 vs. USC
Rose Bowl, W 45–16 vs. Iowa
Conference Pac-12 Conference
DivisionNorth Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 3
Record12–2 (8–1 Pac-12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren (3rd season)
Offensive scheme Multiple
Defensive coordinator Lance Anderson (2nd season)
Base defense 3–4
Home stadium Stanford Stadium
Seasons
  2014
2016  
2015 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
North Division
No. 3 Stanford xy$  8 1   12 2  
No. 19 Oregon  7 2   9 4  
Washington State  6 3   9 4  
California  4 5   8 5  
Washington  4 5   7 6  
Oregon State  0 9   2 10  
South Division
USC xy  6 3   8 6  
No. 17 Utah x  6 3   10 3  
UCLA  5 4   8 5  
Arizona State  4 5   6 7  
Arizona  3 6   7 6  
Colorado  1 8   4 9  
Championship: Stanford 41, USC 22
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinal were led by fifth-year head coach David Shaw. They played their home games at Stanford Stadium and were members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

Contents

In 2015, the Cardinal were the champions of the Pac-12. After finishing in first place in the North Division, they beat USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game by a score of 41–22. [1] They defeated Iowa 45–16 in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2016.

The Cardinal finished the season ranked #3 in the final Coaches Poll, their highest final ranking in the history of that poll. They were similarly ranked #3 in the final AP Poll, their highest final ranking in 75 years, following the 1940 national championship season.

Personnel

Coaching staff

NamePositionStanford yearsAlma mater
David Shaw Head coach9th Stanford (1994)
Lance Anderson Defensive coordinator / outside linebackers coach9th Idaho State (1996)
Mike Bloomgren Associate head coach / offensive coordinator5th Florida State (1999)
Pete Alamar Special teams coordinator4th Cal Lutheran (1983)
Duane Akina Defensive backs coach2nd Washington (1979)
Peter Hansen Inside linebackers coach2nd Arizona (2001)
Tavita Pritchard Quarterbacks coach / wide receivers coach3rd Stanford (2009)
Randy Hart Defensive linemen coach6th Ohio State (1970)
Eric Sanders Defensive assistant1st UC Davis (2005)
Lance Taylor Running backs coach2nd Alabama (2003)
Morgan TurnerTight ends coach3rd Illinois (2009)

Roster

2015 Stanford Cardinal roster

Quarterbacks

Running backs

  •  5 Christian McCaffreysophomore (6'0, 197)
  • 15 Reagan Williams Freshman (6'3, 218)
  • 19 Ryan Gaertner Junior (5'10, 215)
  • 20 Bryce Love Freshman (5'10, 184)
  • 22 Remound Wright – Redshirt.svg senior (5'9, 198)
  • 25 Cameron Scarlett Freshman (6'1, 220)
  • 26 Barry J. Sanders Redshirt.svg junior (5'10, 191)
  • 35 Daniel Marxsophomore (6'2, 247)
  • 42 Pat McFadden – junior (5'10, 195)

Wide receivers

  •  2 Trenton Irwinfreshman (6’2, 199)
  •  3 Michael Rector Redshirt.svg junior 6'1 190)
  •  4 Jay Tyler – freshman (5'8, 167)
  •  5 Kodi Whitfield – senior (6'2, 197)
  •  6 Francis Owusujunior (6'3, 193)
  •  6 Taijuan Thomas – junior (5'10, 185)
  • 11 Dontonio Jordan – Redshirt.svg junior (5'11, 188)
  • 13 Rollins Stallworth – Redshirt.svg senior (6'4, 196)
  • 19 J. J. Arcega-Whitesidefreshman (6'3, 207)
  • 21 Isaiah Brandt-Sims – sophomore (5'11, 175)
  • 41 Addison Johnson – sophomore (5'9, 175)
  • 46 Sidhart Krishnamurthi – freshman (5'11, 175)
  • 81 Conner Crane – Redshirt.svg junior (6'4, 195)
  • 85 Treyvion Foster – junior (6'1, 213)
  • 89 Devon Cajuste Redshirt.svg senior (6'4, 232)

Offensive guards/offensive tackles

  • 51 Joshua Garnettsenior (6'5, 317) OG
  • 54 Nick Wilson – freshman (6'3, 268) OG
  • 57 Johnny Caspers – Redshirt.svg junior (6'4, 292) OG
  • 60 Lucas Hinds – Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'4, 290) OG
  • 62 Austin Maihen – freshman – (6'5, 280) OG
  • 64 David Bright – Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'5, 290) OG/OT
  • 66 Nick Davidson – Redshirt.svg junior (6'7, 283) OT
  • 71 Brandon Fanaika – sophomore (6'3, 321) OG
  • 74 Brendon Austin – Redshirt.svg senior (6'6, 304) OG
  • 75 A. T. Hall – sophomore (6'5, 278) OT
  • 76 Jack Dreyer – freshman (6'8, 286) OT
  • 77 Casey Tucker – sophomore (6'6, 305) OT
  • 78 Kyle Murphysenior (6'7, 272) OT
 

Tight ends

  •  9 Dalton Schultzsophomore (6'6, 239)
  • 18 Austin Hooper Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'4, 225)
  • 80 Eric Cotton – Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'6, 235)
  • 82 Chris Harrell – senior (6'4, 236)
  • 87 Ben Snyder – freshman (6'4, 240)
  • 88 Greg Taboada – Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'5, 235)
  • 99 Luke Kaumatule – senior (6'7, 260)

Centers

  • 52 Graham Shuler – Redshirt.svg junior (6'4, 277)
  • 64 Brian Chaffin – freshman (6'2, 278)
  • 73 Jesse Burkett – Redshirt.svg freshman (6'4, 288)

Defensive tackles

  • 58 David Parry Redshirt.svg senior
  • 79 Alex Yazdi – Redshirt.svg junior
  • 95 Lance Callihan – Redshirt.svg junior

Defensive ends

  •  7 Aziz Shittusenior (6'3, 275)
  • 17 Brennan Scarlett Redshirt.svg senior (6'4, 265)
  • 48 Kevin Anderson – Redshirt.svg senior (6'4, 245)
  • 55 Nate Lohn – Redshirt.svg junior (6'3, 274)
  • 56 Wesley Annan – freshman (6'4, 285)
  • 66 Harrison Phillipssophomore (6'4, 255)
  • 75 Jordan Watkins – Redshirt.svg junior (6'5, 271)
  • 90 Solomon Thomassophomore (6'3, 256)
  • 97 Dylan Jackson – Freshman (6'6, 248)

Linebackers

  •  3 Noor Davis Redshirt.svg junior (6'4, 227) ILB
  •  4 Blake Martinezsenior (6'2, 238) ILB
  • 15 Jordan Perez – Redshirt.svg freshman (6'2, 207) ILB
  • 20 Bobby Okereke Redshirt.svg freshman (6'3, 217) ILB
  • 27 Sean Barton – freshman (6'3, 212) ILB
  • 31 Mustafa Branch – freshman (5'11, 218) ILB
  • 32 Joey Alfieri – Redshirt.svg freshman (6'3, 228) OLB
  • 33 Mike Tyler – Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'5, 225) OLB
  • 34 Peter Kalambayi Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'3, 240) OLB
  • 43 Ryan Beecher– freshman (6'1, 230) ILB
  • 44 Kevin Palma – Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'2, 240) ILB
  • 47 Sam Yules – Redshirt.svg junior (6'2, 221) ILB
  • 49 Lewis Burik– freshman (5'10, 216) ILB
  • 50 Sam Shober– Redshirt.svg junior (6'3, 223) OLB
  • 52 Casey Toohillfreshman (6'4, 230) OLB
  • 53 Torsten Rotto – Redshirt.svg senior (6'2, 240) OLB
  • 59 Craig Jones – Redshirt.svg junior (6'0, 215) ILB
  • 86 Lane Veach – Redshirt.svg freshman (6'6, 233) OLB
 

Defensive backs

  •  8 Frank Buncom – freshman (6'2, 192) CB
  • 11 Terrence Alexander – sophomore (5'10, 178) CB
  • 13 Alijah Holder Redshirt.svg freshman (6'2, 174) CB
  • 21 Ronnie Harris – Redshirt.svg senior (5'10, 170) CB
  • 23 Alameen Murphy – Redshirt.svg freshman (5'11, 185) CB
  • 24 Quenton Meeksfreshman (6'2, 195) CB
  • 38 Ra'Chard Pippens – Redshirt.svg senior (6'2, 198) CB

Safeties

  •  2 Brandon Simmons – Redshirt.svg freshman (6'0, 182) FS
  •  9 Ben Edwards – freshman (6'0, 191) FS
  • 22 Justin Reidjunior (6'1, 195) SS
  • 28 Denzel Franklin – Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'0, 198) SS
  • 29 Dallas Lloyd – Redshirt.svg junior (6'3, 209) SS
  • 45 Calvin Chandler – Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'2, 215) SS

Punters/Kickers

  • 14 Jake Baileyfreshman (6'2 186) P
  • 27 Charlie Beall – freshman (6'2 215) K
  • 34 Conrad Ukropina – Redshirt.svg junior (6'1 185) K
  • 47 Alex Robinson – Redshirt.svg sophomore (6'0 200) P

Long snappers

  • 67 Reed Miller – senior (6'2, 222)
  • 68 C.J. Keller – sophomore (6'3, 215)

Terms:

  • Freshman – A player in his first year.
  • Sophomore – A player in his second year.
  • Junior – A player in his third year.
  • Senior – A player in his fourth year.
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt – A player who sat out a previous season.

Source: 2015 Stanford Cardinal Football Roster

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 59:00 a.m.at Northwestern *No. 21 ESPN L 6–1636,024 [2]
September 127:30 p.m. UCF * FS1 W 31–750,420 [3]
September 195:00 p.m.at No. 6 USC ABC W 41–3178,306 [4]
September 257:00 p.m.at Oregon State No. 21FS1W 42–2437,302 [5]
October 37:30 p.m. Arizona No. 18
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
P12N W 55–1746,628 [6]
October 157:30 p.m.No. 18 UCLA No. 15
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
ESPN W 56–3550,464 [7]
October 247:30 p.m. Washington Dagger-14-plain.pngNo. 10
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
ESPNW 31–1450,424 [8]
October 317:30 p.m.at Washington State No. 8ESPNW 30–2830,012 [9]
November 710:00 a.m.at Colorado No. 11P12NW 42–1040,142 [10]
November 144:30 p.m. Oregon No. 7
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
FOX L 36–3848,633 [11]
November 217:30 p.m. California No. 11
ESPNW 35–2251,424 [12]
November 284:30 p.m.No. 6 Notre Dame *No. 9
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA (rivalry)
FOXW 38–3651,424 [13]
December 54:45 p.m.vs. No. 20 USCNo. 7ESPNW 41–2258,476
January 1, 20162:10 p.m.vs. No. 5 Iowa *No. 6ESPNW 45–1694,268

Game summaries

At Northwestern

1234Total
#21 Cardinal30036
Wildcats370616

UCF

1234Total
Knights00077
Cardinal01071431

At #6 USC

1234Total
Cardinal71771041
#6 Trojans1477331

At Oregon State

1234Total
#21 Cardinal14714742
Beavers760720

Arizona

1234Total
Wildcats0314017
#18 Cardinal131421755

#18 UCLA

1234Total
#18 Bruins10731535
#15 Cardinal142121056

Washington

1234Total
Huskies007714
#10 Cardinal71014031

At Washington State

1234Total
#8 Cardinal30171030
Cougars3910628

At Colorado

1234Total
#9 Cardinal7217742
Buffaloes703010

Oregon

1234Total
Ducks14714338
#7 Cardinal101301336

California

1234Total
Golden Bears3310622
#15 Cardinal71401435

No. 4 Notre Dame

1234Total
#4 Fighting Irish7139736
#13 Cardinal14771038

In arguably one of the best college football games of the year, a game that had ten lead changes and almost 1,000 yards of offense, Stanford scored five touchdowns in five red zone trips, but it would be Stanford Kicker Conrad Ukropina who hit the game-winning field goal as time expired, which also ended Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes while keeping Stanford's playoff hopes alive. With 6:48 left in the game and the Cardinal leading 35-29, the Irish would march 88 yards in 15 plays (using up 6:18 of the play clock). It was capped off by Notre Dame Quarterback DeShone Kizer's two-yard touchdown run to give the Irish the lead with just 30 seconds left in the game. But the Irish defense could not hold as Stanford would go 45 yards in just 28 seconds and finish off the game with the win from Ukropina's field goal.

Vs. #24 USC (Pac-12 Championship)

1234Total
#24 Trojans0313622
#7 Cardinal310141441

Vs. #6 Iowa (Rose Bowl)

1234Total
#5 Cardinal21143745
#6 Hawkeyes0031316

Sports analysts had anticipated the contest to be exciting, due mainly to the matchup between Iowa's strong run defense and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, the Heisman Trophy runner-up. McCaffrey led the FBS in the 2015 season with 3,864 all-purpose yards, which came from punt/kick returns, runs from scrimmage, and passes out of the backfield. [14] In contrast, Iowa's run defense finished the season ranked 14th, allowing only 121 yards per game and having defeated historically rushing teams like Wisconsin, Indiana, and Nebraska. [15]

McCaffrey caught a short pass and turned it into a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The Hawkeyes were unable to stop him, as he averaged 9.6 YPC (172 yards on 18 carries), returned a punt for a touchdown, and converted many third downs. Though he did not rush for any touchdowns from scrimmage, he proved to be the primary playmaker for Stanford, catching a third of Cardinal Quarterback Kevin Hogan's twelve passes. McCaffrey was such an offensive threat that Hogan was able to make large gains with the read option, including a wide-open first-quarter option TD run.

Stanford's 21-0 first-quarter lead was the most first-quarter points scored by one team in Rose Bowl history. [16] Stanford shut Iowa out in the first half 35-0, with Stanford's 35 points the most scored in the first half of a Rose Bowl in its entire 102-year history. [16] McCaffrey gained a total of 368 all-purpose yards, setting another Rose Bowl record. [16]

Iowa was unable to get their run game going, rushing as a team for 1.3 YPC (48 yards on 38 carries). The longest Iowa runs were 14 and 12 yards, [17] as well as a 14-yard scramble by Quarterback C. J. Beathard. Iowa's inability to establish a run game closed up Iowa's potential for play-action passing, which had been Beathard's bread and butter all season. Iowa's halfbacks, their biggest threat all season, were overall unable to garner any significant yardage on the ground. [17]

By the second half, Stanford's explosiveness slowed down, scoring just 10 second-half points versus their 35 first-half points. Iowa did not score until the 3rd quarter when placekicker Marshall Koehn kicked a field goal after converting on 4th down earlier in the drive; Beathard threw 2 touchdowns in the 4th quarter, with Koehn missing one of the two PATs.

Iowa had a slight advantage in time of possession, possessing the ball for almost 33 minutes, though they were simply unable to make meaning out of their possessions. Iowa also outgained Stanford through the air by a slim margin, with 239 yards to Stanford's 223. [18]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP 21RVRV21181615108971513753
Coaches 21RV24201816118871512763
CFP Not released11711976Not released

Statistics

Team

Team statistics
 StanfordOpponents
Scoring529316
Points Per game37.822.6
Points Off Turnovers9660
First Downs311267
Rushing155106
Passing129145
Penalty2716
Rushing yardage31321958
Yards gained rushing33582358
Yards lost rushing226400
Rushing attempts610453
Average Per rush5.14.3
Average Per game223.7139.9
TDs Rushing3316
Passing yardage29653198
Comp-Att-Int213-318-8271-473-8
Average Per Pass9.36.8
Average Per Catch13.911.8
Average Per game211.8228.4
TDs Passing3019
Total offense60975156
Total play928926
Average Per play6.65.6
Average Per game435.5368.3
Kick returns: # – yards51-126570-1473
Punt returns: # – yards17-15411-93
INT Returns: # – yards8-1258-101
Kick Return Average24.821.0
Punt Return Average9.18.5
INT Return Average15.612.6
Fumbles lost12-510-6
Penalties – yards78-64880-742
Average Per game46.353.0
Punts – yards48-195966-2797
Average Per punt40.842.4
Net punt average37.239.1
Kickoffs – yards96-590069-4003
Average Per kick61.558.0
Net kick average41.434.2
Time of possession/game34:4825:12
3rd-down conversions91/18270/193
3rd-Down Pct50%36%
4th-down conversions13/1615/24
4th-Down Pct81%62%
Sacks By – yards34-26020-104
Miscellaneous Yards00
Touchdowns scored6836
Field goals – attempts18-2023-26
On-Side Kicks0-10-3
Red-Zone Scores(54-62) 87%(41-47) 87%
Red-Zone Touchdowns(41-62) 66%(21-47) 45%
PAT – attempts(67-67) 100%(29-31) 94%
Attendance349,381221,786
Games/Avg Per game7/49,9125/44,357
Neutral Site Games2/76,372

All opponents

1234Total
Stanford123158132116529
All opponents68699386316

Pac-12 opponents

1234Total
Stanford8512711582409
Pac-12 opponents57498153240

Non-conference opponents

1234Total
Stanford38311734120
Non-conference opponents1120123376

Players drafted into the NFL

RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL club
128 Joshua Garnett G San Francisco 49ers
381 Austin Hooper TE Atlanta Falcons
4131 Blake Martinez LB Green Bay Packers
5162 Kevin Hogan QB Kansas City Chiefs
6200 Kyle Murphy OT Green Bay Packers

References

  1. "Christian McCaffrey Catapults No. 7 Stanford Past USC for Pac-12 Title", USA Today, December 6, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  2. "Stanford vs Northwestern Game Summary". ESPN . September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  3. "Stanford vs UCF Game Summary". ESPN . September 12, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  4. "Stanford vs USC Game Summary". ESPN . September 25, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  5. "Stanford vs Oregon State Game Summary". ESPN . September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  6. "Arizona vs Stanford Game Summary". ESPN . October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  7. "UCLA vs Stanford Game Summary". ESPN . October 15, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  8. "Washington vs Stanford Game Summary". ESPN . October 24, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  9. "Stanford vs Washington State Game Summary". ESPN . October 31, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  10. "Stanford vs Colorado Game Summary". ESPN . November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  11. "Oregon vs Stanford Game Summary". ESPN . November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  12. "California vs Stanford Game Summary". ESPN . November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  13. "Notre Dame vs Stanford Game Summary". ESPN . November 28, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  14. "All Purpose | FBS Football Statistics - NCAA.com". NCAA.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  15. "Rushing Defense | FBS Football Statistics - NCAA.com". NCAA.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 "Christian McCaffrey sets Rose Bowl record as Stanford routs Iowa". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Stanford vs. Iowa - Box Score - January 1, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  18. "Stanford vs. Iowa - Team Statistics - January 1, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.