Arizona Football vs. Stanford: Six Questions for Go Mighty Card Expert Hank Waddles

Arizona (2-5) takes on Stanford (4-3) in what should be a pretty even match-up, what do we need to know from a Stanford expert Hank Waddles?

Arizona Football takes on the 2016 Rosebowl Champion Stanford Cardinal this Saturday. It’s time to ask our fellow Pac-12 expert  Hank Waddles from Go Mighty Card six questions about the upcoming game.

We asked him six questions about the upcoming game against the Cardinal:

1) How is Christian McCaffrey doing? Is he all back or still rusty? 

Even though McCaffrey played on Saturday against Colorado, he probably wasn’t quite one hundred percent, and his duties were limited. He wasn’t used as much in the passing game, and although he returned punts, he wasn’t used on kickoffs.

The word is that he’s closer to full speed for this week, but I’d still be surprised if he had more than twenty carries. The most interesting aspect of the running game, I think, will be the performance of the offensive line, a group which has struggled. If the line plays well and McCaffrey is getting to the second level of the defense, he’ll have a big day.

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2) How are the Cardinals handling this rough first half of the season after winning the Rose Bowl last season?

David Shaw’s postgame press conference following the Colorado debacle was fueled by anger with a touch of embarrassment. He correctly cited several aspects of the game that hadn’t gone well — quarterback play, offensive line play, attention to detail — but closed by taking the blame for all of it.

The players, meanwhile, have expressed frustration with the results, but not with the effort. This isn’t a group of players that would ever give up or openly question the coaching staff, so I’m sure they’ll be able to bounce back and finish the season on a positive note.

3) What do you contribute the losses too? Injuries? Young team? Mid-Terms? 

There are lots of reasons for the 4-3 start, but one thing that can’t be ignored is that those three losses have come to some good teams. Washington and Washington State are tied for first place in the Pac-12 North, and Colorado is tied with Utah in the South.

This deep into the season, I think it’s safe to say that none of those teams is a fluke. Aside from that stiff competition, Stanford’s problems on offense can’t be ignored. Last year the Cardinal boasted one of the top five offenses in the nation; this year they’re in the bottom five. I don’t have the staff to research this, but I don’t think I really need to. I can’t imagine any team has ever had such a precipitous fall.

The Cardinal entered the season with three new offensive linemen, and then things got worse when minor injuries led to the shuffling of players along the line. The injuries also ate into the Cardinal’s depth, which is a bigger problem for Stanford than it would for most schools.

In addition to the five starters, Stanford’s multiple jumbo sets have them playing at least seven linemen in certain situations. Injuries have also hit elsewhere, with seven different starters (running back, fullback, wide receiver, tight end, defensive tackle, and both cornerbacks) missing games. Some of those players have recovered, but the Cardinal will be missing fullback Daniel Marx and cornerback Alijah Holder, who was recently ruled out for the rest of the season.

Finally, there are the quarterback issues. Ryan Burns narrowly won the starting job over Keller Chryst in a competition that went into the final days of August, and he’s had some nice moments — a last-minute, game-winning drive against UCLA, a big road win over the Irish in South Bend — but he hit rock bottom last week with three interceptions, and a fumbled snap inside Colorado’s five yard line. It wasn’t much of a surprise when Shaw announced on Tuesday that he’d be making a change at the position this week

4) What or who will surprise the Wildcats this Saturday? What has the Cardinal improved on in recent weeks?

Stanford fans are hoping that the surprise will be Keller Chryst. He’s seen limited action — usually one series each game — as Burns’s backup, so fans are looking forward to watching him over the course of an entire game. He’s a big kid with a strong arm, but look for him to use his legs a bit, both on read-options and designed runs.

“Everything depends on the Stanford offense. It’s been a month — a month! — since the Cardinal last scored more than one offensive touchdown in a game” – Waddles

Another name to watch is Bryce Love, McCaffrey’s backup who ran for more than a hundred yards against Notre Dame. He’s lightning fast and deceptively strong, equally comfortable on a jet sweep or running between the tackles.

Keep an eye out for plays which feature Love and McCaffrey on the field at the same time. Fans have been clamoring for more of that, but injuries to each player (Love in the early going and McCaffrey more recently) have made that difficult. With both players nearing one hundred percent, we could see more of that tandem on Saturday.

5) Do you think this will be an even game? Mostly offense or defense?

Everything depends on the Stanford offense. It’s been a month — a month! — Since the Cardinal last scored more than one offensive touchdown in a game, but I think this is the week they’ll finally break out and put together some consistent drives that find the end zone. Meanwhile, the Stanford defense has been great recently.

They’re led by defensive end Solomon Thomas, a freakish athlete who’s been having his way with opposing linemen all season and looks to be headed to a spot on the All-Pac-12 team. Also, watch for sophomore Quenton Meeks, who’s a better cornerback than Richard Sherman ever was at Stanford.

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6) What is your prediction and why?

I think this will be a Stanford win. Thomas and Meeks will lock down the Arizona offense, and the players will rally around Chryst and produce their best effort yet. Stanford 24, Arizona 10

We thank Hank for his time, let’s hope his prediction is wrong.

You can follow Hank on Twitter at @GoMightyCard

On Homecoming weekend, BEARDOWN Arizona and beat the trees!