Arizona Football: 6 questions with Go Mighty Stanford writer Hank Waddles

Hank Waddles from GoMightyCard.com was kind enough to answer six questions about the upcoming Arizona Football vs. Stanford game this Saturday.

Before every Stanford vs. Arizona Football game, Hank Waddles from GoMightyCard.com and I swap questions about the upcoming battle. Both teams have been on up and down this season. Tomorrow’s matchup will be a key game for both if they want to have any chance of a bowl game.

It’s been a very interesting season for the Cardinal as they beat Washington, a team the Wildcats lost too (23-13), then lost to UCLA, a team the Wildcats beat, the following week (16-34). Such parity in the Pac-12 lends itself to a lot of head-scratching among fans.

Here’s what we found out from a Stanford Football expert Hank Waddles on his thoughts about the upcoming game at 12:30 PST on Pac-12 Network.

Arizona Wildcats Football

ZZ) Tell us about Stanford’s QB situation and if it matters what QB plays (Like is the O-Line solid no matter what QB Plays)?

HW: “Stanford’s quarterback situation is… murky. KJ Costello had one of the most productive seasons in Stanford history last fall, so expectations were high for him, but he’s been slowed by two different injuries.”

“The first was a blow to the head suffered on the last play of the first half of the first game of the year against Northwestern. He missed the rest of that game and then the following week against USC. He returned for the next two games but suffered another injury when his throwing hand came down on one of his linemen’s helmet, and he’s missed the three games.”

“The backup quarterback is junior Davis Mills, and he showed why he was such a highly-touted recruit as he improved with each game he played, culminating with a great outing in the win over Washington. But because this is the Year of the Injury at Stanford, he left the Washington game with discomfort in his knee, which meant the Cardinal started third-stringer Jack West in last week’s loss to UCLA.”

“Mills has been ruled out for this weekend, but Shaw describes Costello as “somewhere between questionable and probable, but still not definite.” West looked completely overmatched against the Bruins, so it’s critical for the Cardinal that Costello is cleared to play. Based on what we’ve heard from Shaw this week, that’s likely a game-day decision.”

“The offensive line, meanwhile, is in even worse shape, if you can believe it. This has always been at the heart of Stanford’s success, and it seemed to be a position of strength and depth heading into the season, but the unit has been completely decimated by injuries. Preseason All-America left tackle Walker Little went down for the season in the opener, and it’s been all downhill since then, with one or two players exiting with injuries each week.”

“At this point, there are only six scholarship linemen remaining, and on Saturday there will be three true freshmen starting for the second consecutive week. Things are so desperate that tight end Tucker Fisk has been given an alternate jersey in case he needs to slide into the line, and this week the team “recruited” one of Fisk’s roommates, Jake Koffman, a former discus thrower on the Stanford track team. Koffman has never played football before, and he’s only 6-foot-2, but he’s got a jersey and he’s on the roster. Desperate times…”

ZZ: Which player has been the biggest surprise on the Cardinal team?

HW: “Instead of choosing one player here, I’ll go with a group. Never before have so many true freshmen played for the Cardinal, and never before have so many played so well. Walter Rouse has had some nice games at left tackle, running back Austin Jones is clearly a future star, and safety Jonathan McGill has shown some flashes, but the player to have the biggest impact has probably been cornerback Kyu Kelly.”

“Paulson Adebo is one of the top corners in the conference, so the opposite corner has gotten a lot of attention from opposing quarterbacks. Kelly was initially seeing time in passing situations when extra defensive backs were needed, but he won the starting spot a few weeks ago, and he hasn’t let go.”

ZZ: Interesting that one of the easier perceived teams to beat, UCLA, beat Stanford and one of the hardest teams to beat, like Washington, Stanford beat, why do you think that is?

HW: “Against Washington, it felt like we were watching Stanford teams of old. The offensive was able to put together long drives to control the clock and keep the Husky offense off the field, and that let to an almost 2-1 advantage in time of possession. With the Washington defense on the field for more than thirty-nine minutes, they were completely exhausted by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, and the Stanford defense was fresh.”

“It’s the formula Stanford has used for the past decade, but that’s pretty much the only time we’ve seen it this year. Against UCLA, as detailed above, there was a third-string quarterback making his first career start, and the Bruin defense showed him no mercy. The offensive line was completely overwhelmed and could neither protect the quarterback or establish a running game. The game was decided midway through the first quarter.”

ZZ: What are the keys to beating Arizona this weekend?

HW: “The key is getting some first downs. The offense doesn’t necessarily need to score touchdowns on every possession, but they need to avoid three-and-outs. It would obviously help if Costello plays, but regardless of which quarterback is behind center, tailback Cameron Scarlett has to be able to run the ball to avoid a repeat of what happened last week. If Jack West is behind center, the Wildcats will likely blitz on every play until he shows that he can complete a pass under duress, something he was never able to do last week. A few 1st downs will cure this.”

ZZ: Does the Cardinal blitz a lot? Are they successful?

HW: “I think the Cardinal defense has actually been at its best when they haven’t had to blitz. Stanford runs a 3-4 scheme, so like most 3-4 teams they sometimes try to disguise what they’re doing, but linebacker Casey Toohill is almost always the fourth man added to the pass rush, and he’s had a great season. He’s probably been the most consistent player on the Stanford defense.”

ZZ: What players do you think will have a breakout game against Arizona?

HW: “At this point, we are not looking for breakout games, we’re just hoping to survive and advance — but I’ll play along. I’ll go with Colby Parkinson. At 6-foot-7 and 251 pounds, the junior tight end is a matchup nightmare anywhere on the field, but all the turnovers at quarterback have limited his success this season. He only has 26 catches for 290 yards and a single touchdown, but would seem like the ideal target if the quarterback is being blitzed. If he can catch at least six passes, it will be a great sign for the Cardinal offense.”

ZZ:  What is your projection of who will win? Score?

HW: “It’s hard to make a prediction without knowing who the quarterback will be, so I’ll layer my prediction. First, I’m going to guess that Costello will get the start, immediately giving the offense a bit of credibility. Costello will be a bit rusty, but he’ll do enough for the Cardinal to squeak out a 20-19 win.”

Pac-12 football announcer Yogi Roth predicts Khalil Tate gets his groove on against Stanford and Arizona Football will pull out a win. A

https://twitter.com/Pac12Network/status/1186818702538244096?s=20

At Zona Zealots, we would like Hank Waddles of GMightyCard.com in taking time to answer a few questions we had. Best of luck to both teams, may the best team win! As always, Bear Down, Arizona