College Football Overview - Stanford Stadium

Before buttoning things up for the regular-season portion of the 2006 college football campaign, keep one thing in mind.

There’s still a lot of football left to be played.

Sure, Ohio State’s wild win over Michigan last week sets up the Buckeyes for an appearance against an as of yet unknown opponent in the January 8 national title game at the Cardinals’ new Glendale stadium. But it’s still way too soon to pencil in Michigan, USC, or any other side as OSU’s opponent. As we said, there’s still a lot of football to be played.

We’ll talk more about all of that and other related tosports-articles/pics when the smoke begins to clear a bit more next week. For now, however, it's time for another college football “travelogue” installment from our journeys last weekend.

This time, it’s a visit to a unique west coast venue...Stanford, where we spent last Saturday taking in the battle between the Cardinal and Oregon State.

Indeed, there’s something a little different about watching a football game with the wine-and-cheese crowd in Palo Alto, at least compared to other big-time football schools (assuming we can still consider Stanford as much). There’s a civilized element to a football game on “The Farm” that we’ve always found refreshing. Even when Stanford was winning (which it certainly isn’t these days) and when Jim Plunkett (left) claimed the Heisman Trophy in 1970, the atmosphere at Cardinal football games was never as do-or-die as at other big-time gridiron venues.

That's not to say Stanford supporters don't want their team to win, but football losses have never seemed to be taken as seriously in Palo Alto as elsewhere. Stanford fans have always had their priorities arranged differently, and football is rarely at the top of the list. In that regard among BCS schools, we can only equate the Stanford football experience with perhaps Northwestern, where the atmosphere and approach is somewhat comparable. We’ve been to Vanderbilt, too, and see some similarities, although the southern gridiron fans (including the long-suffering Commodore supporters) do take their football a little more seriously. Beyond that, one would probably have to attend an Ivy League game to get the same feeling one does at a Stanford game.

Still, after dealing with so many boorish fans throughout the years, and uncomfortable surroundings such as the L.A. Coliseum, we have always found the Stanford football experience to be quite pleasant. Certainly, the surroundings in Palo Alto offer a different sort of backdrop. Although the Stanford enrollment is not huge (only 6,700 undergrads), the campus is enormous. Try 8,180 acres, or 32 square kilometers! By comparison, nearby Cal-Berkeley, by all rights a mega-campus, occupies 1,232 acres. Down south, UCLA, which can be considered a large campus, encompasses only 419 acres; USC a mere 235 acres. Although Stanford isn’t that much smaller than Rhode Island, its looks are a bit deceiving, as much of the campus’ acreage still sits undeveloped as it extends far enough west from El Camino Real (the eastern boundary of the school, adjacent to the football stadium and most of the athletic facilities) to the point it buttresses I-280, a few miles in the foothills to the west. It is hard to tell how massive the campus really is from any point within its vast boundaries.

The enormity of the campus provides ample space for pre-game activities, especially the tailgating, which is mostly centralized around the football stadium and conducted in a relaxed setting. And with so much room around the stadium, there are plenty of places for fans to congregate. The atmosphere becomes more highly-charged whenever it’s “Big Game” time vs. nearby rival Cal, as pre-game activities will include the annual water polo matchup between the Cardinal and Golden Bears at the “Big Splash” aquatic center nearby the stadium. We doubt any water polo much is conducted with as much electricity in the stands as one involving Stanford and Cal on “Big Game” days, which are truly special occasions in either Palo Alto or Berkeley.

But the Stanford football experience is, and always will be (we hope), a most-civilized one. Our pregame ritual for last week took us to a home in nearby Menlo Park for pre-game brunch with a group of Stanford friends. Again, it was a lot different from similar gatherings we’ve attended at USC, Notre Dame, and elsewhere. The gracious and pleasant hosts of the brunch even had the annual Harvard-Yale (“The Game”) battle on the TV instead of the usual BCS-flavored Saturday gridiron fare. Enough guests at the brunch were alumni of either the Eli or Crimson to make that game more-required viewing than Penn State-Michigan State or Maryland-Boston College. Again, another different twist about the Stanford football experience.

Of course, the big news at Stanford this season was the opening of a sparking new football venue on the site of old Stanford Stadium, which was demolished and rebuilt. What was remarkable about the whole project was that it was completed in basically 9½ months, which must qualify as some sort of a record in stadium-building annals. We recall the story of the original Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium being constructed in a fast-paced 51 weeks back in the mid ‘60s, which was a mind-blowing accomplishment in its own right. We don't know of any subsequent stadium project that has been completed as quickly. Until the new Stanford Stadium, that is. We suspect the speed in which Stanford Stadium was not only demolished, but rebuilt on the same site, must qualify as some sort of speed-building standard that will be hard to match.

Not too many Stanford fans shed a tear for the demolition of the old place (save our host at the Cardinal-Beaver game, who has lamented that his season tickets have been moved from the 37 to the 19-yard line...notice how meticulous those Stanford folk can be!). Old Stanford Stadium (left), built in the early 1920s, was a big, huge, "almost-bowl" with 85,000 seats and a narrow opening on the southeast side of the stadium. Old wooden planks had been replaced by aluminum benches years ago, but for the most part the stadium remained rather uncomfortable, and because of its enormity and running track that encircled the playing field, sightlines were hardly the best. Concession facilities and restrooms were also circa 1920s. Although there was some muffled chatter for years about renovating the place or replacing the stadium entirely with a new facility, there didn’t seem to be anything imminent on the horizon until June of ‘05, when out of the blue the school announced that it would build a new stadium on the site of the old one, as soon as the 2005 season concluded. Mega-booster John Arillaga, a real estate magnate and, according to Forbes magazine, the 346th richest man in the world, was the major donor to the project and driving force in construction, which he reportedly oversaw on a daily basis. Indeed, after the final whistle of the 2005 season-ender vs. Notre Dame, the old stadium was immediately de-commissioned, and demolition work began almost before the Fighting Irish were aboard their buses en route to San Francisco Airport. Within 48 hours of the final gun for the Stanford-Notre Dame game, most of stands had been demolished, and the rebuild was well underway.

There are only a couple of remnants from the old facility in the new one, including the press box elevator and one of the scoreboards. The old, familiar shell of the stadium and its “arches” were demolished, replaced with some decorative replica arches at the north entrance to the new edifice. Make no mistake, however, the stadium is brand, spanking new. And it is a beauty.

Certainly, the egress and ingress to the new facility rate superior to the old stadium. Fans can move in and out of the new stadium, and around once inside, much more easily. Significantly upgraded amenities are noticeable throughout. There’s a wide concourse between the first and second levels of the stadium, with convenient restroom and concession facilities (included in the latter are a variety of food stands and sausages, included the intriguing “Farm” dog, a special organic weiner that surprisingly packed an awful lot of flavor). Indeed, in many regards, the new Stanford Stadium much resembles some of the new Major League Baseball stadiums with its wide concourse and vast array of concessions and conveniences, not at all like aging football venues such as the old Stanford Stadium, Rose Bowl, or L.A. Coliseum, whose amenities are practically stone-age by comparison. And we don’t recall sightlines quite as good at any football stadium as the new Stanford facility. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house, and we were amazed at how close we seemed to the pitch from our perch in the second deck. It was almost like a football version, sightlines at least, of Wrigley Field or old Tiger Stadium in Detroit, or for a hockey analogy, think of the old Chicago Stadium. It’s that good.

Unfortunately, the stadium can’t actually play football, which is up to Stanford’s team. And the current edition of the Cardinal is simply wretched. After losing 9 straight games to open the season, and tying the school consecutive loss record (11) in the process, Stanford remarkably scored a 20-3 win in Seattle vs. a stunned Washington side November 11. Thus, the Cardinal averted it first losing campaign since “Cactus” Jack Curtice’s 1960 team finished 0-10. But that’s about the only good news this year’s Cardinal has delivered. So awful has been the performance that it has actually proven a fan-repellent to the new stadium. At least the infamous Stanford Band has been reinstated by the school after being suspended the first half of the season. Its irreverent pregame and halftime antics are about the only thing entertaining the crowds in Palo Alto these days.

The new, 50,000-seat facility wasn’t even sold out for the September 16 opener vs. Navy (which Stanford lost 37-9), and the Cardinal performance vs. the Midshipmen was so bad that it held the actual crowd count for the next game to around 15,000 when Washington State bulldozed the Tree, 36-10. The announced attendance of last week’s Oregon State game of 38,502 bore no connection to actual number of people in the stands (unless counting appendages, that is). It was so deserted in the upper deck that we moved from our seats at the 19-yard line to a perfect perch right on the 50, and had plenty of room to stretch out to boot. No hard-nosed ushers to evict us, either. Although ticket sales might have been 38,502 last Saturday, there were probably less than half that many in the audience, and of that bunch, a couple of thousand were hardy Oregon State boosters who made the southbound trek down I-5 to see their Beavers get the win that would make them bowl-eligible.

And win they did. After spotting Stanford an early 7-0 need (a shocking 36-yard TD run by Anthony Kimble on Stanford ‘s second play from scrimmage, one in which Kimble seemed to hesitate for a moment when he unexpectedly broke into the clear, perhaps disbelieving the expanse of green grass between him and the endzone), OSU took the game by the throat. The Beavers marched confidently downfield to tie the score on a 28-yard TD pass from Matt Moore to Sammie Stroughter (left), and moved ahead 14-7 early in the 2nd quarter on their next drive as Moore connected with Brandon Powers on a 16-yard TD pass. OSU extended its lead to 20-7 at the half on a pair of Alexis Serna field goals, accumulating almost 300 yards of offense in the process during the first 30 minutes, with dreadlocked RB Yvenson Bernard doing significant damage on the ground. Stanford’s encouraging start, which saw it strike an impressive offensive yardage balance in the early going (the Cardinal had exactly 50 yards rushing and 50 yards passing at one point early in the 2nd quarter), began to dissipate as QB T.C. Ostrander continually found himself besieged by the OSU pass rush. By late in the 3rd quarter, Stanford still had achieved offensive balance, except it hadn’t gained any yards since early in the 2nd quarter (the Cardinal still had 50 yards rushing, but only 47 yards passing, late in the 3rd quarter). Ostrander showed remarkable durability, absorbing 5 hard sacks and getting hit on nearly every pass play by the relentless and blitz-happy Beaver defense. Ostrander (left) needed to be literally peeled of off the new stadium’s turf after each thunderous hit he absorbed in the 2nd half, but at least he kept getting up. We hardly recall seeing a QB take that sort of beating, at least in person. Ostrander’s courage aside, it made no difference in the end, as OSU won easily, 30-7.

True to their character, Stanford fans graciously accepted defeat and began to worry about more pertinent world matters and other things once the game concluded, yet there was some inevitable grousing from the most-committed supporters. Although resigned to their fate in this awful, injury-ravaged season, Stanford fans don’t want to accept losing on an annual basis, and there’s more than a little groundswell of support to replace HC Walt Harris (chatting at left with OSU's Mike Riley following last weekend's loss) after just his second year in charge. Apparently, new AD Bob Bowlsby might share those sentiments, and other Pac-10 sources indicate they wouldn’t be surprised to see a coaching change made after the campaign. The more-cynical Stanford fans (of which there are more than a few) were even pleased with the lopsided defeat, reckoning that a win, or even a competitive effort, might buy Harris more time in charge...a prospect they don't want to contemplate.

Keep in mind that even if football success isn’t as paramount at Stanford as it is at USC or Notre Dame, there's still a history of modest (and sometimes spectacular) gridiron success on The Farm, and until recently the team had almost always fielded at least a competitive and entertaining product. Cardinal fans want to win, too, even if they’re not as demonstrative about it as some other counterparts up and down the Pac-10 and elsewhere in the country. That doesn't mean BCS appearances or bowl visits every year, but a competitive team that provides good viewng and at least holds it own vs. rival Cal (a game the Cardinal hasn't won in 5 years) should at least keep a coach on the job in Palo Alto. Modest goals, but anything less is grounds for termination, and the administrators have shown in the past that they don't have limitless patience, having run off a fair number of coaches (Jack Christensen, Paul Wiggin, Jack Elway, and Buddy Teevens, to name a few) who haven't cut the mustard in recent memory. So it's safe to say that Walt Harris has been forewarned, even if conventional wisdom is blaming predecessor Teevens (who lasted only 3 seasons before getting blown out) for dismantling the program and leaving Harris little to work with before Walt took the job 23 months ago.

Yes, there's still pressure to succeed at Stanford, although it takes more of a covert form in Palo Alto than elsewhere.

No matter, Stanford football remains a unique experience for any football fan. We highly recommend it for a future visit. The words “relax” and “college football” usually don’t go hand, but they still mostly do on The Farm. And for that, Palo Alto remains a worthwhile college football destination...even if the on-field product is indescribably bad these days.

HEISMAN UPDATE

:There really isn’t much more to talk about after QB Troy Smith’s performance for Ohio State last week against Michigan. This now threatens to be one of the most one-sided Heisman ballots in history, with Smith a virtual shoe-in to get the award. The only other candidate who had even an outside shot entering last weekend, Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn, is resigned to a second-place finish now.

With the drama thus removed from the Heisman race, the only mystery is how the final voting will fall in places 3 thru 5. Here are suggestions we have to round out the top five after Smith and Quinn.

Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii...We doubt Brennan even gets an invitation to the Downtown Athletic Club, although he should. He’s leading the nation with a staggering 4155 yards passing and 48 TD passes, the latter only 6 away from tying David Klingler’s NCAA record set in 1990 while he was quarterbacking the Houston Cougars. Brennan has two home games (Purdue and Oregon State) to break the mark. Sure, most of his inflated stats are a product of June Jones’ QB-friendly “Red Gun” offense, but to dock Brennan for operating in this environment would have been the same as penalizing USC’s Charles White or Marcus Allen in the day for piling up their yardage in the Trojans’ “Student Body Right and Left” heyday, or Billy Sims for gaining all of his yards in the Oklahoma wishbone in 1978. Brennan is one of the hottest QBs in the country and deserves some recognition.

John Beck, QB, BYU...Although his numbers aren’t as staggering as Brennan’s, Beck (left) has been near-flawless for the Cougars this season, passing for an impressive 3135 yards and 26 TDs (vs. only 6 picks) as BYU sews up its first Mountain West title in 5 years. Regional observers claim Beck’s performance rates with some of the best in BYU annals, which includes Jim McMahon, Steve Young, and 1990 Heisman winner Ty Detmer.

Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas...A key force in the Razorbacks’ dramatic rise to the SEC West title and possible assault on the BCS, McFadden continues to terrorize opposing defenses. He’s gained 1303 yards rushing and scored 13 TDs despite being slowed by an early-season toe injury that hindered him the first few games (including the opener vs. USC). Right now, however, there isn’t a better back in the country.

WARNER WOLF BOO OF THE WEEK

North Texas...Talk about a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately move! The Metroplex’s least heralded Div. I-A football outpost has nonetheless seen fit to fire HC Darrell Dickey (left), effective the end of the season, despite unprecedented success on Dickey’s watch.

The announcement, made prior to the Mean Green’s emotional 16-7 win over UL-Lafayette on November 11, shook up more than a few UNT boosters, including controversial businessman Jim "Galleryfurniture.com” McIngvale, who has also dabbled more than a bit as a thoroughbred racehorse owner in recent years. McIngvale was so perturbed at Dickey’s dismissal that he demanded the school re-name its practice facility after the outgoing head coach or else he would re-direct his $1 million athletic department contribution to the school’s One O’Clock Lab Band. The school wil acquiesce to his demands, and will indeed name the practice facility after its fired coach.

That’s actually a pretty unique precedent, one we’d love to see other schools duplicate. Imagine Southern Cal naming its practice facility after Paul Hackett, or Notre Dame doing the same for Tyrone Willingham?

The fact is, however, that Dickey probably deserved a better fate, especially after leading the long-moribund Mean Green to four consecutive Sun Belt titles and New Orleans Bowl berths from 2001 thru 2004, and recording a 26-game conference win streak along the way. Sure, UNT has cooled off the past two seasons, but is hardly being outclassed by Sun Belt opposition. Dickey’s overall record is admittedly only 42-62 at the school, but he’s accomplished a lot despite facilities that rank near the bottom of the Division I-A heap (aging Fouts Field, sitting right next to the car exhausts of adjacent I-35E, is right about at the bottom of I-A totem pole) and annually overschedules itself vs. BCS opposition in non-league play for payday purposes. It is definitely one of the toughest I-A jobs in the land, also gets mostly ignored in Metroplex sports coverage that tends to focus on the pro teams (especially the Cowboys) and higher-profile college programs in the state.

And let’s not forget to mention that Dickey suffered a heart attack in October (and since returned to the sidelines), had his gall bladder removed last spring, and was told he had diabetes, all within the calendar year. If ever a coach has sacrificed so much to lead a program, it’s Dickey, and he certainly deserved at least another year for his unwavering commitment alone.

On second thought, however, maybe UNT is doing Dickey a favor by letting him go. At least as far as his health is concerned.

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