August 13, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Cardinal know they're better than 9th place

by Rick Eymer

Stanford free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe doesn't care that people who are supposed to know have the Cardinal finishing ninth in the Pac-10 football race.

Atogwe, and many of his teammates, figures Stanford will do just fine despite suffering through a second straight losing season last year.

"All the books that predict us to be where we are, they've got to put somebody one through 10," Atogwe said. "If they want to put us at 10, that's fine. We don't really buy into that much. It's a good feeling just because we know we're better than that. On every Saturday we've just got to show that."

Stanford (4-7 last season, but losers of three straight to end the year) has a lot to prove this year under third-year coach Buddy Teevens. The defense allowed 324 points, almost 30 points a game.

The offense was ranked near the bottom of the NCAA statistics, and was outscored 128-26 over its final three games.

In the first two years under Teevens, the Cardinal have experienced losing streaks of five games, four games, and two of three games.

"The final three games were tough," Atogwe said. "Just having bad games can have an affect, especially on the younger players. It's kind of hard to play when you're not fully into the game any more. It takes its toll on you. I feel that might have happened to some of the guys on the team. You can't let that affect you. You're embarrassed that it happened, but it's fuel to never let it happen again. As a competitor it's not what you want people to remember you as."

And so the Cardinal, who opened fall camp on Wednesday, pick up the pieces of a broken season and head into the new year full of promise.

The affects of two losing seasons may have drained the expectations of people outside the program, but it hasn't affected the enthusiasm of the players who think this could be Stanford's renaissance season.

"I like it that way instead of having all these lofty expectations where you have to finish first in the Pac-10," Stanford tight end Alex Smith said." When guys don't see you coming that's when you're the most dangerous. What they're going off of is last year and we're so much more experienced you can't really compare this team to last year."

Forget that then-redshirt freshman Trent Edwards was thrown into the starting role in last year's second game, replacing popular fifth-year senior Chris Lewis, who held the starting job until sputtering against San Jose State in the Cardinal's opener.

Edwards also missed action because of a shoulder injury and a thigh injury. His career began as a nova, but quickly diminished into the season's black hole.

"Really, I feel like because our offensive line was so young last year we really couldn't do everything we wanted to do," Smith said. "The talent was there, but because we couldn't run the ball to start with, people could gang up on us when we tried to pass."

Smith, sophomore Mark Bradford and senior Greg Camarillo will be among those on the receiving end of what could be a renewed offensive effort. Camarillo, the Menlo-Atherton High grad, was fourth on the team last year with receptions for 225 yards. He's still looking for his first touchdown catch.

Bradford, with 37 catches for 587 yards and three touchdowns, is the top returning receiver and capable of turning small plays into large gains. His 71-yard reception was Stanford's longest play from scrimmage last year.

Smith, who has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, has started the last 21 games for the Cardinal. He made 24 catches for 185 yards and three touchdowns last year.

"I feel the experience factor is going to play a big role," Smith said. "Offensively we got on the same page with Trent. In years past we wouldn't really be certain who the quarterback was going into the first game. It's pretty much been determined Trent's the guy. All spring and summer we tried to get our timing down so he feels comfortable with us and we feel comfortable with him. It goes a long way when he can trust you to be in the right spot at the right time. It'll open our offense up a lot more."

With their first four games at home, the Cardinal need a strong start if they expect to reach their goal of a bowl game. Stanford improved two games from Teevens' first year and a similar improvement would make the Cardinal bowl-eligible, with local games like the Silicon Valley Classic at San Jose State, or the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco distinct possibilities.

"It's important to come out and start strong. Every one feels the same way, but we feel like we have progressed and to substantiate that with success on Saturday would be very important," Teevens said. "Prognosticators rarely are right. I think it's because of the balance in the Pac-10. Injuries play a factor, who's home, who's hot and who's not."

"It's not every day you get to play your first four games at home. You've got to make the best out of it," Atogwe said. "That's going to be one of our hallmarks - really defending our home turf. If we come out of our home with four wins early in the season it's going to keep it rolling and build our confidence for the remainder of the season."

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