[TriangleTree]

Did not see Blackburn go down, thanks for pointing that out, msqueri.

Healthy, he seems headed for the top of the stats in terms of NCAA TE receptions, so I am especially hoping he can come back soon and showcase his ability.

Truly, injuries seem to be a curse so far this year. Glad for the bye week, and, while Duke’s defense looked stout against Tulane, have to hope that the extra time to prepare is a real advantage for Stanford. I still believe Stanford will be competitive against Duke, but if Blackburn is out along with the others it seems unlikely that Stanford can win that one based on what I’ve seen from both teams.

On Duke, I had a chance to watch their first game in person against Tulane. Their strength on offense was clearly the running game. Their back is the real deal and Tulane's defense struggled mightily against him. I believe he ended up with over 200 yards, maybe over 250. They did some adjustments in the second half that seemed to slow him down a bit. It should be a good test for our run defense, which so far has performed well. Duke's passing game was dismal on that day. Eget (the SJS transfer) looked terrible, just not in sync with the receivers. At some point they brought the backup qb for a running play and the (sparse) crowd woke up in cheers. When they took him out (after having run for a first down) on the next play, the boos rained down as Eget walked back in. I have seen Eget play much better for SJS, so it may be down to first day jitters and learning the system, but if he plays that way against us we will have a good shot at this one.

On defense, it's hard to tell because Tulane's first game under the new coach was a penalty-fest: holdings and false starts all over the place. Tulane was actually able to move the ball decently; they just couldn't get out of their own way. Very few datapoints, and who knows what we will look like without Blackburn, but I'd say our offense should be significantly better (and more tuned in) than that of Tulane

Overall, Duke looked well coached, disciplined and organized. Game day experience was great, even if the crowd was very light. Nice, relatively small football stadium on a wooded area with a nice breeze and great atmospheric conditions (sound familiar?) Our team should feel right at home. 

This is a big test for Stanford. Winning an away game against a good team will always be a challenge, but Stanford needs at a minimum to be highly competitive and have a shot at winning it. I'll be there hoping for our second W.

[TriangleTree]

Did not see Blackburn go down, thanks for pointing that out, msqueri.

Healthy, he seems headed for the top of the stats in terms of NCAA TE receptions, so I am especially hoping he can come back soon and showcase his ability.

Truly, injuries seem to be a curse so far this year. Glad for the bye week, and, while Duke’s defense looked stout against Tulane, have to hope that the extra time to prepare is a real advantage for Stanford. I still believe Stanford will be competitive against Duke, but if Blackburn is out along with the others it seems unlikely that Stanford can win that one based on what I’ve seen from both teams.

On Duke, I had a chance to watch their first game in person against Tulane. Their strength on offense was clearly the running game. Their back is the real deal and Tulane's defense struggled mightily against him. I believe he ended up with over 200 yards, maybe over 250. They did some adjustments in the second half that seemed to slow him down a bit. It should be a good test for our run defense, which so far has performed well. Duke's passing game was dismal on that day. Eget (the SJS transfer) looked terrible, just not in sync with the receivers. At some point they brought the backup qb for a running play and the (sparse) crowd woke up in cheers. When they took him out (after having run for a first down) on the next play, the boos rained down as Eget walked back in. I have seen Eget play much better for SJS, so it may be down to first day jitters and learning the system, but if he plays that way against us we will have a good shot at this one.

On defense, it's hard to tell because Tulane's first game under the new coach was a penalty-fest: holdings and false starts all over the place. Tulane was actually able to move the ball decently; they just couldn't get out of their own way. Very few datapoints, and who knows what we will look like without Blackburn, but I'd say our offense should be significantly better (and more tuned in) than that of Tulane

Overall, Duke looked well coached, disciplined and organized. Game day experience was great, even if the crowd was very light. Nice, relatively small football stadium on a wooded area with a nice breeze and great atmospheric conditions (sound familiar?) Our team should feel right at home. 

This is a big test for Stanford. Winning an away game against a good team will always be a challenge, but Stanford needs at a minimum to be highly competitive and have a shot at winning it. I'll be there hoping for our second W.