Lomax injury and a couple other thoughts

[Dauminator]

Why hasn't more been made of the injury to Jordan Lomax before the game? This is my first time on boards since the game and I've only browsed through some of first page, so sorry if I missed it. But I think this had a huge impact. I don't know the details, but they said on the broadcast he was hampered by something he picked up in practice. First play, it looks like Lomax is assigned to McCaffrey 1v1 and can't touch him. In fact, I saw good old #27 flailing helplessly on several long Stanford plays and scores. Why did we play him/keep him in if he was hurt so bad? Have we no other options?

I'm stunned at the result overall. That we couldn't run on them is mystifying. And I thought for sure we had the defensive scheme to contain #5. I thought if anyone was going to dominate, it would be us. Was the moment really so big for us? Was motivation a problem, given we had so much to prove after losing so closely against MSU? We were simply shellshocked, especially after the pick six. That was the play of the game momentum wise, as we were finally moving the ball and could have made it a one-score game. Instead we're staring at 21-0 inside ten minutes (or less?).

Their blocking was almost perfect. #5 was good, but I heard the stat he averaged 6.1 yards before being touched. I give the credit for his stats to that blocking. If Iowa wasn't on the other end of it, it would have been awesome to behold. But . . . I do question the officiating. I don't blame it, but I question it. I don't normally notice too many penalties in real time, but I saw multiple clear-cut blocks in the back that were never called. Did I see things incorrectly, or was Stanford's great blocking a result of toeing over the line of legality?

 

[David1979]

Why hasn't more been made of the injury to Jordan Lomax before the game? This is my first time on boards since the game and I've only browsed through some of first page, so sorry if I missed it. But I think this had a huge impact. I don't know the details, but they said on the broadcast he was hampered by something he picked up in practice. First play, it looks like Lomax is assigned to McCaffrey 1v1 and can't touch him. In fact, I saw good old #27 flailing helplessly on several long Stanford plays and scores. Why did we play him/keep him in if he was hurt so bad? Have we no other options?

I'm stunned at the result overall. That we couldn't run on them is mystifying. And I thought for sure we had the defensive scheme to contain #5. I thought if anyone was going to dominate, it would be us. Was the moment really so big for us? Was motivation a problem, given we had so much to prove after losing so closely against MSU? We were simply shellshocked, especially after the pick six. That was the play of the game momentum wise, as we were finally moving the ball and could have made it a one-score game. Instead we're staring at 21-0 inside ten minutes (or less?).

Their blocking was almost perfect. #5 was good, but I heard the stat he averaged 6.1 yards before being touched. I give the credit for his stats to that blocking. If Iowa wasn't on the other end of it, it would have been awesome to behold. But . . . I do question the officiating. I don't blame it, but I question it. I don't normally notice too many penalties in real time, but I saw multiple clear-cut blocks in the back that were never called. Did I see things incorrectly, or was Stanford's great blocking a result of toeing over the line of legality?

There was definitely some questionable officiating but they would have lost the game regardless.

 

[Desmond King]

He obviously wasn't *that* hurt to the point that the coaches were willing to pull him. It didn't matter who we put out there on the field. It's not like we had some magic matchup for Mcaffery just sitting on the bench somewhere.

Go back and re-watch the first TD. Cole Fisher, who would never see the field for a legit national title contender, just trips and falls down. He was responsible for the middle of the field and had inside help on the play. Miles Taylor was too far to the other side of the field, and had it been anyone else, probably gets over in time to make the play, but McCaffery was just too fast for him. Then Greg Mabin flails helplessly at the end as he's pretty much done all year long.

The entire play was a microcosm of what the major issue in the game was: They were just better than us, at pretty much every position on the field. Period. Stop. End of sentence.