Stanford Cardinal: CFN College Football Preview 2021

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Stanford season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Stanford season with what you need to know.


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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
Top Players | Keys To The Season
What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
Stanford Schedule Analysis
– Stanford Cardinal Previews
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2020 Record: 4-2 overall, 4-2 in Pac-12
Head Coach: David Shaw, 11th year, 90-36
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 31
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 35
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 98

Stanford Cardinal College Football Preview 2021: Offense

Very. very quietly the Stanford offense had a nice comeback year. The team only played in six games, but it scored 24 or more in five of them after doing that just four times in the 12-game 2019 clunker.

The running game wasn’t special, but new Houston Texan Davis Mills and the passing attack were strong as the O led the Pac-12 in third down conversions and did a great job of controlling the clock. Eight starters should be back for what could be an even better year if …

The program can get a steady starting quarterback to replace Mills. It’s Stanford, so it has plenty of 6-4, 220ish-pound NFL-looking passing quarterbacks waiting in the wings, but it needs one with more experience.

Jack West is a 6-4, 215-pounder who threw 19 passes last year and was solid when he had his chances, and Tanner McKee is a 6-6, 228-pound former superstar recruit who spent a few years on an LDS Church mission and got his feet wet in the offense last season. McKee has the slightest of edges going into fall camp.

Leading receiver Simi Fehoko is gone to the Dallas Cowboys, but 6-4, 205-pond Brycen Tremayne is back after averaging close to 19 yards per catch and finishing second on the team in yards. Michael Wilson was the second-leading receiver with 19 catches in just four games, and Elijah Higgins makes it three of the top four targets back.

The offensive line doesn’t have Foster Sarell anymore at tackle and misses Drew Dalman at center, but the group that finished seven in the nation in fewest tackles for loss allowed and was okay for the ground game gets back three starters. 6-6, 320-pound Walter Rouse is the main man for the line at left tackle.

The running game wasn’t amazing, but it got back over four yards per carry after a rough few years. Austin Jones worked his way into a team-high 550 yards and nine scores, and Nathaniel Peat averaged over seven yards per carry with 204 yards. The 1-2 punch is back along with 220-pound Justus Woods to add a little thump.

– What You Need To Know: Defense
Top Players | Keys To The Season
What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
Stanford Schedule Analysis

NEXT: Stanford Cardinal College Football Preview 2021: Defense