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Carrington cut deep, but Whitfield hardly moved.Īgainst a team like Oregon, that won't fly. He fell asleep on his only job, staying back to cover the deep ball, and let Darren Carrington run free. How, might you ask? A missed assignment that probably earned safety Kodi Whitfield one of David Shaw's not-so-famous earfuls. Stanford's corners locked down Oregon's speedy receivers, but the defensive line failed to get a push. The Ducks lined up with a receiver in motion on the right side, and ran a wheel on the left. Part of these issues stemmed from a weak pass rush, but the issue still remained: despite their athleticism, the Cardinal were routinely beat in space by high caliber offensive teams. Their speed gave the young Cardinal secondary little margin for error, exposing mental lapses and missed assignments. At times, these teams even seemed to get in their heads. Stanford's secondary was exposed against more explosive offensive teams, getting burned by the likes of UCLA, Oregon and Notre Dame. Raw talent shouldn't be an issue for the Cardinal going forward - they've already proven that they can light up highlight reels by making big plays. At 4.73, Meeks actually ran the slowest 40 time out of Stanford's corners, trailing Alexander (4.45) and Holder (4.46). They certainly don't lack the athleticism or talent needed to become a force to reckon with in the Pac-12. With more time for maturation after last season, Stanford's secondary's natural ball-hawking skills and football IQ should help them take the next step and turn this unit into one of the team's strengths. The play draws back memories of Shayne Skov's incredibly-timed jumped snap in the Pac-12 Championship Game in 2013 - special company for the true freshman.Īlthough Stanford finished 10th in the Pac-12 in interceptions last season, those play-making skills will remain. Meeks' instincts and anticipation on this play can't be taught - a trait that this secondary as a whole has been gifted with as well. Unnoticed by Falk, Meeks blazed through both receivers and put himself right in their position, ready to haul in Falk's throw and save Stanford's season. Washington State lined up in a fairly standard formation, with three wide receivers out on the right side.īut before Cougars' quarterback Luke Falk even had time to field the snap and drop back, Meeks already recognized that it was going to be a screen play, and started crashing in. Meeks did just that, making a huge play that put Stanford inside Washington State's 40-yard line. With Stanford down 28-27 and the Cougars driving late in Pullman, someone had to step up. With a perfectly timed interception late against Washington State, Meeks transferred Stanford's postseason plane tickets from El Paso to Pasadena.

One glimpse into the group's and its headliner, Meeks' potential probably ended up saving Stanford's season. The results were somewhat predictable: the unit flashed some signs of its play-making potential, but finished the season an almost perfectly middling sixth in the Pac-12 in pass defense. Talented but inexperienced players like true freshman Quenton Meeks and sophomores Terrence Alexander, and Alijah Holder were forced to step up. Only two players, Kodi Whitfield and Ronnie Harris, had seen truly significant playing time. Last season, Stanford's secondary lost five starters, and was left with a fairly young group of regulars. And this year could be the year that Stanford's once-inexperienced secondary breaks out of its shell and joins that party.

With a front seven that has a reputation for hosting parties in opponents' backfields in front of it, Stanford's secondary tends to get lost in all of the bright lights and noise. When you're sitting behind one of the consistently best units in college football, it's hard to get noticed.