Oct. 5, 1997
#16 Stanford (4-1, 2-0) at Arizona (2-3, 0-2) Game Preview
GAME FACTS
TV and Radio Information
TV Fox Sports Net, Live, 7:15 pm
(Bay TV in the Bay Area)
Barry Thompkins, Tom Ramsey
Radio - KSFO (560 AM)
Ted Robinson (play-by-play),
Bob Murphy (analyst)
KZSU (90.1 FM) - student
THE CARDINAL: Stanford enters Saturday's game at Arizona with a 4-1 overall record and a 2-0 mark in the Pac-10 ... The Cardinal has won three straight and nine of its last 10 dating back to last season's five-game winning streak ... Stanford completed its non-conference schedule with two wins (San Jose State, Notre Dame) and one loss (at North Carolina) ... The Cardinal finishes the regular season with six Pac-10 games, beginning with Saturday's game at Arizona ... Stanford has lost four straight to the Wildcats (1991-94) and has not defeated Arizona since a 23-10 victory in Tucson in 1990 ... The two teams did not play in 1995 and '96 ... Stanford is currently ranked 16th by AP and 17th by USA Today/ESPN.
TYRONE WILLINGHAM: Now in his third season as Stanford's head football coach, Tyrone Willingham enters Saturday's game with an 18-10-1 record at the helm ... He has led the Cardinal to consecutive bowl games and is only the third coach in Stanford history to lead the Cardinal to bowl games in each of his first two years on The Farm (the other two are Tiny Thornhill in 1933 and '34 and Bill Walsh in 1977 and '78) ... Named the 1995 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Willingham was chosen as a candidate for the Bear Bryant Award by one pre-season magazine and was named the Best Coach in the Pac-10 by another publication.
THE LAST 10: Stanford has won nine of its last 10 games dating back to last season when it finished the year by winning its final five games ... The Cardinal had the longest winning streak in the nation (six) before losing at North Carolina on Sept. 13 ... Since that loss, however, the Cardinal has won three straight ... Since the Vow Boys in 1934, only three times has Stanford put together nine wins during a 10-game span ... It occurred in 1969 and '70 (last game in '69, first nine games in '70) and in 1951 when Stanford's Rose Bowl team began the year 9-1 ... In 1940, the Cardinal went 10-0 en route to winning the Rose Bowl and in 1934 and '35, the Vow Boys won nine games in a 10-game span ... In the last 10 games, Stanford has defeated UCLA, USC, Washington State, California, Michigan State in the Sun Bowl, San Jose State, Oregon State, Oregon and Notre Dame with the only loss coming at North Carolina ...Stanford has averaged over 32 points per game during this time while winning the turnover battle 27-14.
SCORING SPREE: The Cardinal offense has scored 118 points, gained 1,409 yards in total offense and 706 yards rushing in its last three games ... Stanford has averaged 39 points, 470 yards in total offense and 235 yards on the ground during this time ... The rushing game has been most impressive in the last three games, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and scoring 10 TDs to go along with its 235 yards per game ... Stanford's 118 point outburst in the last three games is among the best on The Farm in the modern era (since WWII) ... Only six other offenses have accounted for more points during a three-game stretch, the most prolific being the John Elway-led 1981 squad that scored 147 during a three-game period ... The Cardinal's current 32.6 points per game average is third in the Pac-10 and 24th in the nation.
PILING UP POINTS: Stanford's 32.6 points per game average currently sits third on the school's all-time list for most points per game in a season ... The school record belongs to the 1969 team, with Jim Plunkett at quarterback, which averaged 34.9 points in a 10-game season ... In fact, in an 11-game season, only the 1949 team averaged more (33.3) than the '97 club ... There are just three teams in school history have averaged over 30 points per game: 1969 (34.9), 1949 (33.3) and 1995 (30.1) ... At its current pace, Stanford would score 358 points, leaving it eight points shy of the school's single season record of 366, held by the 1949 team.
BEST STARTS: Stanford's 4-1 start is among the best in school history ... In fact, only two teams since WWII have chalked up a better record after the first five games of the season ... The Cardinal began the 1950 campaign by winning its first five games ... The other team to begin the year with a record better than 4-1 was the 1995 squad - Tyrone Willingham's first at Stanford - which went 4-0-1 after five games ... Nine other teams during this time have started the year 4-1.
DYNAMIC DUO: Anthony Bookman and Mike Mitchell are establishing themselves as one of the finest pairs of running backs in college football ... For the third week in a row, both rushed for over 100 yards, marking the first time in Stanford history that a pair of backs have each rushed for over 100 yards in three consecutive games ... Against Notre Dame, Bookman gained 142 yards on 14 carries, including a 58-yard touchdown run, while Mitchell carried the ball a career-high 29 times for 135 yards ... Each scored two touchdowns while leading Stanford to a 322-yard rushing day ... Combined, the duo has rushed for 881 yards and scored eight touchdowns through five games (480 yards, five TDs for Bookman; 401 yards, 3 TDs for Mitchell) ... Bookman's 96 yards rushing per game places him seventh in the Pac-10 while Mitchell ranks eighth in the conference averaging 80.2 yards rushing per game ... In the last three games, however, Bookman and Mitchell have rushed for a combined 758 yards (253 yards per game)
ALL-TIME GREATS: Following their performance against Notre Dame last Saturday, Mike Mitchell and Anthony Bookman both moved up a notch on the school's all-time rushing list, placing them third and fourth, respectively ... Mitchell's 135 yard effort against the Irish gives him 2,250 career rushing yards, moving him past Glyn Milburn for third all-time on The Farm ... Bookman also moved past Milburn to remain one spot behind Mitchell ... Bookman's 2,203 yards puts him fourth all-time at Stanford ...On the career all-purpose running chart, Bookman is fifth all-time with 3,477 yards while Mitchell is sixth at 3,470 ... Against Notre Dame, Bookman accounted for 153 all-purpose yards while Mitchell netted 172 yards in all-purpose running ... No running back tandem in Stanford history has accounted for more yards rushing or more all-purpose yards than Mitchell and Bookman.
BOOK REPORT: In five games this season, Anthony Bookman has already surpassed his rushing total for the entire 1996 season ... As a starter in 10 of 11 regular season games last year (Sun Bowl stats do not count toward season or career stats), Bookman's numbers looked like this: 82 carries, 274 yards, 3.3 average, no touchdowns, long run of 27 yards and 25 yards rushing per game ...In five games in 1997, Bookman has rushed for a team-leading 480 yards, scored five touchdowns, is averaging 7.4 yards per carry and 96 yards per game ... His long run in 1996 was 27-yards, but in the last three games, he has registered touchdown runs of 60 yards vs. Oregon State, 67 yards vs. Oregon and 58 yards against Notre Dame
QUARTERBACK/PITCHER: Junior Chad Hutchinson (two years of eligibility remaining after the '97 season) is one of the top two-sport athletes in the nation ... A former first round draft pick in baseball (26th pick overall by Braves, June, 1995), Hutchinson is in his second season as Stanford's starting quarterback ... He has been a starting pitcher for the Cardinal baseball team the past two seasons (15-6 record) and will enter the '98 season as one of the top pitching prospects in college baseball ... He is eligibile for the major league baseball draft in June, 1998 following his junior season ... As a quarterback, Hutchinson entered the '97 football season rated by Lindy's as the fifth best QB in the nation and number six in the nation by The Sporting News ... He began the '97 campaign by throwing for 302 yards in the season opener vs. San Jose State - the second 300-yard effort of his career ... He threw his third 300-yard game against Oregon (Sept. 27) when he completed 21-of-31 for 340 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions ... The four TD passes were a career-best and tied him with several others for eighth place on Stanford's single-game TD passes list ... He was named the Pac-10 Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Ducks ... In his last three games, Hutchinson has completed 66-of-95 (.694) for 703 yards, five TDs and one interception ... He has not thrown an interception in the last two games (69 pass attempts) - the first time in his career that he has not thrown an INT in consecutive games ... In the last two years on The Farm, Hutchinson has participated in two bowl games (the 1995 Liberty Bowl as a redshirt freshman and the '96 Sun Bowl as the starting QB), two NCAA baseball regional playoffs and one College World Series, that coming last season ... He was a Freshman All-American in baseball in 1995 and last year he was the Offensive MVP of the Sun Bowl.
LOMBARDI FINALIST: Senior DE Kailee Wong is among the final 12 for the 1997 Lombardi Award, presented to the nation's top lineman ... Wong, a First-Team All-Pac-10 selection last season, is attempting to become the first Cardinal defensive lineman since Duncan McColl in 1976 to earn All-America honors ... Through five games, Wong has recorded 21 total tackles, 5.5 quarterback sacks and 10 tackles-for-loss ... He is among the Pac-10 leaders in both sacks and tackles-for-loss ... In the last two games - vs. Oregon and Notre Dame - Wong has sacked the quarterback in the end zone late in the game for a safety ... In his last 16 games, he has accounted for 17.5 quarterback sacks and 31 tackles-for-loss ... A year ago, Wong tied for second in the Pac-10 with 12 quarterback sacks and was third in the league with 21 tackles-for-loss ... The Sporting News ranked Wong as the sixth best DE in the nation while Lindy's ranked him ninth.
O-LINE: No surprise that the success of the Cardinal's running game, specifically in the last three games, is a direct reflection of the play of the offensive line ... Despite being beset by injuries and constant restructuring, Stanford's offensive line is beginning to be a strength of the team ... Consider the starting lineup against Notre Dame last Saturday: Mike McLaughlin, who had started 16 straight games at center, started at left guard; Blaine Maxfield made his debut in the starting lineup at center; Joe Fairchild started his second straight game at left tackle for the injured Jeff Cronshagen; Andrew Kroeker, who had started 16 consecutive games at left guard, was forced to sit out the first half; Brian Donoghue, who missed three games with an ankle injury and was expected to battle for a starting spot, saw action in a reserve role against Notre Dame ... Despite all those changes, the line allowed the Cardinal to rush for 322 yards, gain 514 yards in total offense while allowing just one sack ... Stanford had allowed 15 quarterback sacks in its first three games, but only two in the last two games.
TROY'S TALE: Junior flanker Troy Walters, who has been Stanford's most productive receiver in '97, ranks fifth in the nation and second in the Pac-10 in receptions per game and his 109.8 receiving yards per game places him 11th nationally and third in the conference ... He caught seven balls for 66 yards against the Fighting Irish last Saturday, giving him 40 for 549 yards through five games ... He is on pace to break Stanford's single season records for receptions and yardage ... Walters' number project to 88 receptions for 1,208 yards over an 11-game season, which would eclipse the current records of Brad Muster (78 receptions in 1985) and Gene Washington (1,117 receiving yards in 1968) ...Two weeks ago against Oregon, Walters came within one catch of tying the school record for most receptions in a game ... He caught 13 balls for 169 yards and two TDs, placing him in a three-way tie for fifth on Stanford's single-game receiving list ... Walters is also among the nation's best punt returners ... His 12.7 average places him 19th in the nation and third in the Pac-10 and his 144.6 all-purpose yards per game ranks Walters sixth in the conference and 26th in the country ... His father, Trent, is currently the linebackers coach for the Minnesota Vikings and was on the same Viking's staff as Stanford head coach Tyrone Willingham.
THE RED ZONE: Stanford has been hot in the Red Zone the last three games as it has scored on 12 consecutive possessions inside its opponent's 20-yard line ... In those 12 trips in the Red Zone, the Cardinal has scored nine touchdowns and kicked three field goals ... Last Saturday vs. Notre Dame, Stanford scored three TDs in three tries inside the Irish 20 ... For the season, the Cardinal has scored 18 times in 22 trips in the Red Zone, 14 Tds and four field goals ... Opponents have scored 12 times in 14 trips into the Red Zone (10 TD, 4 FG)
STANFORD INDIVIDUAL STAT RANKINGS (NCAA top-50 only) Name Category Avg. Pac-10 NCAA Chad Hutchinson Total Offense 221.0 6th 36th Chad Hutchinson Passing Efficiency 129.4 8th 46th Troy Walters Receptions 8.00 2nd 5th Troy Walters Receiving Yards 109.80 3rd 11th Troy Walters Punt Returns 12.67 3rd t19th Troy Walters All-Purpose Yards 144.60 6th 26th Anthony Bookman Rushing 96.00 7th 29th Anthony Bookman All-Purpose Yards 137.40 8th 34th Kevin Miller Punting 44.87 1st 15th
Stanford-Arizona Stat Comparison (NCAA rank)
Stanford Arizona 4-1, 2-0.......................Record................................2-3, 0-2 17th /16th....................Ranking....................................none 32.6 (24th)..................Points/game..........................22.2 (68th) 25.6 (68th)...............Pts. Allowed/game.......................24.4 (64th) 897.........................Yards Rushing................................1000 179.4 (31st)..............Yards Rushing/game.....................200.0 (23rd) 127.6 (48th)..........Yards Allowed Rushing/game..................87.6 (15th) 13............................Rushing TDs...................................6 100........................Pass Completions................................79 165.........................Pass Attempts.................................163 5.......................Passes Had Intercepted..............................4 7...........................Touchdown Passes................................8 1196..........................Yards Passing..............................1003 239.2 (39th)...............Yards Passing/game....................200.6 (60th) 132.4 (71st)..............Pass Defense Rating....................133.4 (74th) 418.6 (26th)...............Total Offense/game....................400.6 (36th) 359.8 (61st)..........Total Offense Allowed/game.................294.6 (20th) 19.0/123.....................QB Sacks By.............................25.5/171