STANFORD, Calif. - After facing Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Luke Falk, it doesn't get any easier this week for the Stanford defense.
No. 9 Washington visits Friday at 7:30 p.m. PT and is led by junior quarterback Jake Browning. Last week, he tied the school record for career touchdown passes with 75.
All four quarterbacks are projected to be high first round NFL Draft picks.
"I remember when it was Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley," said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football. "Now you're looking at this star-studded group. It's ridiculous. Any given day, any of these guys look like the best quarterback in college football."
A three-year starter, the athletic and durable 6-2, 210-pound Browning has guided the Huskies to a 27-8 record -- 20-3 the last two seasons.
"Jake gets lost in the shuffle sometimes because he's not the 6-4, 220-pound prototype quarterback," Shaw said. "He's just a guy that makes completions, wins games, scrambles when he needs to, and makes all the right decisions. He plays with energy, passion and emotion."
On Monday, Shaw announced that sophomore K.J. Costello will start at quarterback for the second straight week and third time this season. The Cardinal is 1-1 with Costello at the helm, defeating Arizona State, 34-24, but lost to Washington State last week, 24-21.
Against the Cougars, Costello completed 9 of 20 passes with one interception and ran for a touchdown.
"It's hard to get thrown into a game like that in the weather against a team like that," Shaw said. "That's tough duty."
Shaw said running back Bryce Love came out of the game "okay" but is still not 100 percent.
"We'll continue to rehab him and try to get him ready for Friday night," said Shaw. "It's a short week, so we'll be careful with him in practice."
Starting left tackle Walker Little will not play and could miss two games. Sophomore Devery Hamilton will replace him.
Linebacker Curtis Robinson missed the Washington State contest but is expected to play against Washington.
Subbing for injured cornerback Alijah Holder, Alameen Murphy held his own against a potent Washington State aerial attack.
"I thought he played well," Shaw said. "He didn't give up any big plays, didn't miss any tackles, kept the ball in front of him, rallied up and made some big hits. He's one of those guys that knows the game plan so well, he's always going to be in position."
Murphy's performance did not surprise teammate Quenton Meeks, the other starting cornerback.
"He did a great job," said Meeks. "He's been working his butt off all year. He's a starter in our eyes."
Stanford has surrendered only 30 points in the third quarter this season, second only to Washington (16). Defensive coordinator Lance Anderson welcomes in-game feedback from his players.
"We always come in and see what they're doing and make great halftime adjustments," Meeks said. "We just get more focused and dialed into the game plan."
Shaw raved about the performance of junior Jake Bailey, who excelled punting and kicking off in the snow amid-30 degree temperatures in Pullman. He averaged 47.0 yards on eight punts and boomed four kickoffs for touchbacks.
"That was the best performance by a punter since I've been here," said Shaw. "Great hang time, great distance. Back inside the 20, back inside the 10. Great job on kickoffs. We need that kind of effort this week."
Washington will provide a different challenge for Bailey. Dante Pettis has already returned four punts for scores this season. His latest last week against Oregon was the ninth of his career and set an NCAA record for touchdowns.
"Hang time and direction are key," Shaw said. "Hopefully make him fair catch the ball and pin him into the sidelines. This is not a guy you want to give a lot of space."
Shaw also praised the play of senior fullback Daniel Marx. He caught his first pass in two years and only the fourth of his career against Washington State, reaching down for a low ball from Costello and rambled 24 yards for a key third-down conversion.
"Daniel's versatility has been huge for us," said Shaw. "To be a downhill fullback blocking inside linebackers, block off the edge, and leak out in the passing game … he's got the ability to do all three. There's not a lot of guys out there in America right now doing what Daniel can do. That's why he's got a chance to make a team at the next level."
Washington leads the country in total defense and allows 11.1 points per game, second in the country.
"They all make plays," Shaw said. "Each guy on the front seven, at any point in the game, looks like the best guy at his position in the conference. This group's as good as we've seen since we've been here."
Junior inside linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven tops the team in tackles with 59. He attended Sacred Heart Prep in nearby Atherton.
"He's always played with that fire," said Shaw. "I want to say he has put on 25 pounds, if not more. He was one of those tweeners -- is he a linebacker, is he a safety. He plays hard, he plays fast and plays aggressive. There is no hesitancy in his game at all."
During the offseason, Shaw watched the tape of last year's 44-6 road loss to the No. 10 Huskies countless times.
"They got up on us so fast," he said. "By the time we got a foothold, they had 30 points on the board. They had a bunch of big plays on us. We were just getting going and they were at full speed."
Asked what it will take to pull an upset Friday, Shaw said, "We have to slow them down and keep the ball. We have to score touchdowns in the red zone. This is not a team you're going to beat in a field goal battle."
Given the short week and late point in the season, Shaw is reducing practices from two hours to 90 minutes.
"We can't stay on the field," he said. "We have to streamline what we're doing schematically and make sure our guys can go out there and be fresh and play fast."
Shaw has 70 wins at Stanford and needs one more to tie Glenn "Pop" Warner for the most in program history. Not that he has given it much thought.
"Not really," Shaw said. "It's still kind of surreal. I feel like I still just got here. Every time I say seven years, I think, 'Has it really been seven years?' It's kind of out there and one of those things you reflect on later."
He credited his success to his coaches, players, staff and administration.
"It's a testament to everybody that's been here in the last 11 years," said Shaw. "Way back when, when I first shook Bob Bowlsby's hand, we kind of made an agreement that we were trying to take the dips out of Stanford football. We wanted to be competitive, we wanted to have a chance to win the Pac-12, win bowl games and be consistent. And that just can't happen from the head coach's office. That has to happen from the athletic director, the provost and president. The things they've done have allowed us to have stability. Stability over time equals success."
Friday offers Stanford fans a unique double-header opportunity. At 4 p.m. PT, the Cardinal men's basketball team tips off the season against Cal Poly at Maples Pavilion.
"It's really cool," said Shaw. "I think our basketball program is going in the right direction. I'm real excited about our young guys coming in to play with our guys coming back. It's got a chance to be a really exciting groups of guys. Hopefully watch a really good basketball game and a big-time college football game."
Quotable ... "We have to clear our heads and find a way to be efficient." - David Shaw