Stanford’s second quarter offered a little bit of everything: busted coverages, a third-down design that worked exactly as intended, and a reminder that Lincoln Kienholz can make a tough pocket look manageable when he has to.
The cleanest touchdown came on one of the ugliest defensive snaps Louisville has given up this season. Kaleb Beasley was locked onto his assignment before the receiver went in motion, then simply lost track of him as the route developed.
By the time Beasley realized the mistake, it was over. Stanford walked into the easiest score of its season.
That wasn’t the only coverage breakdown Stanford took advantage of. Earlier, Jabari Mack was in zone with responsibility for the third of the field near the top, but he stayed glued to the quarterback and let the receiver run right by him.
There was no double move, no pump fake, and Davis Warren wasn’t even looking that direction when the play started. Tayon Holloway, by contrast, opened his hips at the bottom of the screen and put himself in position to react.
Mack never did.
Stanford also found success with a third-down call that got Tre Richardson into space on the edge instead of leaning on the kind of short-yardage power look offenses often default to. Brian Brohm’s design put the fastest receiver on the perimeter after the run action, and Richardson was just a step or two away from turning it into a touchdown.
Kienholz had his moments, too. On one snap, Stanford brought pressure up the middle and he handled it well, sliding subtly to his right without taking his eyes off the target. He released the ball just before Jaleel Skinner made his break, which is exactly the kind of pocket work that shows why his ceiling is so high as a passer.
The quarter also featured a couple of plays that showed why Stanford’s offense can survive mistakes elsewhere. Isaac Brown was hit two yards deep in the backfield on one run, but he still turned it into a near 20-yard gain. The blocking wasn’t there, yet Brown ran through a tackle, used his speed, and slipped past a backside linebacker who was shielded off by Johnnie Brown.
Tre Richardson took a shot of his own on a throw that was a little too floaty. Kienholz probably would have driven it more firmly if he’d had more room to step into it, but the ball hung just enough for the safety to arrive with a big hit. Richardson held on anyway.
On defense, Tyler Thompson kept building on the recent stretch that has made him so disruptive. He’s been working under offensive tackles and bending around the edge for weeks, and this time he finished with a heads-up strip that forced a fumble. It was a good example of the defense and pass rush working together: Warren had to hold the ball just long enough for Thompson to get there.
And through it all, the same thought kept coming up: it’s pretty nice to have a quarterback who can do that.
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