[Quack Attack]

Stanford offense flatlines



Michelle Smith, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, September 14, 2008

(09-14) 04:00 PDT Fort Worth, Texas -- Stanford couldn't depend on its offense. Not to get one more touchdown. Not to get one more yard. It turned out that the Cardinal didn't have to battle the elements Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium. TCU was more of a challenge than they could handle.

Stanford was derailed by a dismal offensive showing, and the Horned Frogs (3-0) were able to score 17 unanswered points down the stretch to claim a 31-14 victory.

If the Cardinal (1-2) are going to make a run at bowl eligibility, repairing the offense needs to be the No. 1 priority. Stanford's lack of execution in this game harkened back to dark days in the not-too-distant past, something no one wants to relive.

"Not enough offense, that's for sure," said Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, succinctly summarizing a day in which the Cardinal put up one offensive touchdown, gained only 77 yards in the second half and let TCU possess the ball for 39 more plays and 19 more minutes.

Yet, Stanford was still in it deep into the game, tied at 14-14 halfway through the third quarter, thanks to a pair of big plays in the first half - Doug Baldwin's 38-yard touchdown on a reverse and Mark Mueller's blocked punt, which Richard Sherman recovered and carried in for a 21-yard score.

The offense sputtered as Stanford's defense dealt with TCU's deft option offense, which chipped away with runs, pitches and short passing gains underneath. TCU's longest offensive play of the day was 19 yards.
"If we can't stop them, it keeps us on the field longer than we want to be and we don't let our offense get out there and get in a rhythm," linebacker Clinton Snyder said. "We needed to get them off the field."
TCU jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first five minutes (converting four third downs on its first scoring drive) before Stanford rallied to close the half. The Horned Frogs took the first lead of the second half with six minutes left in the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Ryan Christian that capped a 51-yard drive. Stanford failed to counter on its next two possessions but was still down only a touchdown heading into the final quarter.

It looked like Baldwin tied the game when he took a TCU punt on the Horned Frogs' 49 and dashed down the right sideline into the end zone. But the play was reviewed and overturned when the replay showed Baldwin going out of bounds on the 13 yard-line.

Stanford took over with a first down and a prime opportunity. And the Cardinal wasted it. A holding call on the first play pushed Stanford back to the 23. Two runs - one by quarterback Tavita Pritchard and another by Anthony Kimble - got Stanford back to 3rd-and-9 at the 12. Pritchard dropped back and was hit hard by nose tackle Cody Moore, but not before he lofted the ball to the back of the end zone toward Ryan Whalen. Instead, the ball ended up in the hands of TCU cornerback Steven Coleman.

"We've got to score there," said Pritchard, who took all but one offensive snap for Stanford and was 11-of-21 for 122 yards. "We have to get in the end zone. You get the ball that far down, you've definitely got to get points. I can't throw that pick. I've got to hold on to it and at least get three" points.

Stanford's last, best chance came on a drive that started with 9:38 left in the game. The Cardinal, trailing 21-14, went from their own 16 to the 42, where they faced a 3rd-and-1 to keep the drive going. Pritchard was stopped at the line for no gain. With no choice but to try again, Pritchard handed off in the backfield to leading rusher Toby Gerhart, who was met by linebacker Robert Henson head-on and knocked for a 1-yard loss.
TCU took over on downs and drove to the Stanford 1 before kicking a field goal to go up 24-14 with 2:24 remaining, effectively ending the game.

"Those two sequences really highlighted our inability to move the ball," Harbaugh said. "Everything, the play calling, the execution, the running, the protection, it was all highlighted in those two series."
Harbaugh took the blame for the loss and said changes are coming.
"I didn't think our plan was good," Harbaugh said. "I think we got outcoached in that regard. What we were doing wasn't working. We've got to find ways to get better."

E-mail Michelle Smith at msmith@sfchronicle.com.