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1. How will Oregon State blow it (because bad teams find ways to lose, and OSU is bad)?

2. When was the last time Stanford played this poorly (relative to the competition)?

Answers: Fumble, and I-can’t-remember-when.

Have mentioned this in the past and it’s worth repeating:

Because of its offensive philosophy and playbook — the ground-and-pound approach, the possession style, the throw-it-six-yards-to-the-tight ends — the Stanford offense looks worse when it’s playing poorly than high-tempo, open-field, pitch-and-catch offenses look when they are playing poorly.

Bad grind is worse than bad pinball.

Result: Won at Oregon State 15-14.

Grade: D

Comment: Had the Cardinal lost, it would have been an easy F.

But the D-range is the lowest you can go with a victory, no matter how narrow, no matter how fortunate.

(And Stanford was extremely fortunate.)

I considered a D-minus but opted against because the defense played reasonably well.

I say reasonably well because the Beavers have a third-rate quarterback and were averaging a paltry 18 points in conference games.

With Harrison Phillips dominating the middle of the line, Stanford’s run defense was more stout than it has been (3.4 ypr allowed Thursday).

But again, OSU’s ground game is not exactly top shelf.

*** The leg injury to Alijah Holder, if serious, would have significant consequences.

Stanford has been fortunate on the injury front, losing only one player for an extended time, and the player lost (linebacker Sean Barton) would not be considered an irreplaceable.

The Cardinal even got lucky with Bryce Love: If he had to miss one game, that was the game.

But Holder … that would significantly weaken the strongest unit on the defense.

*** Yes, I was surprised Stanford didn’t give K.J. Costello a chance. It’s perplexing that the one time he doesn’t play is during Keller Chryst’s worst game.

(Slight overstatement there: Costello didn’t play in two early games.)

Asked whether he considered changing quarterbacks, coach David Shaw explained that some of the problems were specific to Chryst and some were not.

Of that, I have not doubt. It’s exceedingly rare when the entirety of a team’s offensive problems fall on the quarterback.

But what was the downside to playing Costello for a series or two? It couldn’t have been worse.

Clearly, vision is the key to Chryst’s success/struggles. Poor performances are rooted in his inability to see the field, to lock onto his primary receiver.

Upcoming opponents will likely attempt to jump the short and intermediate routes just as OSU did.

Stanford is more than one-and-a-half seasons into the post-Kevin Hogan era, and the quarterback development process is not exactly flourishing. Get Pac-12 Conference news in your inbox with the Pac-12 Hotline newsletter Sign Up

*** It’s possible that Bryce Love’s Heisman candidacy gained strength in the mind of some Heisman voters, because they saw how deeply reliant the Cardinal is on Love.

It’s also possible that many Heisman voters 1) did not realize Stanford was playing Thursday and 2) will never realize that Love didn’t play.

The weekend could have been worse for Love’s campaign: Saquon Barkley had a huge kickoff return against Ohio State but was mostly quiet out of the backfield.

Then again, watch out for OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett and Notre Dame tailback Josh Adams.

Because of where they play (the team and the geography), both will have little trouble gaining ground quickly in the Heisman race.

*** Stanford was called for so many bad penalties (15-yarders, drive-extenders) that I thought I was watching UCLA.

The defense managed to hold OSU to 6-of-14 conversions on third down. But that component is one of three reasons Stanford fans should be concerned about November.

Consider these national ranking against opponents with winning records:

Yards-per-carry allowed: 91st

RZ touchdowns allowed (percentage): 105th

Third-down defense (percentage): 118th

Those are not the numbers of a title-winning defense.

Next up: at Washington State

The matchup: Stanford caught a break in that the Cougars, in the span of a few days, have taken a turn to the vulnerable:

They were run off the field in Tucson and have issues at quarterback.

Multi-year starter Luke Falk was benched in the first half at Arizona, and his replacement, Tyler Hilinski, threw four interceptions.

Stanford must prepare for both, and they have different skill sets — Hilinski is a threat to run; Falk is not — but that situation is more advantageous for the Cardinal than facing Falk when he and the Air Raid are rolling.

*** So much depends on Love’s ankle: Will he play and, if so, will he have the burst?

The Cougars’ defense is built on speed, not power, which would seem to benefit the Cardinal. But WSU coordinator Alex Grinch has designed effective gameplans against Stanford the past two years.

The 2015 duel in Pullman went to the wire, with Stanford having to break tendency to survive (Kevin Hogan running the ball)

The 2016 matchups was a wipeout: WSU dominated throughout.

*** The time is right for the Cardinal: 12:30 p.m. kickoff, meaning Stanford won’t be returning to campus in the dead of night with a Friday game upcoming.

The weather is not right for the Cardinal (apparently): Snow is in the forecast.

The Cougars are favored by 2.5.

That feels about right as we await word on Love, which might not come until late in the week.

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