November 7 has come and gone, and so has the euphoria of Stanford’s monumental win against Oregon on that Thursday night. In its place at Tuesday’s weekly press conference was an overwhelming sense of mental fatigue from the long grind of Pac-12 conference play. Nevertheless, the Cardinal remains focused on preparing for its clash at the Coliseum with USC this Saturday.
“In practice, it’s about making sure you’re locked in on every single rep,” said fifth-year senior linebacker Shayne Skov. “Increasing your level of play mentally can be very difficult this time of year, but that’s what the great ones do.”
While Skov and his teammates will continue to work to stay mentally sharp before Saturday, he noted that the Cardinal continues to thrive off of the energy of big games. Against Oregon, the emotion of senior defensive end Henry Anderson, who returned from a knee injury, caught Skov’s eye in particular.
“[Anderson] celebrating after that sack against Oregon was the first time I’ve seen him demonstrate any sort of flair or substance [after a play] in my entire career,” Skov said. “I’d say he was as bland as a saltine cracker. We’d been waiting for something from him and he delivered.”
Anderson’s return to the lineup against the Ducks provided a huge spark for an ailing Stanford defensive line. “The Goose,” as he is called by his teammates, recorded five tackles with one half-sack and showed no discernible signs of rust from his six-game layoff. However, Anderson did mention that he had some jitters before taking the field on Thursday.
“I was a little nervous going out there full speed, having to tackle guys,” Anderson admitted. “After the first drive or two, it felt pretty normal.”
Anderson also mentioned that his knee held up very well following the Oregon game and can now devote his energy to preparing for USC, a matchup that he anticipates will be tough based on the history of the rivalry.
“I don’t know what it is about USC, but they always seem to play a good game against us,” Anderson said. “I feel like we’ve always caught them at a point in the season where they’re playing really well. They’re always a good team. It’s not like they’re going to roll over and just let us blow them out.”
Stanford head coach David Shaw echoed Anderson’s sentiment that the resurgence of the Trojans in recent weeks following the dismissal of head coach Lane Kiffin will provide a tough test for his squad come Saturday.
“This is a big game for both teams in respect to where we are in the conference,” Shaw said. “You go down there expecting everything. I expect it to be wild and crazy, and I expect it to come down to the end of the game.”
Furthermore, Shaw praised Anderson, Skov and fifth-year senior defensive end Josh Mauro for their stellar play against the Ducks, a performance that held one of the nation’s most potent offenses scoreless through three quarters. Shaw also noted that his cornerbacks, who played exceptionally well against Oregon, have continued to remain under the radar.
“The guys that nobody talks about are our corners,” Shaw said. “[Oregon] wanted to take a couple of shots, but our guys didn’t let that happen and made them hold the ball.”
Shaw also revealed that he shared several messages of motivation with his team prior to the game, including a note from Tiger Woods ‘98, who was competing overseas in Turkey at the time.
“Everything with Tiger is about mentality and approaching something that’s difficult [by] coming right at it as opposed to creeping up on it,” Shaw said. “I think that’s a great mentality to have, and I shared that with our guys.”
On the injury front, Shaw reported that senior kicker Jordan Williamson is continuing to recover from his leg injury and will kick field goals but likely not kickoffs against Southern Cal. Shaw also noted that senior running back Tyler Gaffney needed 48 hours to recuperate from the bruising he took after carrying the ball a school-record 45 times against Oregon.
Regarding Gaffney, fifth-year senior offensive guard Kevin Danser stated that the entire offensive line maintains a good relationship with the workhorse running back.
“One day [in training camp] he brought us Krispy Kreme [doughnuts],” Danser said. “I’ve been trying to get him to take us out to dinner, and I’m sure he will. If he wants to keep bringing us Krispy Kremes though, we’ll gladly accept.”
If Danser and the Stanford offensive line can continue to open holes for Gaffney against the strong USC rush defense that is ranked second in the Pac-12, perhaps that dinner will come sooner rather than later.
Contact Vihan Lakshman at vihan ‘at’ stanford.edu.