Four keys for Stanford to beat Vanderbilt, keep momentum after USC win
Six straight games away from home have helped Stanford embrace its role as a villain.
“When we go into a hostile environment, that’s kind of what we want our identity to be,” linebacker Ricky Miezan said. “This past weekend especially, something that we said going into the locker room when we were up was ‘Bury them.’”
Stanford beat USC 42-28 last Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, its sixth straight game away from home dating back to last season. The Cardinal (1-1) is 5-1 during that time, including wins at Washington and UCLA in 2020.
A program-record seven-game stretch away from home will conclude Saturday at Vanderbilt (5 p.m., ESPNU).
“We know how to handle travel,” coach David Shaw said. “We know how to be able to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. This past weekend, our guys were able to remain focused, especially all the L.A. guys. I’m anticipating another workman-like trip where we don’t let the distraction get to us and go out there and try to play our best football.”
No other Power 5 team was away from home for the first two weeks of the season, let alone the first three. But in odd-numbered years, when the early-season game against USC is in Los Angeles, the schedule is always front-loaded with road games.
That’s OK with Shaw, since most Stanford students don’t arrive on campus and can’t attend games until mid-September (classes this year start on Monday). The Cardinal should reap the benefits later – four of its last five games are at Stanford Stadium.
Here are the biggest keys to keeping the road success going against Vandy (1-1):
MCKEE’S THE MAN
Tanner McKee finally won the starting QB job last week, then went out and proved it was the right decision. The sophomore from Southern California was 16-of-23 for 234 yards and two touchdowns, added another TD on the ground, and didn’t turn the ball over or take a sack. Now that he’s the unquestioned starter, what can McKee do for an encore?
RUN GAME
It’s been one hit and a bunch of misses for the Stanford rushing offense so far. The hit was a home run – Nathaniel Peat’s 87-yard TD against USC was the fifth-longest rush in program history. But otherwise, the Cardinal has 51 carries for 140 yards. This would be a good time for the running game to gain consistency heading into its next three games, all against Top 20 teams.
FACING THE UNKNOWN
Both teams will be facing an unfamiliar foe Saturday. This will be Stanford’s first-ever true road game against an SEC opponent, and its first time playing an SEC team since the 1978 Bluebonnet Bowl against Georgia. Meanwhile, Stanford is the second-ever Pac-12 opponent for Vanderbilt. The Commodores lost to UCLA in 1961.
This will be the first of four games between the two teams over the next seven years. Stanford has recently played series against other prestigious private universities Northwestern (2015 and 2019), Duke (2011-12), and Wake Forest (2009-10), which is a theme Shaw said he is interested in restarting.
ROLE REVERSAL
After being the big underdog last week in Los Angeles, Stanford now plays the role of a nearly two-touchdown favorite.
The Commodores are coached by Clark Lea, who spent the previous three seasons as defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. Vanderbilt’s win over Colorado State last week was its first victory in two seasons and its offense has the fewest yards per game in the SEC. Its previous home game was 23-3 loss to East Tennessee State, an FCS school.
But Shaw said his team won’t take Vanderbilt lightly after the Cardinal’s emotional win over USC.
“There are no trophies handed out for being 1-1,” Shaw said. “They’re going to fight and scrap like they always do, so we have to come down there with the (same) mentality.”