Stanford 2005 Season | Team Page	Select Conference ACC Big East Big Ten Big 12 Conference USA Independents MAC Mountain West Pac-10 SEC Sun Belt WAC Select Team

Special Athlon offer for SI.com readers

The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Walt Harris (2nd season, 5-6) 2005 record: 5-6 Pac-10 finish: 4-4 (t-4th) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 110th (92.3 ypg) Passing: 56th (223.9 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 70th (156.0 ypg) Passing: 110th (285.9 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 at Oregon Sept. 9 at San Jose State Sept. 16 Navy Sept. 23 Washington State Sept. 30 at UCLA Oct. 7 at Notre Dame Oct. 14 Arizona Oct. 21 at Arizona State Nov. 4 USC Nov. 11 at Washington Nov. 18 Oregon State Dec. 2 at California Depth Chart: Offense 10 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. SE 8 Evan Moore Sr. 88 Michael Miller Jr. FL 4 Mark Bradford Sr. 36 Kelton Lynn So. LT 67 Allen Smith So. 76 Ben Muth So. LG 59 Josiah Vinson Sr. 79 Ismail Simpson Sr. C 62 Tim Mattran Sr. 69 Preston Clover Jr. RG 60 Alex Fletcher So. 72 Mikal Brewer Jr. RT 70 Jeff Edwards Sr. 78 Jon Cochran Sr. TE 87 Matt Traverso Sr. 82 Patrick Danahy Sr. QB 5 Trent Edwards Sr. 13 T.C. Ostrander Jr. FB 39 Nick Frank Sr. 32 Emeka Nnoli Jr. RB 26 Anthony Kimble So. 33 Jason Evans Jr. Depth Chart: Defense 6 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 91 Pannel Egboh So. 95 Chris Horn Jr. DT 54 Ekom Udofia Fr. 74 James McGillicuddy Fr. DT 65 Gustav Rydstedt So. 93 Matt Kopa Fr. DE 90 Udeme Udofia Jr. 99 Will Powers Fr. OLB 48 Mike Silva Sr. 51 Fred Campbell Fr. MLB 55 Michael Okwo Sr. 28 Peter Griffin Jr. OLB 57 Clinton Snyder Fr. 97 Emmanuel Awofadeju Jr. CB 2 Nick Sanchez Jr. 40 Kris Evans Fr. CB 14 Tim Sims Jr. 17 Carlos McFall So. SS 23 Brandon Harrison Sr. 6 David Lofton Sr. FS 24 Trevor Hooper Sr. 38 Bo McNally Fr. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 39 Aaron Zagory Jr. P 27 Jay Ottovegio Jr. KR 30 Marcus McCutcheon Sr. PR 2 Nick Sanchez Jr.

To order your 2006 Athlon Sports annual and receive $1 off plus free shipping courtesy of SI.com, click here.

It's a race to see who can finish their construction project first. Is it the crews who are working 16-hour days to get the $90 million remodel of Stanford Stadium done in time for the season-opener against Navy on Sept. 16? Or is it Cardinal coach Walt Harris, who is working diligently to build a successful football program?

But impressing the crowds that will fill a sparkling new facility is only one of the reasons why Harris wants to turn around this program -- which hasn't had a winning season since 2001 -- so urgently. "I feel pressure for a lot of reasons," Harris says. "We want to do well. We are not going through the motions here. We are playing to win."

In his first season, Harris almost had Stanford to that standard. The Cardinal finished 5-6, missing bowl eligibility by the narrowest of margins. "We had some heartbreaking losses last year, but I think we played some quality teams at a level that people didn't expect," Harris says.

Expectations are still likely to be tempered for the Cardinal this year. Despite the wholesale return of Stanford's offense, the defense is undergoing a major overhaul.

Harris' expectations are not tempered at all. "We are going to find football players who can play in the Pac-10," Harris says. "There are a lot of areas where we can upgrade our play."

OFFENSE

The Cardinal return 10 starters from '05, but offensive line play will be the determining factor in Stanford's success. Fifth-year senior quarterback Trent Edwards is among the most gifted passers in the Pac-10, but he's taken a beating behind a lackluster line. Edwards' backup is junior T.C. Ostrander.

The Cardinal need a relevant running game. Stanford averaged only 92.3 yards per game in '05. Junior Jason Evans and sophomore Anthony Kimble battle for carries at tailback. Nick Frank returns at fullback.

Wide receivers Evan Moore and Mark Bradford are two of most important players on the roster. Moore missed nearly the entire '05 season after suffering a dislocated hip in the season opener. Bradford was Stanford's leading receiver a year ago.

Of the 14 players on the offensive line, seven have seen significant playing time in their careers. But only fifth-year senior center Tim Mattran has nailed down his starting spot.

There's depth at tight end, despite the spring suspension of senior Matt Traverso, who started 10 games and caught 19 passes last season. There's also senior Patrick Danahy and junior Michael Horgan, who combined for 16 receptions last season.

DEFENSE

The defensive line is going to be Stanford's main rebuilding project. Redshirt freshman Ekom Udofia, the highly touted prep star out of Scottsdale, is the front-runner to start at nose tackle. Gustav Rydstedt started eight games at the other tackle spot last season but will be pushed by junior Mike Macellari sophomore Alfred Johnson and redshirt freshman Matt Kopa. Pannel Egboh, held out of spring practice, will play defensive end, with junior Chris Horn in the wings.

At linebacker, there's serious talent inside with Michael Okwo and Mike Silva. Okwo missed a handful of games in '05 with an ankle injury. Silva started eight games in '05 and was fourth on the team in tackles.

With Udeme Udofia (Ekom's older brother) entrenched at the "Sam" outside linebacker spot -- moving to defensive end in a 4-3 look -- the other spot is up for grabs among junior Emmanuel Awofadeju, sophomore Austin Gunder, a converted tight end, and redshirt freshman Clinton Snyder. Also worth watching: redshirt freshman Will Powers.

Three of four starters are slated to return in the secondary. Strong safety Brandon Harrison was suspended for the spring, but is expected back. Trevor Hooper returns at free safety, and Nick Sanchez is back at corner. A host of inexperienced players are vying for the other corner spot.

SPECIALISTS

Junior punter Jay Ottovegio is back. But the Cardinal must replace four-year starter Michael Sgroi with someone who's never kicked in a college game. The candidates are Derek Belch and Aaron Zagory.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Last season, Stanford surprised with a fourth-place finish in the Pac-10. But the Cardinal also lost three heartbreakers to UC Davis, UCLA and Notre Dame, and any one of those wins would have put them into a bowl game.

Stanford needs to get its offense up and moving. The ingredients are there, but good health and good line play will be huge factors.

The defense has been the strength of this team of late, but it's time for new, young blood to emerge, and it could be a tough indoctrination, particularly with a season opener in Eugene looming.