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Wednesday, January 7, 2015

All-Harbaugh Team: Stanford offense, kickers

Andrew Luck was Harbaugh's headliner at Stanford
Jim Harbaugh was the head coach at Stanford from 2007-2010, and that stint culminated with a 12-1 season. He produced several top-notch football players during that time, several of whom arrived when Stanford was still struggling as a program pre-Harbaugh. Here is a look at the best seasons from each position during those four years, regardless of whether Harbaugh or his predecessor recruited them.

QB: Andrew Luck, 2010
Luck - who would eventually be the #1 draft pick - completed 70.7% of his passes for 3,332 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, and he was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. He also ran 55 times for 453 yards (8.2 yards/carry) and 3 touchdowns.

Hit the jump for the rest of the offensive players, a punter, and a placekicker.


RB: Toby Gerhart, 2009
Workhorse running back Gerhart won the Doak Walker Award for his performance. He carried the ball 343 times for 1,871 yards and 28 touchdowns, plus he had 11 catches for 157 yards and an 18-yard touchdown pass to boot. He was a 2nd round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2010.

FB: Owen Marecic, 2010
You might remember that Marecic wasn't just a fullback - he doubled as an inside linebacker for the Cardinal. I remember watching the game against Notre Dame in which he scored a rushing touchdown, and 13 seconds later, he returned an interception for a touchdown. He ran 23 times for 46 yards and 5 touchdowns, and he caught 9 passes for 75 yards. On defense he made 51 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions (returned for 39 yards and 1 touchdown), 5 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles. He was named First Team All-Pac 10 as a running back, Honorable Mention All-Pac 10 on defense, and Paul Hornung Award winner for being the best all-around football player in college football.

WR: Ryan Whalen, 2009
When Luck was a redshirt freshman, Whalen caught 57 passes for 926 yards (16.3 yards/catch) and 4 touchdowns. He was a 6th round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011, but he hasn't made an impact in the NFL.

WR: Doug Baldwin, 2010
Baldwin caught 58 passes for 857 yards and 9 touchdowns during Luck's penultimate college season. He went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, but he latched onto the Seattle Seahawks and has been a valuable receiver with 1,932 yards and 12 touchdowns in his three professional years.

TE: Coby Fleener, 2010
Fleener - along with Konrad Reuland and Zach Ertz - was part of a dangerous group of tight ends in 2010. Fleener led the pack with 28 catches for 434 yards and 7 touchdowns. He became a 2nd round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, where he has reunited with Luck. He has 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns in three seasons.

OT: Chris Marinelli, 2009
Marinelli moved from right tackle to left tackle prior to the 2009 season, and he helped pave the way for Stanford's school record-setting season in rushing. Marinelli was a First Team All-Pac 10 choice but went undrafted and was out of the NFL by 2011.

OG: David DeCastro, 2010
As a redshirt sophomore that year, DeCastro started all thirteen games and was named First Team All-Pac 10. He would go on to become a unanimous All-American in 2011 and a 1st round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012.

C:
 Chase Beeler, 2010
Beeler was a consensus All-American in 2010 but lost out in the race for the Rimington Trophy.

OG: Alex Fletcher, 2007
Fletcher was Second Team All-Pac 10 as a guard in 2007, and then he was Second Team All-Pac 10 as a center in 2008. I'll use his 2007 season, since I need a guard to fill out the list and Beeler is the obvious choice for center on this team.

OT: Jonathan Martin, 2010
Martin was a redshirt sophomore in 2010 and was the starter at left tackle, earning First Team All-Pac 10 honors. He would go on to become a 2nd round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2012, but he is probably best known for the bullying controversy involving pro teammate Richie Incognito.

P: Jay Ottovegio, 2007
Ottovegio averaged 41.2 yards/punt and was named Second Team All-Pac 10.

K: Nate Whitaker, 2010
Whitaker was the First Team All-Pac 10 kicker when he made 17/19 field goals (89.5%) and 61/66 extra points. The latter is actually not very good, but hey, he was best in the conference, I guess.

2 comments:

  1. As a Browns fan, I was very excited when they drafted Owen Marecic. Then he would eventually become the worst player that I've ever seen wear the uniform. I couldn't believe it. You'll notice in 2012 that he has no offensive stats, that's because he dropped every single pass that was thrown to him. That is not a joke.

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    Replies
    1. LMAO. Owen Marecic does look like an absolute total flop in the NFL. What happened to this guy?!

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