There was a time not long ago when a game between Stanford and Washington would have made Mel Kiper cream his pants. Months later, we’re finding out that the matchup is not as exciting as it initially was believed to be, and that there’s a new headliner. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has taken over the title of best quarterback in the Pac-10 while Jake Locker has fallen off in most people’s minds. Actually, one could easily make the argument that Matt Barkley and Darron Thomas have moved ahead of Locker in the conference’s hierarchy.
Stanford routed Washington 41-0 on Saturday in Seattle to improve to 7-1. It was Stanford’s second shutout of the year and Washington’s worst offensive output of the season (though they’ve scored fewer than 20 points three other times in the season). Sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck ran for a 51-yard score and threw for another, going 19-26 for 192 yards a touchdown, and an interception. He also had 92 yards on the ground, proving he’s an extremely capable running quarterback.
Washington on the other hand managed just 107 yards and seven first downs the entire game. They only had 54 yards through the first three quarters and they pulled Locker late in the game for backup Keith Price. Locker was pressured the entire game and went just 7-14 for 64 yards and two interceptions. He also amassed just one rushing yard on eight carries, getting sacked three times. Though Locker has put up some really nice games (see his four touchdown performance against Syracuse and his five TD performance against Oregon State), the loss was reminiscent of Jake’s stinker against Nebraska. Locker was just 4-20 for a touchdown and two interceptions against the Huskers in a September loss.
Locker’s a talented player and the quality of his teammates and coaching staff is not as good as Stanford’s (or many other teams in the conference). Still, Locker has been inconsistent and looked extremely ordinary in many games this year, especially for a player thought to be a potential number one pick.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
