We still have a long way to go.
Offense looked improved today. Kevin Lopina got his first ever passing TD, the run game was very effective in the first half, Glenn Johnson got to lead the crowd in many "and that's another..." chants, and we saw some big plays. The Cougs moved passed midfield on many of their drives, something that was a rare sight a season ago. The problem is, they just couldn't finish when they got there, with the first drive being the most glaring example.
The defense was looking overmatched for much of the first half. Stanford was running the ball at will. However, with the score sitting at 22-3 and the Cardinal starting inside the five, the Cougar defense played its most impressive series, shutting Stanford down. They played well after that, surrendering a late game stat-padding run to Toby Gerhart which stained an otherwise impressive second half performance.
Special teams is truly what turned this game into the blowout that the final score shows. A missed chip shot field goal and terrible kickoff coverage doomed the Cougs. This game is strangely similar to the Oklahoma State a year ago (right down to the score). So while the defense looked pretty solid today, remember they did so in that game as well.
More coverage to come.