ESPN College Football

Mel Kiper's Big Board is out -- along with updated mock drafts from Kiper and Todd McShay.

First, taking at look at McShay's mock draft and Kiper's mock draft, they agree on the top three: Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck to the Indianapolis Colts, Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon to the St. Louis Rams and USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil to the Minnesota Vikings.

Both have praise for Luck:

McShay: It's never easy to say goodbye to a legend like Peyton Manning -- a Super Bowl winner and the face of the franchise since his first day in training camp -- but using the No. 1 overall pick on a once-in-a-generation prospect like Luck is an opportunity the Colts can't pass up. Luck's NFL-ready skill set and demeanor sets Indianapolis up for another decade-plus with one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Kiper: No change here, even with the change to the future of Peyton Manning. Luck was going to land with the Colts; it was only a matter of whether he'd be serving an apprenticeship. I'm interested to see if he gets a deal done well before the draft so he can dive into the playbook. You know the scouting report. Arm strength, talent, size, smarts, leadership, intangibles -- it's all there. Luck is currently working hard out in Palo Alto to further refine his talents.

And for Kalil:

McShay: The Vikings just missed out on being able to cash in with the second overall pick, but with Baylor QB Robert Griffin III likely to be the pick there, Minnesota is in a position to finally begin shoring up its offensive line with an elite prospect. Kalil is one of the top left tackles I have ever evaluated coming out of college, with a skill set equal to Joe Thomas and a mean streak to go with it.

Kiper: This is one I'm going to stick with. I've liked the pick since the first mock, and I don't see a reason to change. Minnesota needs an upgrade at left tackle, and Kalil is the rare one who could step into that position right away at the NFL level. There's a lot of talk about which quarterback will go where right now, but this pick is about keeping Christian Ponder upright for the Vikings. They won't know what they have unless they can block for him. And it's obvious this will help the running game, too.

But Pac-12 fans -- especially those of the Cardinal persuasion -- will notice one major difference between the two mocks. One has Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin listed. The other doesn't.

McShay has Martin going No. 13 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Kiper, however, doesn't have Martin in the first round. This is the first time we haven't seen Martin in the first-round projections. During the season, Martin was widely regarded as the No. 2 offensive tackle off the board behind Kalil. McShay has Martin as the third OT off the board. Kiper has three offensive tackles listed in the first round. In his ranking of the top five players by position, he has Martin listed as the fifth tackle.

The other Pac-12 discrepancy is with USC's Nick Perry. Kiper lists him as a first-round pick at linebacker. Perry, however, doesn't appear on McShay's board. Both include Stanford offensive guard David DeCastro and Stanford tight end Coby Fleener.

Looking at Kiper's Big Board, Martin no longer appears in his top 25, but Oregon running back LaMichael James makes his first appearance.

Sprinter's speed, and enough size to not be considered merely an occasional home run threat. James is explosive, has good hands and won't shy away from running between the tackles.

If 2011 was the season of learning for Stanford linebacker Jarek Lancaster, then the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State was graduation. And the first-year starter walked away with defensive valedictorian honors. In a game that wasn't exactly overflowing with defensive bright spots -- for either team for that matter -- Lancaster was one of the few defenders who stood out.

"He made a lot of plays," said head coach David Shaw. "He was physical. In a game where we missed some tackles on defense, he was as sure a tackler as there was in space. He made big-time stops at big times. It's how the season went for him. We ask him to do more and he steps up and does more."

And more is on the way, both in the production and expectation departments. The third-year sophomore admits that when he first stepped in to the starting inside linebacker spot following Shayne Skov's injury, there were plenty of jitters. But he also knew that in time, they would pass.

"When you first get thrust into a starting position, you want to think you'll get better and believe you have the potential to get to another level," Lancaster said. "When I first got in there, the game seemed really fast and I wasn't as comfortable as I am now. It's been real nice to see the game slow down in front of my eyes and be able to feel more confident when I'm in there."

And confidence wasn't a problem in the Fiesta Bowl, where he matched senior safety Delano Howell for the team high in tackles with seven.

"I felt like I played pretty well with the open-field tackles, because they are a speed team," Lancaster said. "They didn't really run the ball, which is something you want to do -- make them one-dimensional. They were the better team that night, but overall I thought I played pretty well."

So next season, there won't be any excuses. No first-year starter excuses to fall back on. Not that Lancaster did anyway. But the better he plays, the better he will be expected to play.

"His open-field tackling was outstanding," said co-defensive coordinator Jason Tarver. "They were big-time drive-stoppers for us. I was really excited about that. I was happy to see him do that. After a long season and starting on two special teams and playing almost every snap on defense, he worked through everything in his first year starting and his production per play was very good.

"I can't wait to see him progress. We were already talking about certain areas where he needs to grow right after the game and on the way home. He put a lot of good things on film. Jarek's a pretty amazing kid and he has a great ability to stay in the moment."

Despite leading the Cardinal with 70 tackles this season, Lancaster had just one sack on the year. That's something he said will be a major point of emphasis in the offseason.

"I need to get better at my pass rush," Lancaster said. "Maybe I can get some hands, too, so I can get a pick next season."

Is A.J. Tarpley, the other starting inside linebacker, giving him a hard time because he has a pick?

"Yeah, a little bit," Lancaster joked. "I need to fix that."

The rest of the blogs are recapping the best and worst of the conference bowl season. There's only one game to look at for Stanford. And even though most fans probably don't want to revisit the Fiesta Bowl, it's still worth busting out a bag of Tostitos and taking a look back at the highs and lows.

Best overall performance (offense): Stepfan Taylor certainly deserves a look for his 177 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. But Andrew Luck's swan song was just superb. Yes, he had the one interception. But outside of that, his performance was outstanding, 27-of-31 for 347 yards and two touchdowns. It was the big game we expected from him in a big game -- including 15-for-15 on Stanford's scoring drives and 4-for-4 on the final drive in regulation.

Best overall performance (defense): I thought linebacker Jarek Lancaster, who was already having a great season, took a huge step forward. His open-field tackling was clutch and he led the team with seven solo tackles.

Best unconfirmed report: Rumor has it a reporter tried to approach Jordan Williamson in the locker room after the game. Naturally, the kicker wasn't feeling chatty. Allegedly, a Stanford offensive lineman who will remain nameless made sure the kicker wouldn't be bothered. We all have jobs to do, but there are limits when dealing with college kids. Nice to see teammates stick up for each other.

Best moment for me: Talking with Cameron Fleming's mother, a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel stationed in the Mideast, about her efforts to make it back for the game. Very cool.

Funniest moment: Who didn't laugh when Jeremy Stewart laid out Ty Montgomery after he tried to take a kickoff from deep in the end zone?

Best postgame quote (it wasn't exactly a sitcom-writers' room after the game): Tight end Coby Fleener, who missed the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. "Well, I'm standing up, so I've got that going for me."

Worst feeling in the world: Knowing exactly what Justin Blackmon is going to do, then watching him do it eight times for 186 yards and three scores.

Worst time for the Wildcat to go wrong: Two plays, -4 yards.

Best forgotten performance: With all of the Luck/Taylor talk, easy to forget that Montgomery -- when he wasn't getting laid out by teammates -- caught seven balls for 120 yards and a score. Only he and Blackmon crossed the 100-yard receiving mark. And when your name is mentioned with a two-time Biletnikoff winner, you're in pretty good company.

Lots of chatter today about Stanford's schedule.

• Cal and Stanford athletic directors upset Big Game is going to be played in October.
• Moving the Big Game to October is a blow to tradition.
• Winning eight games in 2012 is likely for the Cardinal.
• Don't let your babies grow up to be kickers, writes Chris Dufresne.
• How many draft picks would Andrew Luck be worth?
• OSU coach Mike Gundy says he's never been a part of any game like the Fiesta Bowl.

Got a text from a former Stanford player, "My heart hurts."

You can understand why. The Cardinal physically dominated the No. 3 team in the country in the Fiesta Bowl, and many believed Oklahoma State should have been playing LSU for the national title.

Physically dominated? Stanford outgained the Cowboys 590 yards to 412. While 412 yards is a chunk of change, the Cowboys had been averaging 557, including 170 yards rushing per game. They had 13 yards rushing against the Cardinal, which piled up 243 yards on the ground.

Stanford lost the turnover battle 2-1. It lost the penalty battle, getting flagged six times for 35 yards against just once for five yards for the Cowboys (42 pass plays, no holding? Obviously, not a Pac-12 crew officiating).

But, most critically, it lost the field-goal battle. The Cowboys were 2-for-2 on field goals. Stanford was 1-for-4, including missing a 35-yarder that could have won the game in regulation and another miss in overtime that sealed the Cardinal's fate.

Let's quickly reiterate: Field goals are important, particularly at important times during important games. Ask Auburn about last year's national title game win against Oregon. Ask Oregon about its home loss to USC. Ask Alabama about its regular-season loss to LSU.

And no one gives a flip about being physically superior when the scoreboard thumbs its nose at you. Missing field goals is no different than missing blocks, tackles and tossing interceptions. It's part of the game, so bemoaning this defeat as being any different than another is ultimately a moot point for message boards. History measures it a loss, which, yes, seems like a lousy way for QB Andrew Luck and a great group of Cardinal players done with their eligibility -- or joining Luck early in the NFL draft -- to go out.

Still, 23-3 over the past two years, two BCS bowl games. You couldn't have sold the notion to any Stanford fan in the summer of 2010.

So as we consider end-of-game second-guessing, let's keep that in perspective.

But, yes, just like many other sportswriters who have never coached a down of football, I have entertained the thought Stanford coach David Shaw should have been more aggressive at the end when he had a first down on the Cowboys 25-yard line with 52 seconds left and three timeouts. In fact, there seemed to be a plurality of opinion among the sportswriters gathered around a small TV in the Rose Bowl press box that articulated that very thing before the fact. And I am on record with Big Ten blogger Brian Bennett and Michael Lev of the Orange County Register as twice remarking that Stanford's freshman kicker Jordan Williamson looked nervous, including just before the kick.

Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News says it very well here: "In my opinion, there was a better chance of Williamson missing from 35 yards than Luck throwing an interception in the red zone."

Still, when I type "more aggressive" what does that mean? Would you say that Oregon coach Chip Kelly was more or less aggressive in nearly the same situation against USC? Oregon had a first-and-10 on the Trojans 32 with 38 seconds left and two timeouts remaining, but Alejandro Maldonado missed from 37 yards as time expired to give USC its signature win of the season.

Here's what a coach is thinking at that moment:

• We can't turn the ball over.
• We don't want to give the ball back to Oklahoma State.
• We'd like to kick on third down so if we botch the snap, we can get a do-over on fourth down.
• We want to get as close as possible. Without turning the ball over.

There's also this: Based on how both teams moved the ball up and down the field, I'd have given Oklahoma State a 30 percent chance of tying the game in regulation if Stepfan Taylor scored a 25-yard TD on first down. Or if Luck threw a TD pass in the endzone. In the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin got all the way to Oregon's 25-yard line in 16 seconds, just missing getting a final shot for the tie.

What Shaw opted to do, ultimately, is go by the book and trust his kicker, who, by the way, was second-team All-Pac-12. And, if Luck had tossed an interception, or the Cardinal had fumbled on a third-down run, fans and media would be yammering, "What the heck was Shaw thinking?"

Kelly and Shaw are two of the more IQ-smart coaches you will meet. They didn't get dumb in these two instances. They rolled the dice and lost.

There's nothing wrong with second-guessing, by the way. It's part of the sports. Kelly and Shaw are paid well to roll the dice and win. Reporters are paid poorly to speculate after-the-fact when highly paid coaches roll snake eyes.

Yes, hearts are hurting on the Farm and in all the well-heeled places where Stanford alumni end up. Justifiably so.

Still: 23-3 over the past two years, two BCS bowl games. That's pretty darn special for the most elite academic university playing FBS football.

Bad news on the doorstep ... Fiesta Bowl fallout.

• Despite a fantastic game from Andrew Luck, it wasn't enough for Stanford to get the win.
• Jeremy Stewart had another big bowl performance for Stanford.
• Luck is off to the NFL after one last great performance.
• It was a tough night for Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson.
• Recapping the thrilling 41-38 overtime loss to Oklahoma State.
• David Shaw should have let Luck close out the game.
• Shaw's conservative approach cost Stanford the Fiesta Bowl.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jordan Williamson is going to wake up this morning, and it’s going to hurt. He’ll wake up Wednesday and Thursday and Friday morning, and it’s going to hurt. Then next week, it won’t hurt as much. And eventually the redshirt freshman kicker will get to the point where he can realize that while he didn’t win Tuesday night’s Fiesta Bowl, he certainly shouldn’t shoulder all of the blame for losing it.

Williamson had a rough night. Having only missed three field goals all season, he missed 3 of 4 attempts in a 41-38 overtime loss to Oklahoma State -- including a 35-yarder as time expired that would have given the Cardinal a victory. While Williamson did not address the media after the game, his teammates were quick to defend him.

“He’s made a million kicks for us in the past and kept us in games and won us games,” said tight end Coby Fleener. “We will never hang a guy out to dry, just like we don’t put one guy on this team on a pedestal. He’s still a hell of a kicker.”

Many of the defensive players say the blame is on them. Had they stopped Oklahoma State on fourth down on the previous drive, rather than allowing the Cowboys to convert a fourth-and-3 that went for 21 yards to Justin Blackmon, the field goal attempt wouldn’t even be an issue. Then there were Blackmon’s 186 receiving yards and three touchdowns. There were plenty of game-changing moments in the 59 minutes, 57 seconds of regulation that could have prevented it coming down to Williamson’s leg in the final three ticks.

“Put yourself in that situation and it’s tough,” said quarterback Andrew Luck. “It’s very tough. I know guys will rally around him. He’s got a very bright future ahead of him. I know the media tends to want a scapegoat or a hero. But that’s just not the case in any football game.”

Williamson was 12-of-15 heading into the contest and was 6-of-7 on field goals between 30 and 39 yards this year. In addition to the kick at the end of regulation, he missed a 41-yard attempt on Stanford’s opening drive and a 43-yard attempt in Stanford’s only overtime possession.

“We trust him,” said linebacker A.J. Tarpley. “We’d put him out there if there was a game tomorrow. Sometimes they don’t go in and sometimes they do. We had a lot of chances to win this game so it’s definitely not his fault.”

In Stanford’s locker room after the game, the scene was very un-fiesta-like. Teammates would stop by Williamson’s locker as a show of support.

“We love him, man,” said defensive end Ben Gardner. “That doesn’t change. He’s been solid as a rock all year. We had no doubt he would make the kick. But shoot, it’s football. Things happen. We all had bad plays tonight. It shouldn’t have come down to just that.”

This one is going to sting for a long, long time. There is no 24-hour rule here, no chance to put this one behind you and focus on the next opponent. All there is is time to think, stew, marinate in a myriad of how-did-it-all-go-wrongs.

There are two ways the Stanford Cardinal can move on from a 41-38 overtime loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. They can slide back into Pac-12 mediocrity now that quarterback Andrew Luck and an amazing cast of seniors are leaving. Or they can learn from this loss and come back with a chip on their Luck-less, shoulder.

“We’re going to be back,” said a choked up defensive end Ben Gardner. “We’re going to be just fine. We’re going to be back next year with a vengeance and we’re going to be a strong program for years to come.”

That’s what the big boys do -- the established programs that season after season are in the top-10 conversation. They learn to take the sweet with the sour. And this group hasn’t had to swallow much sour over the past few years. A loss like this can numb the taste buds or accelerate the desire to get back to the sweet.

“If you dwell on the loss, you never get better,” said nose tackle Terrence Stephens. “If you keep dwelling on what went wrong, you’ll never be able to focus on what to do right.”

There will be questions. In the immediate future, most of them will swirl around a redshirt freshman kicker. Jordan Williamson missed three field goals, including a 35-yarder as time expired that would have given the Cardinal their second straight BCS bowl victory. He also missed a 41-yard field goal on Stanford’s opening possession and a 43-yard kick in overtime. Williamson did not address the media after the game.

There will be questions that head coach David Shaw played it too conservative on the final drive in regulation that set up Williamson’s miss – a straight shot up the middle that hooked left. Maybe. It’s worth noting, however, that Williamson was 6-of-7 this season on kicks between 30 and 39 yards.

But bigger questions loom after the missed-kicks fallout settles. Like finding Luck’s replacement; like filling holes on the offensive line for the NFL-bound Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro; like replacing veteran safeties Michael Thomas and Delano Howell; whether outside linebacker Chase Thomas leaves school or returns for another season.

Whatever the answers, Stephens believes the Cardinal will be just fine.

“That’s the best part of our program,” Stephens said. “We hold the word resilient very high. You have to be resilient in everything you do. You come back and you fight and you get better. That’s been the attitude since I got here and it will be the attitude far after I leave. I think that’s something the players instill in the other players.”

There’s no doubt that the departing players leave the program in much better shape than when they came in -- several of whom committed following (even during) Stanford’s 1-11 season.

Luck thinks the future of the program is in good hands.

“I think just keep getting better, put your head down and keep working,” he said. “A lot has been written about the seniors and the senior class and regardless of which guys stay and which guys leave, there are really good football players here. Obviously, you want to improve every year. But I think a very solid foundation has been laid with coach Shaw at the helm. I see a very bright future for the program.”

Still, it’s tough to see that through the haze of missed field goals, missed opportunities, missed tackles and Justin Blackmon's jet wash. The Oklahoma State wide receiver torched the Cardinal for 186 yards and three touchdowns on eight catches.

“He took advantage of our mistakes and that’s something that any good player will do,” said Michael Thomas. “You can’t afford to make mistakes against that guy. One missed tackle and he takes it to the house. Missed communication in coverage and you leave the best player on the team wide open. Just guys not taking advantage of the opportunities they had, but give credit to him. He made the plays and he exposed us when we made mistakes.”

Lost in the mix will be an amazing performance by Luck -- who was 27-of-31 for 347 yards, two touchdowns and an interception -- and a fantastic performance by the rushing attack. Stepfan Taylor pounded out 186 yards on 35 carries and two touchdowns.

“There’s an old saying that adversity reveals character,” Shaw said. “… Two real good teams come down to a few plays, not just that one (the field goal at the end of regulation) but a few plays that we could have all done something a little bit better.

“I have a lot of confidence in the guys we have in our locker room as individuals, but also what we’re capable of together; get through this together and coming back, fighting back strong and hard.”

Shaw and his players are saying all of the right things. Now the ball is in their court for the next seven months to back it up.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Some first-half thoughts from the Fiesta Bowl.

Turning point: On fourth-and-4 at the Stanford 32, Brandon Weeden hit Justin Blackmon for 23 yards with less than a minute in the half, setting up first-and-goal. On third-and-goal at the 2, Weeden took it in himself to knot the score at 21-21. It was Weeden's first career rushing touchdown.

Stat of the half: After only 13 three-and-out drives all season, the Cardinal already have two in the first half.

Best player for Stanford: Linebacker Jarek Lancaster is having a fantastic game. He’s made several open-field tackles -- including two on critical third downs -- and been in on several others.

Best player for Oklahoma State: Blackmon became the first wide receiver to gain more than 100 yards on the Cardinal this season. Through the first 30 minutes, he has four catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

Best tackle of a teammate: Jeremy Stewart taking down Ty Montgomery on a kickoff that Montgomery thought about taking 5 yards deep out of the end zone. As Montgomery approached the line, Stewart brought him down. The form was questionable and it might have been helmet-to-helmet, but no flag was thrown.

Best fan-made sign in the stands: “Superman wears Andrew Luck socks.”

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- That's a little more like it. Both teams put together scoring drives that match their personalities.

The Cardinal went 87 yards on seven plays, using 4 minutes, 30 seconds of clock to cap the drive with a 24-yard touchdown run by Jeremy Stewart.

Oklahoma State answered with a four-play, 84-yard drive that took up just 1:11, ending with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Justin Blackmon.

The pair teamed up again on a 67-yard touchdown pass to tie the score.

Blackmon already has 110 receiving yards -- marking the first time this season the Cardinal has allowed a receiver to gain more than 100 yards.

About six minutes left in the quarter and OSU has regained the momentum after falling behind by two scores.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A little different start than the Rose Bowl.

The lone touchdown was a 53-yard, play-action touchdown pass from Andrew Luck to Ty Montgomery.

Outside of that, we haven't seen too many offensive highlights (though Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor already has 61 yards on six carries).

This was the first time all season OSU had been held scoreless in the first quarter.

However, we've had plenty of defensive highlights from both teams.

Among the top defensive plays of the quarter:

• Terrence Brown picking off Brandon Weeden on his first pass attempt of the game. Justin Gilbert also grabbed his fifth interception of the year off of Luck at the end of the quarter. Though neither team could turn the interceptions into points.
• OSU's Richetti Jones sacking Luck on a crucial third down (just the 10th sack the Cardinal have allowed this season).
• Stanford linebacker Jarek Lancaster making an outstanding open-field tackle on Isaiah Anderson -- also on third down.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A couple of more observations from the sideline as we get ready to kickoff.

First, wide receiver Chris Owusu is dressed in full pads and went through the full warm up session -- but more than likely it's just so he can be part of the team experience -- similar to what happened against Notre Dame in the regular season finale. Owusu did not run any plays with either the first- or second-team offenses.

If there is a change to his status, I'll let you know.

Next, 100-yard American flags are very cool. Bald eagles trained to fly over them during the national anthem are even cooler. Might be better than the jet flyovers.

Enjoy the game. Going to be a good one.

We're hours away. Grab your Tostitos and prepare for the Fiesta.

• Andrew Luck and the Cardinal are ready for what should be a classic game against Oklahoma State.
• The Luck-Brandon Weeden sidebar offers a rare matchup of marquee quarterbacks.
• Stanford's tight ends could be the difference-makers today.
• Stanford defenses braces for Oklahoma State's explosive offense.
• Stanford's transition from Jim Harbaugh to David Shaw has been smooth.
• Shaw kept it mellow on New Year's Eve.
• Oklahoma State writers go 4-0 in picking OSU over the Cardinal.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It’s here, finally.

No, not the Fiesta Bowl. The end. The completion of the most nationally scrutinized season in Stanford football history. It started the day quarterback Andrew Luck announced he was putting off the NFL for one more season and returning to Stanford. And it hasn’t let up.

Stanford University isn’t a stranger to the media. With an alumni list that reads like a who’s who of American politics, industry, science and technology, those with Stanford ties make headlines daily.

But the football team? The group that was 1-11 a few years ago? Really?

Really.

And Luck’s return was just the start. Then came Jim Harbaugh’s departure for the NFL … then a coaching search … then David Shaw is hired … then the Heisman talk … then a preseason top-10 ranking … then the nation’s longest winning streak … then Heisman talk … then draft talk about Jonathan Martin, David DeCastro and Coby Fleener … then the BCS chatter … then Heisman talk … then the Oregon game … then the fallout from the Oregon game … then the Heisman talk … then non-BCS chatter … then BCS chatter again … then Heisman talk … then the post-Heisman talk … and now another BCS game.

You get the idea. Stanford’s media-hyped season revolved around Luck, and his presence brought scrutiny to everything and everything that had a block ‘S’ on it. You take a team that has never had this much national exposure and put a spotlight as hot as an Arizona summer day on them, surely they’ll wilt.

Or not. The Cardinal lived up to the hype, as proof by their appearance in today’s Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State. And though Luck didn’t win the Heisman, it’s safe to say he lived up to his almost unachievable expectations (both external and internal). And now Stanford is in a second consecutive BCS bowl game with a No. 4 national ranking attached to it.

“They’ve handled it great. All of it.” said Shaw. “I started the year talking about Toby (Gerhart) and the way he was in the spotlight. All he talked about was his offensive line and his fullbacks. And watching Andrew handle his notoriety last year and this year, it was the same thing. When your best players are humble and they point the spotlight toward the other guys, No. 1, the other guys appreciate it and No. 2, the other guys don’t want to let them down.”

For as much talent as the Cardinal lost to graduation last season, they still boasted an abundance of maturity this year. And that core group of veteran leaders never let the players’ heads get too big for their helmets.

“I think as a group we handled it well,” said Fleener. “We’d like to have the Oregon game back. We’d like to replay that one a few times. But it’s something that guys like Andrew and David [DeCastro] and Moose [Jonathan Martin] have handled really well. We all know it’s out there. But they are intelligent and they deflect the attention. Andrew does an amazing job of that and he gives teammates credit they may or may not deserve.”

It even got to the point where players would playfully joke with Luck about his increased media attention. On more than one occasion they would laugh in the postgame news conferences at the slew of Luck-centric questions. After a few minutes, Luck would eventually give the obligatory “why don’t you ask one of these guys” responses.

“It’s not like anyone is scared of Andrew or Moose or David or anything like that. They are just normal guys and normal teammates,” said fullback Ryan Hewitt. “They just happen to be very successful technicians of their trade and they are the best at what they do. It’s exciting because as a teammate, you want to play alongside the best.”

Whenever Luck was asked about the NFL or the Heisman, he had his stock answer in the barrel.

“I’m just focused on Stanford. Thinking about anything else would be a disservice to this university.”

The players knew they had something good in the works when they went to the Sun Bowl two years ago, followed by the Orange Bowl and a blowout victory over Virginia Tech last year as an encore. As the hype grew, so did the expectations.

“I think in years past it was OK for Stanford to be very good at academics and mediocre at athletics, at least from a football realm,” Fleener said. “Coach Harbaugh, and now coach Shaw, have pushed us to the point where we are expecting to win every game, or know that we will prepare to win every game as opposed to prepare to give the other team a good game. That’s a huge change from four or five years ago when we would be the underdogs. Now it’s to the point where we have a bull's eye on our back.”

People east of Las Vegas call that big-time college football. Whether Stanford can sustain this momentum remains to be seen. Certainly, the hype fades when Luck goes. But that doesn’t mean the expectations do.

“There is a groundwork and a formula to do it,” said the NFL-bound DeCastro “... They have to challenge themselves each year to get better because everyone else is going to get better. That hardest part of success is being able to repeat it.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Here's three keys for Stanford heading into the Fiesta Bowl.

1. BALL SECURITY: Duh, right? It’s always a priority. But given the opponent and considering the acts of thievery the Cowboys have displayed on defense, it has to be priority No. 1 for Stanford and bears repeating again and again. Ball security, ball security, ball security. Running back Stepfan Taylor has just two fumbles this year and five of Andrew Luck’s nine interceptions have been – well – let’s just say fluky. The Cardinal’s methodical style of play typically doesn’t lend itself to turnovers and mistakes, but that doesn’t mean they can relax around a Cowboys’ squad that has 42 takeaways this season.

More on the Fiesta Bowl

For full coverage of the Stanford-Oklahoma State matchup in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, check out the Fiesta Bowl home.
More:
• Fiesta Bowl blog coverage
• Stanford blog | Big 12 blog


2. ORDER UP THE USUAL: By this point in the year, the Cardinal are who they are. They give up plays in the secondary, but rarely points. They stuff the run and create tremendous pressure. No use trying to install new coverages or suddenly trying to be a lockdown press team. Stanford is already conceding the fact that it is going to give up yards in the passing game. What happens after the initial catch, however, is key. If the Cardinal can wrap up and limit the yards after catch and after contact, they’ll be fine. They run an NFL style 3-4 defense up front that is designed to confuse the defense, yet the calls are simple enough that Stanford can disguise its pressure without confusing themselves. It’s worked 11 out of 12 times this year. No need to change now.
3. TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS: There were some questions about how Luck would respond last year in the Orange Bowl after finishing second in the Heisman voting. How’d that work out, Virginia Tech? If anyone is expecting a letdown after another runner-up finish, they’ll be sorely mistaken. The Cardinal have ridden Luck’s confidence all season and Stanford has been very matter-of-fact and businesslike all week. Some players have even talked about being a little chippy that all of the talk is how Oklahoma State got hosed out of the national championship game, but the Cardinal weren’t even in the conversation (their words, not mine). Still, they appear to have a focused swagger that was lacking in the final weeks of the season. There is no reason to believe they won’t back it up on the field.