Arizona vs. Stanford: Q & A with Tony Fernandes from Rule of Tree

We talked with Tony Fernandes about Stanford's recovery from the early season loss against Northwestern, how Stanford will handle Arizona's running game, and how he sees the game shaking out.

Every week, we talk to someone who covers Arizona's upcoming opponent to get the inside scoop on that team. This week, we talked with Rule of Tree's Tony Fernandes to get his take on this week's match-up between the Stanford Cardinal and the Arizona Wildcats.

1. The Stanford offense was shaky against Northwestern to start the year, but, since that time, has been extremely impressive. How has the offense managed to improve and fix the problems from that Northwestern game?

Tony Fernandes: In the words of Head Coach David Shaw, "sometimes things just click".  The Northwestern game might be the best thing to happen to this 2015 Cardinal team; it showed that they can’t just show up and beat anyone.  The biggest improvement for Stanford is the play of the Offensive Line.  The O-Line has shown massive improvement since week 1 and for any offense to have success; it all boils down to the play of the big guys up front.

2. Anu Solomon may very well be out for Arizona this weekend, which will put a huge spotlight on the running game, Nick Wilson, and Jerrard Randall. How do you think Stanford will be able to handle Arizona’s rushing attack?

Tony Fernandes: Coach Rodriguez teams always have a solid rush attack, and if the Cardinal are to have a chance, they will need to keep a linebacker keyed on Jerrard Randall at all times.  Stanford LB Blake Martinez has developed into a tackling machine for the Cardinal, and kept the tradition passed on from Shayne Skov and AJ Tarpley.  The Cardinal will have to keep the Wildcats "contained" from getting to the outside, and tackle at the immediate point of contact.

3. What Stanford players should Arizona fans keep an eye out for this weekend?

Tony Fernandes: Most folks would say watch for Christian McCaffrey; but I will give you two names that are going under the radar at this point:  Austin Hooper at Tight End, and Brennan Scarlett at Defensive Tackle.  Hooper is showing signs of becoming a breakout Tight End much like Zach Ertz and Coby Fleener.  Hooper has great hands, and his route running ability has grown substantially.  Brennan Scarlett played his first few years with the cross-town rival CAL Bears, and became a Graduate Transfer when his brother decided to come to the Farm this year.  Scarlett was thrust into a starting role early in the season, and has thrived along the defensive front.  Scarlett has great size and speed, and has a nose to make the big play along the defensive front at a moment’s notice.

4. What is your prediction for this game?

Tony Fernandes: My prediction for this game is that Arizona will look to rebound from the loss last week and take advantage of their speed; but with Scooby Wright out, and if Anu Solomon is unable to go, I think Arizona will be in for a tough night.  I see the Cardinal taking the win 34-17 on Saturday based on the fact that the Wildcats will have a tough time trying to contain the two-headed monster of Christian McCaffrey and Barry Sanders.  It will be a great game, and I look forward to seeing how it all plays out.

Thanks to Tony for answering our questions this week! You can follow him on Twitter @ToneFernSports and check out Rule of Tree for the Stanford perspective on the Arizona-Stanford game.

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