Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008

Harbaugh has Stanford feeling confident

Stanford opened fall camp with coach Jim Harbaugh talking about building a proverbial wall of strength.

"That wall has got to be high; that wall has got to be strong," he said. "When people come to attack you, they're looking for weakness."

The Cardinal ended camp last week with similar enthusiasm, even as the team's health became a bit of an issue.

"We've come a long way," quarterback Tavita Pritchard said. "One of our coaches came up before camp started and said, 'All the work we've done in the summer, you've just prepared yourself to do well this season.' We had to come out and have a good camp to be able to do well this season."

The Cardinal can start reaping the rewards of its off-season preparation when the season opens Thursday against Oregon State at Stanford Stadium. If excitement were all it took to win, the Cardinal just might reach a bowl game for the first time since 2001.

Harbaugh, known to take a handoff in practice and race off tackle, said at the Bay Area College Football Day he can't tone down his hyper ways.

"I was like this since I was a little boy," he said. "They said I had ADD when I was a kid and tried to put me on Ritalin.

"My mom wouldn't let them."

Harbaugh was Stanford's first-year coach in 2007, long removed from his NFL playing days but still every bit the competitor. He promised improvement at the Farm and delivered. Stanford went from a one-win wreck in 2006 to 4-8 with two outcomes still resonating: the 24-23 stunner at No. 2 USC and the season-ending 20-13 triumph over Cal in the Big Game.

"Those were building-block wins for us," Harbaugh said. "It showed what we could do, but there's a lot more work to be done."

Harbaugh this summer handed out collared blue shirts to his players (think of a 1950s mechanic), the garb representing a show of grit. Harbaugh said it will take a pack of "mighty men" to compete in the Pac-10 this fall.

The Cardinal returns 16 starters, making for one of the most experienced rosters in the conference. And on Monday, Harbaugh officially named Pritchard his starting quarterback. Pritchard, who took over the starting role last year and led Stanford to the USC upset, won the job over Alex Loukas and Michigan transfer Jason Forcier.

"It was an open competition, and he practiced better," Harbaugh said. "He earned it in training camp."

Pritchard threw for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns in nine games last season. He also threw nine interceptions.

"We really want to show people what we're all about this year," junior defensive end Erik Lorig said. "I think everyone's thinking about that. This is definitely one of those top feelings I must say, above all else, that I've had here in terms of our team.

"I think it's the first time a lot of people are able to admit that everyone has the same bond coming out of camp."

The team might be on the same page, but keeping everyone healthy and on the field has been a problem.

It wasn't a good sign last week that running back Toby Gerhart (hamstring), receiver Richard Sherman (knee) and safety Bo McNally (hamstring) watched practice in shorts and T-shirts. Gerhart suffered a season-ending knee injury last season against San Jose State.

Harbaugh expects all three to play against Oregon State.

The news isn't so encouraging for Austin Yancy -- the team's other starting safety -- and freshman receiver Chris Owusu.

Yancy's hamstring injury is so bad he might not be back until October. Owusu tore the medial collateral ligament in his knee during a scrimmage last week and isn't expected back until October.