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Fisher Anderson's Breakthrough Week Comes with a Miami-Sized Question Mark
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- Fisher Anderson's Breakthrough Week Comes with a Miami-Sized Question Mark
(Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)
Stanford 's first game of the season had the result that fans were after, but the rollercoaster nature of the game in the fourth quarter left some questions to be answered heading into the Cardinal's next game.
Going into the second game of the season, we now have a better idea of what to expect — and who will be playing — in Week 1 against No. 7 Miami. We also have new data from the players who participated in Stanford's 37-37 win over Hawai'i , and there were some encouraging signs.
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Fisher Anderson 's PFF data really stands out, because he was the best pass blocker (91.7 score) and best run blocker (75.4) on the team. His pass blocking score was also the best of any offensive lineman in the country in Week 0, while his run blocking ranked seventh.
Last year his run blocking score finished at 53.5, while his pass blocking was a touch better at 60.9. His performance on Saturday would signal quite a jump in performance, but it also comes with two caveats that we'll just need more games to get a sense of.
The first is that he graded out well against Hawaii in 2025 as well, finishing with a 79.6 run blocking score and an 81.5 pass blocking score. Is this another case of grading out well against a certain defensive line, or a true step in the right direction?
The other big question is how much of a role his position change played. Stanford added center Aidan Kilstrom via the transfer portal over the offseason, but he is listed as out for Friday's game. Anderson took over at center when Kilstrom left Saturday's game, so he figures to be the starter back at his old spot again against Miami.
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The superb grades from Saturday don't separate by position, but he did accumulate 52 snaps at right tackle and 21 at center. Last season as a center against Miami, Anderson's worst game of the season came against the Hurricane defensive line, receiving a 48.1 run blocking score and a 30.7 pass blocking score.
Miami's D-line was ranked No. 6 in the country coming into this season and will be another one of the biggest tests that the Stanford offensive line will face this season.
The numbers from the first game are encouraging, but how he follows them up on Friday night will be telling.
