Cardinal freshman guard Nate Herbig was named to ESPN.com’s True Freshman All-America Team earlier this week after becoming the first true freshman offensive lineman to start in Palo Alto since 2012. Herbig’s presence pushed Stanford through its final five games without a loss (5-0).
Let’s talk straight for a minute: Stanford’s running game took a lot of hard hits in early and middle parts of the season. Lack of cohesion between a new mix of guys on the offensive line and an ill-timed injury to Christian McCaffrey put the Cardinal hopes of a bowl berth seriously in doubt.