LOS ANGELES ? All Stanford assistant coach Pep Hamilton had to do this season was figure out a way to replace quarterback Andrew Luck, a two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.
As if Luck?s shadow wasn?t already big enough, Hamilton found out in the spring that he had a new title. He was no longer just the Cardinal?s offensive coordinator, he was the Andrew Luck Director of Offense, a label created thanks to an anonymous donor giving, according to a news release, a ?very generous gift.?
Little did Hamilton know when the season began that the player he began grooming last season as Luck?s eventual replacement would end up igniting a late-season surge that resulted in a Pac-12 title. Stanford (11-2) will face the University of Wisconsin (8-5) in Tuesday?s Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
They haven?t forgotten Luck in Palo Alto, but redshirt freshman Kevin Hogan has shown signs that he could be the Cardinal?s next great quarterback.
?He?s definitely been a sparkplug for this offense,? Cardinal sophomore left tackle David Yankey said.
Stanford?s players and coaches spent the first few months answering questions about life after Luck. Close losses to Washington and Notre Dame in the first half of the season didn?t help matters.
?The Ghost of Andrew Luck wasn?t going to win us any games, unfortunately,? Yankey said.
Then along came Hogan, who began the season as the third-string quarterback but is 4-0 since replacing Josh Nunes as the starter. Each of those victories have come over ranked opponents, including a 17-14 overtime decision at then-No. 1 Oregon on Nov. 17.
The 6-foot-4, 224-pound Hogan ? his body type is similar to the 6-4, 234-pound Luck, who has led the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs in his rookie season ? has completed 72.9 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
There is no doubt that the stars of the Stanford offense are still tailback Stepfan Taylor (1,442 yards, 14 touchdowns) and tight end Zach Ertz (66 receptions, 837 yards, six touchdowns), but Hogan has added a new dynamic because of his strong arm and ability to make plays with his feet.
?They did similar things,? Badgers junior linebacker Chris Borland said of Stanford?s offense now compared to before Hogan was inserted in the lineup. ?But from time to time he?d just make plays that they probably couldn?t have made previously.?
This isn?t the first dual-threat quarterback UW has faced this season. But unlike Nebraska?s Taylor Martinez and Ohio State?s Braxton Miller, Hogan is a pass-first, run-second quarterback.
?He?s definitely more of a passer, but I?ve seen him get the ball out when guys have him wrapped up,? UW junior defensive end David Gilbert said. ?He?s a big, strong kid. It?s going to be a challenge. We haven?t really played against a quarterback that has such a good combination of skills. Most guys who can throw don?t move that well. He?s got a good pocket presence and he?s a strong kid.?
Hogan had attempted one pass before Hamilton and Stanford coach David Shaw made the decision to replace Nunes after a slow start against Colorado. Hogan entered the game and led the Cardinal to six consecutive scoring drives.
So why didn?t Hogan have a bigger role earlier in the season? He?s the first to admit he wasn?t ready, primarily because he was having a difficult time grasping Stanford?s pro-style offense.
As it turned out, Hogan saved his best work for gamedays.
?I always knew he was a playmaker, but I didn?t know how well he?d adapt to the in-game checks,? Cardinal senior center Sam Schwartzstein said. ?He isn?t always perfect in practice, but come game time, he?s on point every single time.?
That sounds like Luck, who spent his final season at Stanford with Hogan watching his every move.
?His redshirt year,? Hamilton said, ?he had one job and that was to watch Andrew. ?Sit in the back of the room, be seen and not heard and emulate everything that Andrew Luck is doing, OK?? ?
To Hogan, the answer was a no-brainer.
?I?d just watch him,? Hogan said. ?I?d watch how he carried himself on the field as well as off the field. I?d watch his technique as well as his work ethic. He was a great manager of the game. He?s the ultimate leader of the offense. And just by watching him every day, and just by being in the room with him and around him really helped me.?
And, in time, helped the Cardinal even more.
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