Toby Gerhart may have been the figurehead of the 2009 Stanford football team, but the most important piece to the Cardinal puzzle this season just might have been filled by his backfield counterpart, redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck.

Just a quick look at the numbers suggests this. Gerhart had a spectacular season in 2008, breaking Stanford’s single-season rushing record with 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns. Yet the Cardinal still went 5-7 and was never truly a force on the offensive side of the ball.

Gerhart’s numbers jumped dramatically this season, nearly doubling to an astronomical 1,871 yards and 27 touchdowns. But throughout all of it, Gerhart was essentially the same player doing what he’s always done. Running back is a position where success is largely based on size and speed, not experience. Even further, it’s a position where success is predicated on what is going on with the rest of the football team. If a team falls behind consistently, it will be forced to play catch-up and won’t run the ball much. If the offensive line experiences trouble, then the running back probably won’t be making an appearance at the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan come early December. And so on and so forth.

The difference in Gerhart’s numbers this season is explained by the fact that his team was simply better this season. It possessed the ball longer (leading to more carry attempts) and was in position to score more often (leading to more touchdowns).

Luck’s play at quarterback had a lot to do with that and this was evidenced by his absence in the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Senior quarterback Tavita Pritchard, who will be forever enshrined in Stanford football lore after leading the Cardinal to a 24-23 victory over No. 2 USC two years ago, just couldn’t match up against the Sooner defense. Although Gerhart tallied 135 yards and two touchdowns, it was an uphill battle for him all game, as the Sooners were able to put nine defenders in the box without having to pay for it.

“I thought our football team played as well as it possibly could,” said Coach Jim Harbaugh after the game.

With Luck out of the lineup, Stanford’s best wasn’t good enough.

In any case, the point of this article isn’t to harp on Pritchard for his performance or to downplay the numbers of Gerhart, who easily had the best season for a running back in Stanford football history — and probably should have won the Heisman Trophy. The point is to highlight the significance of Luck, a player who will be the team’s starting quarterback for what should be at least another two years.

Many Cardinal fans may be inclined to think Coach Harbaugh’s program has reached its apex, with Gerhart likely forgoing a possible fifth year of eligibility to take his shot at the NFL. But that just isn’t the case as long as Luck is at the helm. Gerhart’s numbers will be nearly impossible to replace, but freshman running backs Stepfan Taylor and Tyler Gaffney will relish the opportunity for more playing time in his absence and fill the vacancy to the best of their abilities. Taylor has already shown himself to be a shifty back with adequate power and speed.

That said, the Stanford program is in Luck’s hands, even though the humble quarterback would deny such a designation without second thought.

“There have been some really good quarterbacks at Stanford since John Elway,” ESPN broadcaster David Norrie told the San Jose Mercury News back in November. “But this is the first Stanford quarterback since Elway where you go, ‘Wow.’”

Harbaugh, known for his hyperbolic statements and his lofty ambitions, even called Luck “the country’s best quarterback.” The rising redshirt sophomore might not be that at this particular moment in time, but he has a great chance to put his naturally memorable name in the same conversation as the likes of Elway and Plunkett.