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No. 5 Pac-12 Success

#5
Scott Olmos - USA Today Sports

The loss to the Huskies early last season was the only conference loss in two years for Stanford. The Pac-12 has some of the best teams in college football. The conference currently has five teams in the top 25, including two in the top five. Oregon is No. 2 and Stanford is No. 5. Getting big wins over conference teams could help them reach the No. 1 spot, and a win over Oregon on November 7 wouldn’t hurt either.

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No. 4 A More Mature Defense

#4
Steven Bisig - USA Today Sports

Their defense has greatly improved since it crumbled against the Huskies last year. They have virtually dominated opposing teams since and haven’t broken down late like they had a habit of doing last season. What’s the reason for this? Coach David Shaw thinks it’s because they are “older, wiser at different positions. The same guys are better than they were a year ago. Just older and a year wiser, hopefully”. Stanford could potentially have the best defense in the conference, as they had in the past, though this season they have allowed 343 yards and 19.5 points per game.

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No. 3 Running Attack

#3
Danny Wild - USA Today Sports

Senior running back Tyler Gaffney and Hogan are a good combination for the running game. Teams that have a diverse quarterback like Hogan have advantages over those that don’t have one. Stanford’s offense is more run-based anyway, though the pass has become more important recently. Gaffney has rushed the ball 72 times for 377 yards and five touchdowns so far this season. Hogan has 19 rushing attempts for 111 yards and no touchdowns.

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No. 2 Quarterback Kevin Hogan

#2
Steven Bisig - USA Today Sports

He has thrown an interception in each of the last three games for Stanford, but has an average of 63 percent in completion percentage, has thrown for no less than 150 yards in every game so far this season and has thrown for 10 touchdowns. Oh, and his quarterback rating has him ranked fifth nationally. Hogan is ranked 11th nationally in passing efficiency, which leads all Pac-12 quarterbacks. He is not afraid to run with the ball either. Hogan has 103 yards rushing and is the team’s third-leading rusher. Stanford coach Shaw said that Hogan’s mobility allows them to be a “much more diverse offense”.

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No. 1 Offense

#1
Robert Stanton - USA Today Sports

Yes, this could be considered one in the same with the previous slide. Hogan has been an important part of their offense, but it isn’t all about the pass, especially since the Stanford offense is considered to be more run-based than anything. However, they have started to put more emphasis on the wide receivers and their passing attack. Stanford is currently averaging more than 41 points per game. They must be doing something right.

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