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What are the things that really impressed you about Stanford's performance against Colorado?
Hank Waddles, Go Mighty Card: As usual, the defense was phenomenal. Again, the Colorado offense doesn't scare anyone, but any time you shutout a Pac-12 team (and yes, Colorado is still a Pac-12 team), it's an accomplishment. In fact, this was Colorado's first home shutout in more than twenty-five years, a streak which stretched back 150 games. Here are few bullet points that illustrate how thorough Stanford's defensive dominance was on Saturday afternoon:
- Colorado managed just 76 total yards, averaging 3.9 plays and 7 yards per possesion.
- Aside from two first downs awarded through penalties, the Stanford defense yielded only four true first downs. The Buffs went two hours and twenty-two minutes between first downs during one stretch.
- The #Partyinthebackfield boys racked up seven sacks and now average 4.2 sacks per game, which is second-best in the nation.
- All those sacks combined with a stifling run defense meant that the Cardinal held an opponent to negative yards rushing for the second straight week, and you might remember that Cal only totalled three yards three weeks ago. Stanford now as the #1 rushing defense in America. Bring on the Ducks!
Scott Allen, Rule of Tree: Hank sufficiently tooted the defense's horn after another incredible effort so I'll talk a little more about what impressed me about Stanford's #Partyintheendzone. It was good to see backup running back Anthony Wilkerson make the most of his season-high seven carries, even if one of them came on a Wildcat play that I wish David Shaw would retire. I thought the play-calling as a whole was solid. Senior receiver Jamal-Rashad Patterson, who had a 70-yard touchdown reception against Washington State, made a big third-down catch and ran 42 yards on a reverse against Colorado. As good as Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo are, Stanford needs other playmakers to step up on offense and J-RP has done that in the last two weeks.