With kickoff only a few hours away, I've got time to slide in my defensive predictions just before they become irrelevant. As fun as it is to watch the offense, it's the players on the defensive side of the ball that have me the most excited about the present and future of this team. Even though the last two seasons have seen the best offense in the history of the program, we've seen good offense from Stanford before. This will be my twenty-fifth season watching Stanford football, and I haven't seen a Cardinal team play defense like this group did last year. Better than that, the future is bright.
1. Four Cardinal defenders will be first-team All-Pac-12.
Four? Yes, four. Their names are Delano Howell, Shayne Skov, Chase Thomas, and Michael Thomas. We've known all about Skov since he began impacting games as a freshman in 2009, but it was his breakout performance in January's Orange Bowl that announced his presence on a national level. It's tempting to predict that he'll be the conference Defensive Player of the Year, but unless Arizona State's Vontaze Burfict thinks his way into a suspension, that award is already his. Skov, nonetheless, will be dominant. Co-captain Michael Thomas and the hard-hitting Howell form the top safety tandem in the conference, and Chase Thomas might actually get some darkhorse consideration for Defensive Player of the Year.
2. Chase Thomas will lead the Pac-12 in sacks.
Thomas is a perfect fit in his role as the pass-rushing outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme. He's plenty good enough to drop back into coverage, but he's probably at his best when he's rushing the quarterback. Thomas tied with Skov for the team lead last season with 7.5 sacks, which was also good enough for third overall in the conference, but I think we'll see that number jump into double digits.
3. Wayne Lyons and James Vaughters will make impacts.
Here's what I wrote about Lyons last February:
In my mind, Wayne Lyons is the most important recruit in this class, and not just because of the talent he brings to the table. Lyons is one of the top safety prospects in the country, and he will likely make an impact on the field even as a true freshman, but that's not what makes him so important.
Lyons's commitment, coming as it did a few days after Jim Harbaugh resigned but before David Shaw was hired, sent a message that Stanford football would be fine after the Harbaugh Era. He's listed as a backup cornerback this week, so I'm guessing we'll a lot of him this year in passing situations. Can't wait.
As for Vaughters, the linebacker could be on the same type of learning curve that Shayne Skov experienced when he was a freshman. Skov began making his presence felt during the Notre Dame game midway through the season and seemed to improve each week. Vaughters will certainly have more talent to fight through, but with him it isn't a question of if, but when. When should be soon.
4. The defense will allow fewer than twenty points a game.
Most analysts mention Harbaugh's departure when they knock the Cardinal, but the more astute experts point to the loss of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio as being even more critical. Will the defense take a step back under new co-coordinators Derek Mason and Jason Tarver? I don't think so. Talent usually wins out in football, and this year's Stanford defense is deeper and more talented than last year's.
[Photo Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images North America]
