Welcome to part two of my three part “Five things to look for in Stanford fall camp” series. After taking a look at the offense, it is time to look at the defense. Let’s get after it!
READ: Five things to look for in Stanford fall camp: Offense
#1. How much more comfortable do guys feel in Bobby April’s system? With it being year two of the Troy Taylor era, all the returning players have now had a full season under their belts in both the offensive and defensive systems. I’m looking forward to learning more about how much more comfortable guys feel on the defensive side in defensive coordinator Bobby April’s system. So far, guys I’ve interviewed seem to be feeling more settled in. It’ll be interesting to get more perspectives as camp goes on to learn more about how guys are feeling in year two of this system.
#2. What kind of impact do the transfers make? Stanford has three key transfers on defense in safety Jay Green (Washington), linebacker Jahsiah Galvan (Northern Iowa), and defensive lineman Clay Patterson (Yale). All three guys have a chance to make a real impact on the defense this season and this fall camp will give us a taste of what’s to come. Of that group, I think Patterson has the chance to make the biggest impact. Not because he’s necessarily better than the other two, but more because defensive line is such a position of need for the Cardinal.
#3. Can the defense force some turnovers? Something that appears to be of focus this fall camp period is forcing more turnovers. The safeties for example have been working on stripping the ball and recovering fumbles. It’s always interesting to see who wins the battles between offense and defense in fall camp. If you are the defense, forcing turnovers is among your top list of priorities and certainly the top way to score “points” during fall camp. I look forward to seeing how effective the defense is at forcing turnovers this fall camp and where those turnovers come from.
One room that I think should be looking to force a lot of turnovers is the secondary. With two good corners in Zahran Manley and Collin Wright, there should be a lot of opportunities for those guys to get some interceptions or maybe force quarterbacks to throw towards the middle, giving the safeties some opportunities. Putting pressure on the quarterback and blitzing is also going to be a key component to that, so guys like David Bailey and Teva Tafiti at outside linebacker are going to have to do their part as well. Heck, safety Scotty Edwards has thrived as a blitzer, getting a sack last season though I should stress, sacks on the quarterback are not allowed in camp. For obvious reasons.
#4. Can the defense stop the run? Stanford has a lot of talented running backs on the roster right now, which means they’ll be able to give the defense a good challenge in terms of stopping the run. Success on defense in my opinion begins with stopping the run and forcing teams to beat you with their passing game. If Stanford’s defense is able to contain the running game that they are facing in fall camp, that’ll be a good indication of what we can expect from them in the regular season.
#5. Who will win between the cornerbacks and wide receivers? Probably the most intriguing matchup this fall camp is between Stanford’s wide receivers and cornerbacks. Corners Collin Wright and Zahran Manley vs. Elic Ayomanor and Tiger Bachmeier. I look forward to seeing who wins those battles. They always say iron sharpens iron, but in this case it’s really true. Both Wright and Ayomanor are two of the highest rated players on the team. Watching those two go at it in particular will be a lot of fun.
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