Stanford's run defense was already facing a tall task going up against Wisconsin's Doak Walker Award winner Montee Ball in the Rose Bowl, but things have gotten tougher with the announcement than Terrence Stephens will miss the game. The defensive tackle committed a secondary NCAA violation regarding off-campus housing and will leave the Cardinal a big man short against the Badgers' powerful offensive line.
The Cardinal are used to playing without Stephens at this point. He has missed four games this season, but the Cardinal did show some vulnerabilities against the run without him in the Pac-12 Championship Game against UCLA. Johnathan Franklin, a Doak Walker finalist, torched the Cardinal for 194 yards and two touchdowns and now Stanford will have to face the man who beat out Franklin for the award in Ball without Stephens.
David Parry will start in Stephens' place at defensive tackle. The junior has started the last two games and played in all of the Cardinal's games last season and this season so he has plenty of experience, but there will certainly be a drop off from Stephens to Parry.
This post originally appeared on SB Nation.
Comments
Will there be a drop?
I thought I read elsewhere that Parry had 5 solo tackles in his first game vs. UCLA, and another in the Pac-12 Championship. Compare that to Stephens’s record of 10 tackles on the entire season…
I’m more just disappointed that an infraction was committed than worried about the drop in skill level.
By CardiGrl on 12.21.12 12:03pm
Production isn't necessarily the point on the DL
If Parry is occupying fewer defenders and making fewer holes for the LBs to get through, then it’s a big jump down.
That said, I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Franklin torched us because we had to cover the whole field to defend against Hundley’s passing, Wisconsin’s pass game isn’t as much of a threat, so they won’t be able to do that as effectively.
And I too am disappointed about a violation. Although I’m sure it was something dumb that shouldn’t even be illegal, knowing the NCAA.
By stupac2 on 12.21.12 12:36pm