08-14-2012, 06:39 AM
Stephens was the biggest question mark on defense going into 2011. He ended up with six tackles in 13 games, three for loss, and one sack. Stanford gave up 3 YPC in 2011. By comparison, Fua had 13 tackles, four for loss, and four sacks in 2010. Stanford gave up 3.8 YPC in 2010. Fua added a little more than occupying blockers, but Stanford's defense was practically as good with Stephens as Fua.
Perhaps the most interesting thing to look at is what Fua and Stephens did in their first year as starters at NT:
          Games Solo Tackles  Sacks
    Fua:    13      6        1.5
Stephens:Â Â Â Â 13Â Â Â Â Â Â 6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1
I don't put a lot of stock in asst. tackles because that's a very misleading statistic. FWIW Fua had 18 and Stephens 5.
As WIM said, if the DL is Stanford's biggest weakness, the team is pretty damn strong. I happen to believe the Safety position is the biggest weakness and think that position will be the one that costs Stanford losses more than any other one on the field.
Perhaps the most interesting thing to look at is what Fua and Stephens did in their first year as starters at NT:
          Games Solo Tackles  Sacks
    Fua:    13      6        1.5
Stephens:Â Â Â Â 13Â Â Â Â Â Â 6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1
I don't put a lot of stock in asst. tackles because that's a very misleading statistic. FWIW Fua had 18 and Stephens 5.
As WIM said, if the DL is Stanford's biggest weakness, the team is pretty damn strong. I happen to believe the Safety position is the biggest weakness and think that position will be the one that costs Stanford losses more than any other one on the field.