[GoodGrief]

I thought the stormtroopers referred to large numbers of Santa Clara County deputies in riot gear deployed along the track at old Stanford Stadium in the 4th quarter, ensuring students didn't rush the field.

Yeah, that's my recollection too. I recall that two years prior, Cal won and rushed our field anyway and completely destroyed our field. I remember seeing Cal fans on their hands and knees just digging up clumps of grass. Because that's super-cool. So two years later, with a few minutes left in the game, police came out in full riot gear (helmets, shields, and batons) and lined up methodically and precisely (exactly one arm + baton length apart). Nobody rushed the field.

The weird thing is that I seem to remember them lining up in front of the Stanford student section rather than the Cal section. I could be wrong though--maybe that was a different year with the ineffectual in-house, baton/shield/helmet-less security people.  So maybe they deliberately faced the Stanford section out of self-preservation.

[GoodGrief]

I thought the stormtroopers referred to large numbers of Santa Clara County deputies in riot gear deployed along the track at old Stanford Stadium in the 4th quarter, ensuring students didn't rush the field.

Yeah, that's my recollection too. I recall that two years prior, Cal won and rushed our field anyway and completely destroyed our field. I remember seeing Cal fans on their hands and knees just digging up clumps of grass. Because that's super-cool. So two years later, with a few minutes left in the game, police came out in full riot gear (helmets, shields, and batons) and lined up methodically and precisely (exactly one arm + baton length apart). Nobody rushed the field.

The weird thing is that I seem to remember them lining up in front of the Stanford student section rather than the Cal section. I could be wrong though--maybe that was a different year with the ineffectual in-house, baton/shield/helmet-less security people.  So maybe they deliberately faced the Stanford section out of self-preservation.