[Austroturf]

Three games into the season, Stanford is #1 in the nation in scoring defense, at 7.7 ppg (would have been even lower but for the meaningless touchdown on the last play of the game yesterday).  We are not quite as good on a yards per play (4.47 ypp, good for #24), but certainly a pleasant surprise.

Some of the stats that account for that:
#8 in pass defense (measured by opponent PER; #23 in yards per attempt)
#33 in rush defense (yards per play)
#21 in sacks (despite not having recorded one against Davis)
#13 in turnovers forced
#21 in opponent red zone conversions

On the other hand, we are #95 in scoring offense, at 26 ppg.  That's not quite the bottom of the Pac-12 (Utah, who played UW, USC who played us, and UCLA, who just plain stinks are all worse).  WE are even worse on a yards per play basis (probably because our defense has been giving us advantageous field position all year), getting about 5.91 ypp (ranked 103).  Oregon is tops in the conference, but their opponents to date, well, they're just not good.  The concerning stats:
#99 in rushing offense (based on yards per cary); this is shocking
#59 in passing offense (based on PER; #57 based on ypa)
#103 in third down conversion
#49 in TFL allowed (despite being pretty good in sacks allowed)
#77 in red zone conversions

Overall this is not what I would have envisioned going into the season.

BC

It's the #99 in rushing offense and the #103 in third down conversion that concern me most.  As a run first team, Stanford should always be in the top quartile of rushing offense.  Also, our historical MO is to play TOP football and grind out long, sustained drives that eat up the clock, wear down the opposing defense and shorten the game to fewer possessions.  For that to work, a high rate of 3rd down conversions is essential.  For Stanford to be in the mix for the north division and the conference crown, both of these statistics need to improve drastically.  

Kudos to the D.  If this unit had been anywhere near as pedestrian as all pre-season expectations indicated, we would not be sitting at 3-0 right now.

[Austroturf]

Three games into the season, Stanford is #1 in the nation in scoring defense, at 7.7 ppg (would have been even lower but for the meaningless touchdown on the last play of the game yesterday).  We are not quite as good on a yards per play (4.47 ypp, good for #24), but certainly a pleasant surprise.

Some of the stats that account for that:
#8 in pass defense (measured by opponent PER; #23 in yards per attempt)
#33 in rush defense (yards per play)
#21 in sacks (despite not having recorded one against Davis)
#13 in turnovers forced
#21 in opponent red zone conversions

On the other hand, we are #95 in scoring offense, at 26 ppg.  That's not quite the bottom of the Pac-12 (Utah, who played UW, USC who played us, and UCLA, who just plain stinks are all worse).  WE are even worse on a yards per play basis (probably because our defense has been giving us advantageous field position all year), getting about 5.91 ypp (ranked 103).  Oregon is tops in the conference, but their opponents to date, well, they're just not good.  The concerning stats:
#99 in rushing offense (based on yards per cary); this is shocking
#59 in passing offense (based on PER; #57 based on ypa)
#103 in third down conversion
#49 in TFL allowed (despite being pretty good in sacks allowed)
#77 in red zone conversions

Overall this is not what I would have envisioned going into the season.

BC

It's the #99 in rushing offense and the #103 in third down conversion that concern me most.  As a run first team, Stanford should always be in the top quartile of rushing offense.  Also, our historical MO is to play TOP football and grind out long, sustained drives that eat up the clock, wear down the opposing defense and shorten the game to fewer possessions.  For that to work, a high rate of 3rd down conversions is essential.  For Stanford to be in the mix for the north division and the conference crown, both of these statistics need to improve drastically.  

Kudos to the D.  If this unit had been anywhere near as pedestrian as all pre-season expectations indicated, we would not be sitting at 3-0 right now.