"Stanford storylines: The Cardinal have an extra week to prepare and are coming off its most thrilling win of the season, a come-from-behind, last-minute 30-29 win over local rival San Jose State. Will that be enough to overcome a 9 a.m. Pacific kickoff against a team that dominated the Cardinal last season? Stanford has been awful on the road, losing to Hawaii and getting blown out by BYU and Virginia."
"Stats that matter: Stanford's defense has allowed the second-most trips to the red zone of any team in the country (28), but ranks ninth in opponents' red zone touchdown percentage (39.3%). ... The game will feature three of the top 10 tacklers in the ACC in Stanford's Matt Rose (sixth, 8.0 tackles per game) and Scott Edwards (seventh, 7.8) and SMU's Isaiah Nwokobia (ninth, 7.4). Rose will miss the first half due to a targeting penalty against San Jose State."
"Series history: Tied 1-1. SMU won 40-10 last year at Stanford Stadium, while Stanford won 7-0 in the 1936 Rose Bowl. SMU and Cal are Stanford's "protected rivals" in the ACC, which means the teams will play each other every season. SMU storylines: The Mustangs entered the season 16th in both the AP and Coaches polls, but fell out after losses to Baylor and TCU. Their only wins were against East Texas A&M, Missouri State, and a Syracuse team playing without its starting quarterback. The Mustangs have been opportunistic on defense, ranking second nationally with nine interceptions."
Stanford is 2-3 overall and 1-1 in ACC play, coming off a last-second 30-29 win over San Jose State and benefiting from an extra week to prepare. The Cardinal have struggled on the road, losing at Hawaii and suffering heavy defeats at BYU and Virginia. SMU is 3-2, 1-0 in conference after entering the season ranked 16th before losses to Baylor and TCU. The Mustangs have opportunistic defense with nine interceptions and several quick touchdown drives. Key matchups include top ACC tacklers Matt Rose, Scott Edwards, Isaiah Nwokobia, and passing trends from Ben Gulbranson and Romello Brinson.
Read at The Mercury News
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