The Stanford Cardinal will try to rebound from serious personnel losses in the desert in Tucson when they take on the UCLA Bruins at home. Linebacker Shayne Skov, the team's best defender, is done for the season. Skov made the Stanford defense a force to be reckoned with, as he could make plays as a run defender, pass rusher, and pass coverage; his absence could make things far more difficult for the Cardinal to succeed on a daily basis.
Still, obstacle could prevent great opportunity for the other Cardinal defenders to step up and make plays against the rest of the conference. The inexperienced Jarek Lancaster and A.J. Tarpley will be the main replacements for Skov. This could also mean more time for true freshman James Vaughters, a talented frosh. They'll get a good warm-up test against a pedestrian UCLA offense that should give them plenty of reps for more serious tests ahead.
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