Football scouting report: Stanford

Offense: QB Kevin Hogan (No. 8, senior)

The 2014 version of the Cardinal offense is a tad bit different than previous iterations. Yes, Stanford remains a pro-style attack predicated on a powerful, downhill running game, but the team is now without a feature back, such as Stepfan Taylor or Tyler Gaffney, and instead goes with a by-committee approach.

The Cardinal is also without leading receiver Ty Montgomery – Stanford’s most dynamic playmaker on offense and special teams – who injured his shoulder against Cal.

The constant for the Cardinal offense this season has been quarterback Kevin Hogan, who has been asked to do more in his second full year as a starter. In his first 19 starts, Hogan threw the ball a little more than 22 times per game on average, completing 63.8 percent of his passes. This year, Hogan’s numbers are up across the board, as he is throwing for more completions, attempts and yards per game while Stanford is running the ball less frequently and effectively than the past two seasons.

While he isn’t the most physically talented quarterback, Hogan is still a run threat, with nine career touchdowns on the ground. The Cardinal’s signal caller is particularly effective when he is able to take advantage of this athleticism off of play action, either delivering a pass downfield or taking off and running on a bootleg, something UCLA knows it will have to be cognizant of on Friday.

“They like to be real precise with their passing – not too many big throws, but he will lock on a target sometimes and will take shots every now and then,” said redshirt senior safety Anthony Jefferson. “When you run the ball as much as they do, play action is one thing you’ve got to key into. … You’ve just got to play your technique and have great eyes in coverage.”

Defense: ILB Blake Martinez (No. 4, junior)

Stanford’s defense was depleted in the offseason. Losing key playmakers such as inside linebacker Shayne Skov, outside linebacker Trent Murphy, defensive end Ben Gardner and safety Ed Reynolds to the NFL left the Cardinal with a lot of question marks and holes to fill on defense.

But instead of regressing, Stanford’s defense has been nothing short of dominant all season, led by junior inside linebacker Blake Martinez, who has filled Skov’s void.

Martinez does it all for the Cardinal on defense. He leads the team in tackles with 92; he has six tackles for losses; he has 4.5 sacks, which is tied for third most on the team; he leads Stanford with three interceptions; and he has also forced two fumbles.

Led by Martinez, Stanford has allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game in the nation (289.7) and the seventh-fewest points per game (16.5). Both of those statistics are improvements from last season.

UCLA’s offense looks to be in for its toughest challenge of the season.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman and Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.