Early test for defense

build about playing the game. We’ll have new things, different things to distract us a little bit, because distractions can be kind of good. Let’s shake it up so we aren’t sitting there four days before our game clenching our fists.”

While Stanford’s starting defensive linemen are set, this is the first chance to see if the unit’s backups will be reliable. Shaw likes to rotate six defensive linemen, but the three backups — redshirt freshmen Jovan Swann, Michael Williams, and Thomas Schaffer — have yet to prove they can handle that responsibility.

There are other questions on the defense, like what role new inside linebacker Joey Alfieri will play after being listed as a backup on Stanford’s first official depth chart, but both the linebacker corps and secondary are stuffed with talent. If the defensive line wins its battles, the Cardinal will, too.

The Owls, while never mistaken for a powerhouse, do return their entire starting offensive line plus last year’s leading rusher, Samuel Stewart. The redshirt junior was injured for much of the season, but averaged 6.3 yards per carry when healthy. Rice also will give carries to Austin Walter, a redshirt junior who ran for four touchdowns in 2016.

Rice, starting a quarterback with no collegiate snaps in redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Glaesmann, likely won’t force the issue against Stanford’s secondary, one of the strongest in the country. Instead, the Owls will likely try to stick to their ground game.

None of Rice’s offensive efforts will matter if it plays defense like it did last season. The Owls allowed 37.3 points per game, the 14th most in the country, and gave up almost 505 yards per game. Rice did bring on a new defensive coordinator, former Nebraska secondary coach Chris Stewart, but he’ll be hard pressed to turn this unit around quickly.

Stanford will try to get its new No. 1 running back, Bryce Love, into space to take advantage of the junior’s speed. Behind him, redshirt freshmen Dorian Maddox and Trevor Speights, both playing in their first collegiate games, will get a look.

After an uncharacteristically poor 2016 season, the Cardinal offensive line will be playing without starting right tackle A.T. Hall, who didn’t make the trip to Australia due to an undisclosed injury.