Stanford Football: 3 bold predictions for Week 3 bout with UC Davis

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PALO ALTO, CA – SEPTEMBER 08: Paulson Adebo #11 of the Stanford Cardinal breaks up the pass to Tyler Vaughns #21 of the USC Trojans in the second quarter of an NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

1. Stanford’s defense forces three turnovers

On the season, Stanford is +3 in the turnover battle. The Cardinal forced three turnovers against USC and one in a win over San Diego State while accounting for just one on the season thanks to a KJ Costello interception against the Aztecs.

UC Davis has a relatively potent offense, averaging 49 points per game with a 2-0 record through two weeks. That will change against a Stanford defense that has seen a resurgence, of sorts, in 2018, allowing an average of 6.5 points per game to go along with around 300 total yards per contest.

The defense will come up big against UC Davis, recording two interceptions and forcing a fumble on its way to a blowout victory. Moreover, the Cardinal will hold UC Davis to single-digits on the scoreboard, keeping that theme of stingy defense to start the year.

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David Shaw’s team will look like one that can contend for the Pac-12 crown with an all-around solid game and Stanford will win this one in dominating fashion.

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