Stanford

Result: Beat UC Davis 45-0

Grade: B-

Comment: The defense was tremendous, albeit against a second-rate opponent.

UCD didn’t cross midfield until the final play of the game, converted just 1 of 13 third downs and averaged a paltry 2.3 yards per play. Stanford generated pressure, stuffed the run and tackled well in the open field.

The offense wasn’t nearly as sharp. Quarterback Kevin Hogan completed 75 percent of his passes and tossed three touchdowns, but he also threw an interception. The tailbacks took advantage of running and receiving lanes, but nobody made you think: There’s a 1,000-yard rusher. And not surprisingly, the offensive line, with four new starters, had some breakdowns. The mistakes included a holding penalty on the first series, which is worth noting only because Stanford had three holding penalties all of last season.

Ty Montgomery showed no ill-effects off his limited participation in training camp, with 158 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on eight touches. He lined up in the backfield (Wildcat), in the slot and out wide, returned punts and is a superb kickoff returner — essentially, he’s going to be everywhere for Stanford. (Don’t be surprised if, at some point this season, he lines up at tailback in the base offense.)

The victory was Stanford’s 17th in a row at home, which stands as the longest streak in the nation following South Carolina’s loss to Texas A&M. Next up: vs. USC The matchup: The matchup: Deeee-licious. The past four meetings have been decided by a grand total of 20 points. Stanford has won three, including a September clash two years ago that was decided on a fourth-quarter touchdown. (Remember all the issues USC had with communication and pass protection because of the injury to senior center Khaled Holmes.) Loads to discuss this week, including the matchups of inexperienced offensive lines against powerhouse defensive lines, and I’ll have much more on the game in a few days.