Football: Skov named national defensive player of the week as Card climbs to eighth in BCS

Nov. 18, 2012, 1:18 p.m.

On the heels of No. 13 Stanford’s stunning 17-14 upset of No. 2 Oregon in overtime last night, senior inside linebacker Shayne Skov this morning was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week.

Football: Skov named national defensive player of the week as Card climbs to eighth in BCS
Senior inside linebacker Shayne Skov, one of the most vocal leaders on the team, recorded a team-high 10 tackles in helping Stanford upset Oregon 17-14 in overtime. For his efforts, Skov was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week. (Grant Shorin/Stanfordphoto.com)

The senior recorded a team-high 10 tackles, including seven solo efforts and one tackle for loss. Skov played a key role in the Cardinal’s masterful defensive performance that held the nation’s highest-scoring offense to seven points in the first half and 14 points in total.

The Stanford defense also held the Ducks in check for 198 rushing yards, 77 of which came on one play via quarterback Marcus Mariota’s sideline dash in the first quarter.

Mariota, who came into the game with the highest passing efficiency in the nation, was under heavy pressure from the Cardinal’s pass rush for much of the game and completed less than 60 percent of his throws.

With the win in Autzen, Stanford snapped Oregon’s 13-game winning streak, the longest in the nation, and rose to No. 11 in the AP Top 25 poll today. It also moved up to No. 8 in the BCS, though Stanford’s shot at a BCS at-large berth is unlikely.

George Chen is a senior staff writer at The Stanford Daily who writes football, football and more football. Previously he worked at The Daily as the President and Editor in Chief, Executive Editor, Managing Editor of Sports, the football beat reporter and a sports desk editor. George also co-authored The Daily's recent book documenting the rise of Stanford football, "Rags to Roses." He is a senior from Painted Post, NY majoring in Biology. To contact him, please email at [email protected].

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