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Redshirt sophomore safety Ed Reynolds has been a playmaker in the Stanford secondary, compiling 22 tackles and three interceptions (which he returned for 144 yards and one touchdown). ond-leading receiver despite his difficul- ties catching the ball — is doubtful for the game on Saturday due a knee injury he suffered against Arizona. That means even more responsibility will fall on the shoul- ders of Stanford's dynamic tight ends. In 2011, the tight end trio of Coby Fleener (who was selected in the second round of this year's NFL Draft by the In- dianapolis Colts, joining top pick Luck), Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo accounted for 53 percent of Stanford's 38 passing touchdowns and 37 percent (1,356 yards) of the team's total output through the air. This fall, Ertz (6-6, 252) and Toilolo (6-8, 265) have teamed up for 594 yards and four touchdowns. Helping make Nunes' life easier is se- nior running back Stepfan Taylor, who is averaging 111.0 yards per game and has five rushing touchdowns to go with his 15 catches for 82 yards and a score. He's on track for his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. The Cardinal defense ranks fifth in the conference and 42nd nationally in scoring, allowing 21.8 points per game. It's also the league's second-best rushing defense and ranks sixth in the country (77.20 yards allowed per game). Senior inside linebacker Shayne Skov missed nearly all of 2011 with a severe knee injury. As a sophomore in 2010, he finished as the team's top tackler with 84 stops, including 10.5 total tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. At outside linebacker, Chase Thomas (6-4, 248) made a surprising decision to return for his final year of eligibility after piquing the NFL's interest with 52 tackles and a Pac-12-best 1.35 tackles for loss per game. "We didn't know that Skov would be able to come back from his injury, and we didn't know that Thomas would come back for another year," Fitzgerald ex- plained. "But they have some other really good players. Their secondary has really come along, especially with safeties Ed Reynolds and Jordan Richards. "The secondary has played pretty well. They played great against USC, but not so well for a couple of plays in the Washing- ton game." Special teams continues to be an incon- sistent unit, with placekicker Jordan Wil- liamson, who missed three crucial field goals in last year's Fiesta Bowl loss in overtime to Oklahoma State, connecting on 7 of 11 attempts thus far in 2012. ✦ ✦ PAGE 3 PHOTO COURTESY STANFORD