One of Stanford's signature mantras over the past several years has been "Intellectual Brutality."
Cardinal players wear T-shirts emblazoned with those two words, and they frequently reference them whenever chats with the media steer toward the program's standing as a physical force up front.
But a pair of drubbings has put that reputation of trench toughness in grave danger.
Up until two weeks ago, Stanford had never allowed more than six sacks in any two-game stretch of the David Shaw era. But in losing to both Washington schools by an average score of 43-11, the Cardinal have given up 12 sacks in two games.