Thomas: Stanford toughened up in 2nd half

“We didn’t have the best first half, especially up front,” defensive end Solomon Thomas said.

Defensive coordinator Lance Anderson challenged us to be more physical in the second half.

Last year, Thomas went 34 yards with a fumble recovery to score in Stanford’s victory over USC in the Pac-12 title game.

Asked whether the officials should have called UCLA’s Tahaan Goodman for targeting for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Stanford receiver Francis Owusu, head coach David Shaw said, “Next question.”

Owusu made the catch for 17 yards but fumbled on the big hit, and UCLA recovered.

After last weekend’s game, Shaw said, the coaches decided each would be more comfortable in the new spot.

Stanford considered going for it on 4th-and-1 on its own 39 with just under five minutes left, but Shaw chose to punt.