Stanford sophomore QB Kevin Hogan looked sharp for the Cardinal against Colorado.  US Presswire

STANFORD WON: Sophomore Kevin Hogan came off the bench to throw for 184 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 14 Stanford (7-2) to a 48-0 win over Colorado (1-8) at Folsom Field on Saturday. Hogan came in for an ineffective Josh Nunes and promptly guided the Cardinal on six scoring drives to blow the game open. Hogan was 18 of 23 passing and also led Stanford with 48 rushing yards on seven carries. The Cardinal defense held Colorado to just 76 total yards, including negative 21 on the ground. The Buffs also had three turnovers. This was Stanford's first shutout since 2010.

WHY STANFORD WON: A combination of Colorado's ineptness, Stanford's suffocating defense and the emergence of Hogan as a dynamic offensive threat created the dominating margin in this game. The Cardinal were about as effective on the ground (230 yards) as they were in the air (206 yards) and played their best offensive game of the year.

WHEN STANFORD WON: This game was over when safety Ed Reynolds picked off a Jordan Webb pass in the first quarter and took it 52 yards for a touchdown. That was all the points Stanford needed to beat the hapless Buffs. It was the third pick-six of the year for Reynolds.

WHAT STANFORD WON: A new starter at quarterback? Cardinal coach David Shaw took advantage of the weak opponent to give Hogan an extended look and it appears to have paid off for all parties involved. Hogan's arm strength is clearly a plus and his accuracy (he was 18 for 23) was a huge improvement over Nunes. Hogan's mobility was reminiscent of a young Andrew Luck, which helped open up things for the Stanford offense. Look for Hogan to take the reins for the rest of the season.

WHAT COLORADO LOST: Now 1-8, there's not much more for Colorado to lose. But this was a chance to show a measure of improvement against a ranked team that was tinkering with its offense. The end result was one of the worst performances by the Buffs this year, so coach John Embree might be looking for work soon.