Stanford’s Blake Martinez a more subdued defensive leader

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Shayne Skov would have been a hard act for anyone to follow. Wearing a mohawk and face paint that accentuated his fiery leadership, he was a rare bird at Stanford.

His replacement at inside linebacker, Blake Martinez, is more subdued, at least outwardly. You probably won’t see Martinez giving his teammates over-the-top pep talks, but Martinez is filling out the stat sheet in Skov-like fashion since moving into the starting lineup this season.

Martinez leads the No. 16 Cardinal in tackles with 24 through the first three games. That’s noteworthy on a team loaded with excellent tacklers, a defense that ranks first in the country in both fewest yards and points allowed per game.

“I think he’s playing about the best of anybody on defense right now,” defensive coordinator Lance Anderson said. “He had a great offseason in terms of just improving his speed, improving his strength. He’s a big, physical kid that runs really well. It’s all translating on the field.”

A.J. Tarpley, Martinez’s partner on the inside, has dubbed him “Machinez” for his tackling efficiency, and the entire Cardinal defense had some impressive moments in Stanford’s 13-10 loss to USC.

Even with all the mistakes the offense made, it took a 53-yard field goal by the high-powered Trojans to overcome a fine defensive effort by the Cardinal.

Blake Martinez led Stanford with 102 tackles last season. Blake Martinez led Stanford with 102 tackles last season. Photo: Jim Shorin / Jim Shorin/stanfordphoto.com Photo: Jim Shorin / Jim Shorin/stanfordphoto.com Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Stanford’s Blake Martinez a more subdued defensive leader 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

For instance, the Trojans were driving early in the fourth quarter with the score tied 10-10. Martinez made a couple of tackles on the drive, and USC ultimately faced 4th-and-5 at the Stanford 35. The Trojans appeared to have a pass set up to Nelson Agholor for a first down, but a blitzing Martinez pressured Cody Kessler into rushing his throw, a low one that Agholor could not handle.

Martinez is especially adept at keeping blockers at bay with what head coach David Shaw calls his “heavy hands.”

“When you watched Shayne play, he did a phenomenal job of getting off blocks, especially guards,” Shaw said. “He would use his whole body and chunk guys to get them off. Blake doesn’t always let them get into his body. He punches those guys and keeps them off and then makes plays. When he strikes, you feel it.”

The 6-foot-2, 247-pound junior is about the same weight as when he entered Stanford. The difference is he’s carrying a lot more muscle and a lot less body fat.

At Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson, he played linebacker, running back and tight end. Martinez averaged a hefty 9.8 yards per carry as a senior, but, “I knew I was going to be a linebacker in college,” he said.

He set a high school career record with 247 tackles and played in state title games as a junior and senior.

He was one of the few Stanford players not to redshirt as a freshman and was a standout the past two years on special teams. “He’s so good on the coverage units,” Shaw said. “He and (safety Zach) Hoffpauir are quick, explosive football players, and it’s prepared them for their roles now on defense.”

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald