Stanford coordinator Mason shows passion for perfection

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Los Angeles --

During a meeting of Stanford's defensive linemen, defensive coordinator Derek Mason dressed down each player.

"He went man to man and told every guy - and he's yelling - exactly what's wrong with the way they've been playing and what they need to improve," said Ben Gardner, a starter who was sidelined for the season in late October with a pectoral injury.

That outburst didn't come early in the season or after the loss to Utah or the loss to USC. It came two weeks ago.

Stanford had just won the Pac-12 championship game against Arizona State. The D-line had helped the Cardinal post the country's third-toughest defense against the run. Over the last seven games, the defense had allowed only 64 yards rushing per game. Stanford was leading the nation in sacks with 40.

It wasn't enough for Mason.

"You see how passionate he is and how if certain things aren't going well at practice, it really irks him," Gardner said.

Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason takes questions during a news conference on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, in Los Angeles. Stanford faces Michigan State in the 100th Rose Bowl NCAA college football game on New Year's Day. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) less Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason takes questions during a news conference on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, in Los Angeles. Stanford faces Michigan State in the 100th Rose Bowl NCAA college football game on ... more Photo: Damian Dovarganes, Associated Press Photo: Damian Dovarganes, Associated Press Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Stanford coordinator Mason shows passion for perfection 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Mason, 43, brought to coaching the same type of energy and fire with which he played as a 5-foot-8 cornerback at Northern Arizona. "I played angry," he said. "I played with a big chip on my shoulder. I was mad at the wide receivers, mad at the tight ends."

He hasn't mellowed with age. "I coach with a chip on my shoulder," he said. "I want to be the best. I want these guys to be the best."

That intensity has helped carry the No. 5 Cardinal (11-2) into what very well might be a defensive duel with No. 4 Michigan State (12-1) in Stanford's second straight Rose Bowl.

In his fourth season at Stanford, and only his second with complete control of the defense, Mason has become one of the hottest assistants in the country. Connecticut and Army sent feelers to him, but he says, "I've got the best job in college football."

It's going to take an exceptional head-coaching opportunity to lure him from the Farm, he indicated.

Among the achievements on which he can hang his hat are back-to-back victories over mighty Oregon and its lightning-quick attack.

In previous games against the Ducks, he said, the Cardinal had played well in spurts but couldn't sustain it. His approach, he said, was: "If you don't beat yourselves, you can get these guys in deep water, get them into the fourth quarter.

"Nobody had done that. A shark takes its prey into the deep water. We wanted to drag Oregon to the fourth quarter and get them into a tight game."

Mason was assistant secondary coach of the Minnesota Vikings when then-Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh persuaded him to join his staff in 2010 as secondary coach. "Anybody who's been around Jim Harbaugh knows he can sell," Mason said.

When he visited the campus, Mason asked players a lot of questions, like, "How can I help you?" and "What does winning football look like to you?" He liked the answers he received. What he liked even more was that players like Richard Sherman and Mike Thomas asked him plenty of questions, too.

"How can you make me better?" they asked. "What does the skill set of a good defensive back look like?" He said they were so engaged that it "blew me out of the water."

Mason has helped recruit more such players. Another attribute has been his ability to make adjustments during games. In at least nine games this season, opposing offenses "moved far away from their tendencies," he said. It helps, he said, that "our guys don't panic. They deal with stress well."

Even when that stress is coming from the defensive coordinator.