Lance Anderson was excited even before Stanford's young front made its final goal line stand of Saturday's practice.

"All right, let's finish this thing!" the coordinator yelled. "Let's keep the momentum going."

The Cardinal's defense, a source of worry because of inexperience and injury issues this spring, obliged. Minutes later, the veteran-laden offense was in prone position cranking out 20 push-ups -- punishment reserved for the loser of a scrimmage focused on goal-line situations.

Stanford's attack played well again throughout most of practice, but the defense earned the last laugh at the goal line for the second time this week. This spring has featured growing pains for a defense looking to replace up to eight starters from last season, so the enthusiasm that came from its players and coaches after Saturday's success felt a bit like giddy relief.

"We had to win that today," cornerback Terrence Alexander said. "During the first session, the energy wasn't there. We just didn't have the passion that was needed. Winning these two sessions was really big for us."

Only time will tell if Stanford's 2015 defense can avoid a significant drop-off in production after statistically leading the Pac-12 for three years, but the Cardinal's coaching staff believes that the necessary development is happening in plain sight. Young defensive linemen Harrison Phillips and Solomon Thomas have both packed on about 25 pounds of strength since their arrival on campus last year (Phillips credits his mother's home cooking over spring break for gains that helped him rack up three sacks and four tackles for loss on Saturday), linebackers Kevin Palma and Noor Davis both delivered big hits on the inside, and Duane Akina's secondary is getting quality safety play from Kodi Whitfield and Dallas Lloyd while youngsters duke it out at the corners.

"Our youth is significant," David Shaw said. "It's there. But so is the talent. ... And we've got a long time until our first game. I trust our coaches, and I trust our training."

Youth, meanwhile, isn't an issue on the offensive side of the ball, and outside of those late failures at the goal line, Stanford's attack did plenty to maintain the sense of optimism that ended the 2014 season. Kevin Hogan threw only one incompletion. The quarterback used screen passes and Devon Cajuste's size to beat some aggressive early blitzes. He continued to utilize Stanford's emerging tight ends. Austin Hooper, Greg Taboada, Dalton Schultz and Eric Cotton all made big contributions. A strong tight end position group unlocks a bevy of possibilities for Stanford's run-first, play-action-oriented offense, and the unit is entrenching itself behind those four players.

Fumbles remain a glaring concern for the Cardinal's offense. The team coughed it up 28 times last season -- twice as many as its opponents did. Three more loose balls on blemished Saturday's otherwise solid effort. They also aided the defense's victory at the goal line.

The big picture here is most significant, though: For the first time this spring, the public saw a semblance of balance in the fight between Stanford's offense and defense. As the Cardinal's roster continues to develop and heal -- the defense suited up only one 2014 starter today -- that balance is expected to become more pronounced. That's welcome offseason progress for Shaw's program.