Samuel Curry – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Thu, 15 Feb 2018 11:28:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Samuel Curry – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Men’s basketball roundtable: What’s ailing slumping Cardinal? https://stanforddaily.com/2018/02/15/mens-basketball-roundtable-whats-ailing-slumping-cardinal/ https://stanforddaily.com/2018/02/15/mens-basketball-roundtable-whats-ailing-slumping-cardinal/#respond Thu, 15 Feb 2018 11:17:35 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1136857 After starting conference play with a 5-1 record, Stanford men’s basketball has lost five out of the last seven games to slip to sixth in the Pac-12. What have been the reasons for the Cardinal’s slump?

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After starting conference play with a 5-1 record, Stanford men’s basketball has lost five out of the last seven games to slip to sixth in the Pac-12. What have been the reasons for the Cardinal’s slump?

Sam Curry (SC): A lot has factored into the Cardinal’s downward trend, but I think something interesting to look at is how the performance of KZ Okpala in particular seems to correlate with Stanford’s team performance. Okpala averages 12.6 points in games the Cardinal win (the games he has played in at least) and 5.1 points in games they lose. Obviously the Cardinal depend more heavily on guys like Reid Travis and Dorian Pickens, but I think Okpala is who takes this Cardinal team from mediocre to a Pac-12 contender, and he was a big reason why they went on that 5-game conference win streak after a brutal start to the season. He had just five points total last weekend, and we all saw the result. If the Cardinal can’t get a few solid performances from KZ then I think their struggles will continue.

Jose Saldana (JS): In the last four losses on the road, the Cardinal are averaging 27.5 points in the first half while their opponents are averaging 40.25 points. However, in the second half, Stanford is averaging 35.75 points and their opponents 34. The deficits the Cardinal put themselves at the beginning of ball games are too much to overcome in the second half and on the road. Why are they so bad in the first half and not in the second half? The players are just not shooting well enough. In those four road games, Stanford has not shot above 41 percent in the first half, including a couple of shooting halves of 30 percent and below. Narrowing, our search it seems that the offensive system is not lending itself to balance scoring. Around two players only experience any offensive success at times. I think Sam is correct in pointing out KZ as a significant offensive cog, but teams are not biting on KZ on the perimeter, daring him to shoot. However, the other Cardinal players aren’t doing enough to take on the scoring load. Unbalanced scoring, stagnant ball movement and the inability to finish in the paint contribute to the losses. It’s a shame since Stanford has been playing great defense on the road.

 

Now, in the back half of the conference, what are the Cardinal’s chances to make the NCAA tournaments? What do they need to do to give themselves a better a chance?

SC: An at-large bid is almost out of the question in my opinion. The good news for the Cardinal is they’re only one game behind 2nd in the Pac-12 standings despite being tied for sixth currently, a good indication of how brutal the Pac-12 has been this season. If they somehow manage to get a top-three regular season finish followed by a good run in the Pac-12 Tournament, a bid might be back on the table, but Stanford’s resume has a lot of tough nonconference losses on it (Eastern Washington, Long Beach State, and Portland State especially) with few big wins to make up for it. I’m afraid their bumpy start might doom the Cardinal in the end no matter what they do to finish out the season, and their only hope of cracking the field of 68 might be a very unlikely Pac-12 Tournament championship.

JS: The Cardinal are 92nd in KenPom and 98th in RPI. They can’t make significant ground during the regular season. Like Sam said, the bad losses early in the season are haunting Stanford. A Cinderella-run in the Pac-12 Tournament is the only hope the team has, and it looks unlikely given their recent play. Fans of the Cardinal should probably just admire the final games of Dorian Pickens and Michael Humphrey. They certainly deserve being cheered for good careers with Stanford. However, dancing in March with the current players would have been something.

 

Senior guard Dorian Pickens is averaging 15.1 points per game and shooting 40.8 percent from three. He had been limited to 15 games due to a foot injury suffered at the beginning of the season. How has Pickens improved from last year? How has he affected this team?

SC: On a team with very few credible scoring threats on the outside, Pickens is essential to the wellbeing of this Stanford offense. He opens up the paint for guys like Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey, and is also quick enough to get to the rim and force the defense to give him an honest close-out. Not to mention the fact that that quickness and length he brings to the backcourt allows him to get it done on the other side of the floor. I mentioned earlier how Okpala’s performance is the key to pushing the Cardinal to the next level, which is true, but that is all null and void without Pickens. Stanford goes as he goes. As far as improvement from last season, I think he’s done a good job of being more consistent. There are still a few nights when his outside shot disappears, which is just the nature of being a shooter (just ask Trae Young), but Pickens has done a better job this season of minimizing those occurrences and impacting the game in other ways. He deserves an All-Pac 12 selection this postseason.

JS: After the Advocare Invitational in 2016, Pickens earned a place on the All-Tournament team by scoring 18.5 points in each game of the invitational. Everyone thought Pickens was primed to takeoff as a legitimate secondary offensive threat. But it never materialized, with Pickens often being lost in the offense. This season, he has looked like the player many people expected him to be last season. His very gravity forces a player to be attached to his hip at all times. This gives Travis and the rest of the offense space to operate inside the arc. Additionally, his own three point shooting has been stellar. His movement off-ball causes havoc, and he can rise and shoot over most defenders. His quick release and terrific outside shooting gives Stanford a chance at a comeback in any game. Not only is offense been great but Pickens defense was sorely needed. His athleticism and size (6-foot-5) give the Cardinal a size advantage against almost every backcourt in the country. He takes on the smaller forwards which allows KZ to guard the best guards on the team. Pickens has been a positive just by being on the floor, and it was shame he missed most of the nonconference slate.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu and Jose Saldana at jsaldana ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Men’s basketball preps for conference road trip https://stanforddaily.com/2018/02/07/mens-basketball-preps-for-conference-road-trip/ https://stanforddaily.com/2018/02/07/mens-basketball-preps-for-conference-road-trip/#respond Wed, 07 Feb 2018 09:01:23 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1136293 The Stanford Cardinal (13-11, 7-4 Pac-12) are set for a road trip to Utah and Colorado this weekend, where they will play the Utah Utes (13-9, 5-6 Pac-12) on Thursday night in Salt Lake City and the Colorado Buffaloes (13-10, 5-6 Pac-12) in Boulder Sunday afternoon.

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The Stanford Cardinal (13-11, 7-4 Pac-12) are set for a road trip to Utah and Colorado this weekend, where they will play the Utah Utes (13-9, 5-6 Pac-12) on Thursday night in Salt Lake City and the Colorado Buffaloes (13-10, 5-6 Pac-12) in Boulder Sunday afternoon.

Stanford enters Thursday’s game on a two-game win streak after defeating the Oregon State Beavers and routing the Oregon Ducks with a spectacular offensive performance at Maples Pavilion last week. The Cardinal are currently tied for fourth in the Pac-12 standings.

Men's basketball preps for conference road trip
Reid Travis manages to attack the basket despite a tough defense. Travis is one of the veteran stars that help lead the Cardinal.
(RYAN JAE/The Stanford Daily)

The Cardinal might be the favorite for both games if not for their struggles on the road this season. They are 2-7 in games not played at Maples Pavilion this season, and have not won a game at Utah since 2013, with the Jon M. Huntsman Center being a notably tough place to win for any away team.

 

Stanford will undoubtedly look to senior guard Dorian Pickens to have another stellar performance, after he lit up the Oregon Ducks with 25 points and 5-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Pickens is Stanford’s second-leading scorer this season behind senior forward Reid Travis, averaging 14.4 points a game.

Tipoff in Utah will be at 5 p.m. on Thursday evening and will be aired on Fox Sports 1. Sunday’s contest at Colorado can be seen on on the Pac-12 Networks at 1 p.m.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Remember the Alamo Bowl: TCU offense https://stanforddaily.com/2017/12/27/remember-the-alamo-bowl-tcu-offense/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/12/27/remember-the-alamo-bowl-tcu-offense/#respond Wed, 27 Dec 2017 22:08:06 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1134616 In a league full of explosive offenses and some of the most prolific passers in the nation, the TCU Horned Frogs won games with their defense, and did not stand out offensively. They ranked fifth in the Big 12 in scoring offense and 8th in passing offense.

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This is the second part of The Daily’s three-part preview series on the TCU Horned Frogs, who play Stanford in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28 in San Antonio, TX. This part takes a look at the TCU offense and how it performed this season. 

Preview Series:

TCU overview

TCU offense

TCU defense

 

In a league full of explosive offenses and some of the most prolific passers in the nation, the TCU Horned Frogs won games with their defense, and did not stand out offensively. They ranked fifth in the Big 12 in scoring offense and eighth in passing offense.

But these rankings are misleading, as the Horned Frogs have plenty of playmakers and can surely put points on the board. They averaged 33.2 points a game and were only held below 20 points twice this season.

Headlining the TCU attack is senior quarterback Kenny Hill, also known as Kenny “Trill”. Perhaps better known as the hyped successor to Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M, where he threw for 511 yards and three touchdowns in his first start, Hill has made a name for himself at TCU, where he transferred to after the 2014 season.

Hill’s season passing totals are 2,838 yards and 21 touchdowns to just six interceptions. While these stats may not be as eye-popping as his Big 12 counterparts Baker Mayfield and Mason Rudolph’s, Hill’s accuracy did make him stand out, as he completed just over 67 percent of his throws, ranking fifth among FBS quarterbacks.

His favorite targets include senior wide receiver John Diarse, who caught 33 balls for 543 yards and three touchdowns and freshman wideout Jalen Reagor who hauled in 28 passes for 407 yards and seven touchdowns. Hill has a wide range of targets, with six pass catchers over 200 receiving yards on the season.

As for the TCU ground game, they will give the Stanford defense plenty of targets to worry about, as they have four rushers with at least four touchdowns on the season, including Kenny Hill, who possesses a good degree of mobility.

The main workhorses for the Horned Frogs however, are sophomore running back Darius Anderson and senior back Kyle Hicks. Anderson racked up 768 yards this season to the tune of six yards per carry and eight touchdowns. Hicks ran for 597 yards and found the endzone four times.

Signature performances for the Horned Frog offense include a 44-21 win over a sixth-ranked Oklahoma State team in which they gained 466 total yards and Darius Anderson ran for 160 yards and three touchdowns. TCU’s best statistical performance came against Southern Methodist, in which they notched 56 points and Kenny Hill completed 24 of his 30 throws for 365 yards and four touchdowns. The Horned Frogs racked up 619 total yards of offense in that game.

The Horned Frogs may need a similar kind of performance to outlast the Cardinal, as although they have one of the stoutest defenses in the nation to rely on, a hot K.J. Costello and a healthy Bryce Love await if Kenny Trill & Co. can’t produce.

The Valero Alamo Bowl is set to kickoff in San Antonio at 6 p.m. PT on Thursday night and will be televised by ESPN.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Love finishes second in Heisman voting to Mayfield https://stanforddaily.com/2017/12/09/love-finishes-second-in-heisman-voting-to-mayfield/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/12/09/love-finishes-second-in-heisman-voting-to-mayfield/#respond Sun, 10 Dec 2017 05:26:38 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1134565 Junior running back Bryce Love finished second in voting for the Heisman Memorial Trophy behind Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, with the final results coming out Saturday evening.

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Junior running back Bryce Love finished second in voting for the Heisman Memorial Trophy behind Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, with the final results coming out Saturday evening.

Mayfield received 2,398 points including 732 first-place votes while Love garnered 75 first-place votes and 1,300 total points, finishing just above Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, who had 793 points.

Saturday marked the fifth time that a Stanford player has finished second in Heisman voting since 2009. The school only has one Heisman winner in its history, with quarterback Jim Plunkett winning it in 1970.

Love racked up 1,973 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns and 12 runs of more than 50 yards this season, with the last stat being an FBS record.

Love ranks second among all FBS running backs and first among Power 5 running backs in rushing yards, despite sitting out a game against Oregon State in October. He needs just 47 yards in the Alamo Bowl to surpass Christian McCaffrey’s school record for rushing yards in a season.

Mayfield, the first walk-on to ever win the award, threw for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns to just five interceptions this season, as he led his Oklahoma Sooners to a Big 12 Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

He is the sixth Heisman winner in Oklahoma’s history.

Fans will get a chance to see Love in action one more time this season, as the Cardinal face the TCU Horned Frogs in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28. The game is set to kickoff at 6 p.m. PT and will be nationally televised by ESPN.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu

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By the Numbers: Pac-12 Championship https://stanforddaily.com/2017/12/05/by-the-numbers-pac-12-championship/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/12/05/by-the-numbers-pac-12-championship/#respond Wed, 06 Dec 2017 06:29:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1134391 The Stanford Cardinal lost 31-28 to the USC Trojans Friday night at Levi’s Stadium in a nailbiter. Here are some notable stats from the game:

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The Stanford Cardinal lost 31-28 to the USC Trojans Friday night at Levi’s Stadium in a nailbiter. Here are some notable stats from the game:

 

501: Total yards for USC on Friday night, gaining 325 of those on quarterback Sam Darnold’s arm. Darnold finished 17-of-24 with two touchdowns.

343: Total yards for the Cardinal, one more yard than in their first matchup with the Trojans this season. Stanford had 151 rushing yards and 192 passing yards.

1: Yard needed for junior Cameron Scarlett to score on 4th-and-goal in the middle of the fourth quarter. In perhaps the climax of Friday’s game, the Trojans made an impressive goal line stand that prevented Stanford from taking what would have been their first lead against USC all season.

99: Yards on USC’s ensuing drive. Keyed by a 54-yard reception by Michael Pittman and capped off by an eight-yard touchdown run from Ronald Jones II, the drive was just the second 99-yard drive by any FBS team this season.

80: Receiving yards for sophomore tight end Kaden Smith Friday. Smith caught four passes from KJ Costello, including two spectacular touchdown catches in the second half. 80 receiving yards and two touchdowns are both career-highs for him.

16: Total number of enforced penalties in Friday’s game, amounting to a total of 149 penalty yards. The Pac-12 referees weren’t afraid to use their flags, penalizing the Cardinal seven times for 73 yards and USC nine times for 76 yards.

2: Catches of 40+ yards for junior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside Friday. They were his only catches in the game. Two receptions was a season-low for Arcega-Whiteside, but he made the most of them, snagging passes of 45 and 41 yards.

125: Rushing yards for Bryce Love Friday on 22 carries and one good leg. USC running back Ronald Jones II rushed for 140 yards on 30 carries, which marks just the second time Love has been outrushed by an opposing running back all season.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Football set to face TCU in Valero Alamo Bowl https://stanforddaily.com/2017/12/03/football-set-to-face-tcu-in-valero-alamo-bowl/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/12/03/football-set-to-face-tcu-in-valero-alamo-bowl/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2017 00:09:24 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1134355 The No.15 Stanford Cardinal (9-4, 7-2 Pac-12) were selected to play in the Valero Alamo Bowl Sunday morning, two days after falling 31-28 to USC in the Pac-12 Championship. The Cardinal will travel to San Antonio to play the No.13 TCU Horned Frogs (10-3, 7-2 Big 12) on December 28th, another conference runner-up who lost 41-17 to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Saturday.

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No.15 Stanford football (9-4, 7-2 Pac-12) was selected to play in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Sunday morning, two days after falling 31-28 to USC in the Pac-12 Championship. The Cardinal will travel to San Antonio to play the No.13 TCU Horned Frogs (10-3, 7-2 Big 12) on Dec. 28, another conference runner-up who lost 41-17 to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday.

Stanford has been invited to a bowl game for nine consecutive seasons now, which is a school-record and is currently the best streak in the conference.

This will be the first time in program history the Cardinal play in the Alamo bowl.

The Horned Frogs, on the other hand, will be making their second-ever appearance in the Alamo Bowl, with their first coming two years ago against the Oregon Ducks in one of the most memorable games in recent bowl history. TCU erased a 31-0 deficit at halftime to defeat the Ducks 47-41 in triple overtime.

The two programs have met twice before, with the Horned Frogs winning 38-36 and 31-14 in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Nine Pac-12 teams in total were given the nod for a bowl game, with two making the cut for a “New Year’s Six” game with USC and Washington. The Trojans are set to play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 29 while the Huskies will face the Penn State Nittany Lions in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.

A victory in the Alamo Bowl would give Stanford its seventh 10-win season in eight years, and their sixth such season under head coach David Shaw.

The rest of the Pac-12 Bowl slate is as follows:

Holiday Bowl: No. 21 Washington State vs. No. 18 Michigan State – Dec. 28

Foster Farms Bowl: Arizona vs. Purdue – Dec. 27

Sun Bowl: Arizona State vs. NC State – Dec. 29

Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon vs. No. 25 Boise State – Dec. 16

Cactus Bowl: UCLA vs. Kansas State – Dec. 26

Heart of Dallas: Utah vs. West Virginia – Dec. 26

The Alamo Bowl is set for kickoff on Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. PT and will be televised on ESPN.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Men’s basketball finishes strong against Montana to snap losing streak https://stanforddaily.com/2017/12/01/mens-basketball-finishes-strong-against-montana-to-snap-losing-streak/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/12/01/mens-basketball-finishes-strong-against-montana-to-snap-losing-streak/#respond Fri, 01 Dec 2017 09:00:01 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1134225 In a game full of momentum swings and eight total lead changes, the Stanford Cardinal (4-5) were able to pull away from the Montana Grizzlies (4-3) and snap their four-game losing streak with a 70-54 victory at Maples Pavilion Wednesday night.

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In a game full of momentum swings and eight total lead changes, Stanford men’s basketball (4-5) was able to pull away from the Montana Grizzlies (4-3) and snap its four-game losing streak with a 70-54 victory at Maples Pavilion Wednesday night.

The Cardinal outscored the Grizzlies 26-4 after trailing 50-44 with 9:56 remaining in the game to finish a Montana team that missed its last nine field goals in the game.

Stanford had four scorers in double digits, with senior forward Reid Travis leading the way with 20 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Daejon Davis followed closely behind, as he tallied 17 points driving to the basket, drawing contact and making some impressive finishes. Seventeen points is a career high for him.

“[Davis] has been put into a big role,” Travis said. “He has the talent and the poise to run our team, and as you can see, he’s growing each game.”

“He’s a tough kid, and he’s a heck of a player,” Stanford head coach Jerod Haase said of Davis after the game. “He’s a very talented player, and he’s going to continue to improve just like you saw tonight.”

Senior forward Michael Humphrey notched his third double-double of the season, as he finished the contest with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Junior guard Robert Cartwright also had a nice game, tallying 11 points for the Cardinal.

Turnovers were once again a problem for the Cardinal, as they committed 18 to Montana’s 11.

“We have such a long way to go on the offensive end, and our execution isn’t very good, our pace isn’t very good, and our attention to detail isn’t very good,” Haase said.

On the other side of the ball, the Cardinal, at least on paper, made some improvement, holding the Grizzlies to 54 points, the lowest total they have held an opponent to all season. Stanford forced Montana to just 29 percent shooting from the field and held Montana’s season leading scorer junior Ahmaad Rorie to four points on 1-10 shooting, his lowest-ever scoring total as a Grizzly.

“There’s no question that on the defensive end we have to slowly gain an identity,” Haase said. “I think tonight was a small step forward for that, but there’s still plenty of room for growth.”

The Grizzlies were led in scoring by junior guard Michael Oguine, who racked up 19 points on 40 percent shooting. Junior guard Bobby Moorehead was also a key contributor, posting a season-high 16 points and hitting three shots from beyond the arc.

“There’s a desperate desire in that locker room that they want to do well, and they want to grow and get better,” Haase said. “It’s not there yet, but we do need to go through these growing pains, and I do believe the growing pains are going to pay dividends.”

Montana now heads back home to face Cal State-Northridge Sunday while Stanford sets for a trip south to face Long Beach State. That game tips off at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Football roundtable: Can Cardinal win Pac-12 Championship? https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/30/football-roundtable-can-cardinal-win-pac-12-championship/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/30/football-roundtable-can-cardinal-win-pac-12-championship/#respond Thu, 30 Nov 2017 09:00:13 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1134146 No. 14 Stanford football has earned its way to its fourth trip to the Pac-12 Championship. This time in a rematch from Week 2 of the season and a rematch of the 2015 Pac-12 Championship, the Cardinal play No. 11 USC on Friday in Levi's Stadium. The Daily's Sam Curry, Jose Saldana and Ariana Rollins discuss the differences in this rematch, Costello's play and if the North will remain on the Pac-12 throne for one more year.

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No. 14 Stanford football has earned its way to its fourth trip to the Pac-12 Championship. This time in a rematch from Week 2 of the season and a rematch of the 2015 Pac-12 Championship, the Cardinal play No. 11 USC on Friday in Levi’s Stadium. The Daily’s Sam Curry, Jose Saldana and Ariana Rollins discuss the differences in this rematch, Costello’s play and if the North will remain on the Pac-12 throne for one more year.

 

USC got the best of Stanford in their 42-24 win over the Cardinal earlier this year, but obviously the two teams have changed a lot over the course of the season. What are some factors that make this matchup different than it was in September?

Sam Curry (SC): This is an entirely different game this time around. Obviously, not having to play in Los Angeles benefits Stanford, and the change at quarterback definitely helps with the way Costello has been playing, but I think the main reason Stanford fans have to be more optimistic about their odds on Friday is the defense. The Cardinal have been hitting on all cylinders lately and have stifled some formidable offenses in Washington, Notre Dame, and even Cal, not to mention the solid performance at Washington State. I don’t think there’s any way we see Sam Darnold tear apart the Cardinal secondary or Ronald Jones II and Stephen Carr (his 119 rushing yards against Stanford are his best of the season by far) run wild for big chunks of yards this time. Stanford should hold the Trojans to more like 20 points instead of 42 and at least give Bryce Love and Co. a chance to win the game, and that will be the biggest difference on Friday.

Jose Saldana (JS): This matchup will be different because of the growth of Stanford’s offensive line. For three quarters against the Trojans, the line was dominated, causing then-starter Keller Chryst to struggle finding open receivers. After David Shaw and Mike Bloomgren shuffled the line, the trenches have swung back in favor of the Cardinal. Freshman tackle Walker Little was put in at left tackle and had done a great job. Little’s probably out for the Pac-12 title game but his replacement, sophomore Devery Hamilton, has done an admirable job filling in. Senior right tackle AT Hall has probably been the best offensive lineman, and he didn’t suit start in the first game against USC. The line should perform better and this is good news for KJ Costello and Bryce Love. Costello has played well since being inserted against Washington State and should continue to do so against a Trojans defense ranked 104 in passing defense. If Costello forces the defenses to play fewer defenders in the box, then Love, although injured, can feast on Friday. Unlike Sam, I think the offense needs to outgun the Trojans. USC’s offense matches up well with the Cardinal defense. The run game has been a weakness for Stanford. It limited Notre Dame running back Josh Adams but that was the defense’s main focus. Against the Sam Darnold-led offense, playing for the run would allow Darnold to rip apart the secondary for a second game. I can see the defense play better than in the first game because its tackling couldn’t get any worse. However, with injuries to Alijah Holder, Sean Barton and Eric Cotton, the offense will need a special night to overcome a well-rested (and a much needed one for them) USC.

Ariana Rollins(AR): The Stanford team that played USC in September looks like an entirely different team that has been playing as of late. For starters, I don’t expect the defense to give up anything close to the 623 yards they did in September. They seem to have figured out a way to balance defending against the rush attack while still covering the pass, a skill they’ll need to keep up this Friday. KJ Costello is also a key difference, especially coming off his four-touchdown performance last week, bolstered by our improved offensive line. On the USC side, Sam Darnold remains a threat, as does Ronald Jones II but Stephen Carr has been injured and shouldn’t have another 100+ yard against Stanford.

 

With three solid performances in a row, and two of them against a couple of the stouter defenses in college football in Washington and Notre Dame, it’s easy to be unreasonably optimistic too soon, but the question begs to be asked: Is KJ Costello the future of Stanford football?

SC: Yes. I know it’s a relatively small sample size, but he’s running the Stanford offense like a guy with much more experience than a redshirt freshman. He’s done exactly what’s asked of a Stanford quarterback, especially with a guy like Bryce Love in the backfield, which is to make good reads and keep the opposing defense honest. He’s done that and much more at times. The last time a Stanford quarterback threw for four touchdowns in a game was when Kevin Hogan did it against Notre Dame two seasons ago, and it’s a feat even he only accomplished three times over the course of his Stanford career. Without Costello, the Cardinal wouldn’t have two wins against top-10 teams in three weeks, and that fact alone is enough to make me think the chances are good that he will be Stanford’s signal-caller for the years to come.

JS: This is interesting, since we were asking ourselves this question about Keller Chryst last year and Chryst is no longer the starter. However, there are major differences between the two quarterbacks. Last season, Chryst had the fortune of playing against weak teams and the offensive line played well towards the end of that season. Costello has faced two AP Top-10 teams in Washington and Notre Dame and he has played well against both. Four passing touchdowns against the Fighting Irish is hard to do and a few of the throws were jaw-dropping (i.e. touchdowns to Kaden Smith or Trenton Irwin). The scary part is that Costello has much more room for improvement. The coaches have mentioned Costello’s improving footwork and mechanics, and he needs to get rid of the ball quicker on some plays. But the talent is there and if he can fix these mechanics then yes, he will be the future. Unless, freshman Davis Mills is the best quarterback on the roster, but that is a problem for next year.

AR: I’m all aboard the KJ Costello train at this point, especially with the practically patented “KJ to JJ” corner route in the end zone. His ability to put passes exactly where they need to be while under pressure makes him dangerous, and he has ignited the offense in a way that speaks well to his future growth as a quarterback, especially considering he’s a redshirt freshman. His completion rate of 61.1 is not too shabby either. To be fair, our offensive line has improved a lot from the beginning of the season, but Costello’s record against top-10 teams, and storied rivals, remains remarkable. The last couple of games he’s attempted rushing a little bit more, and I’m excited to see where he can go once he gets his legs under him even more.

 

The Pac-12 North is 6-0 in Pac-12 Championship games, does that trend change this year and why?

SC: This is the first time the Pac-12 South winner has even been the favorite going into the game, so things are certainly different for this game than in past seasons, but I think Stanford still comes out on top. The Cardinal are a team playing with a lot of confidence on both sides of the ball, and they’ll get to play round two of this rivalry in their own backyard. KJ Costello has proven himself against better defenses than USC’s, Bryce Love has shown no signs of slowing down his production despite his injury, and of course the offensive line is allowing it all to happen. I don’t think the Trojan defensive line bullies the Cardinal O-line nearly as much as they did in September, and as I mentioned earlier, the Stanford defense has morphed into one of the better squads in the nation since the 42-24 loss in L.A. I think the Cardinal prevail in a close one.

JS: Since becoming the Pac-12, the North winner has always been higher ranked than the South champ … except for this year. Stanford is ranked 14th in the AP Poll while USC is ranked 11th. This might been the most competitive game since the 2012 Pac-12 title game, so the question is really hard to answer. I am going to say it does change this year (the reverse jinx has worked for me before!). There are a few things going in USC’s favor. First, the Trojans are coming off a bye-week. Seriously, USC is getting two weeks to prepare for the most important game of the year for either team while Stanford is playing in a short week. The bye-week is key since USC has had a myriad of injured players and they can heal up. The only consolation for the Cardinal is that they don’t have to travel far to play in Santa Clara. USC’s offense matches up well against Stanford, and if it comes down to a final score, I have more confidence in USC’s offense with Darnold at this point than I have with Stanford’s.

AR: To be honest, I’m never going to root against Stanford with this kind of question. This game is certainly going to be a challenge, especially with No.10 USC coming from a bye week and the memory of Stanford’s loss almost certainly being on players’ minds. Sam Darnold is a top-three draft prospect, and Alijah Holder is still out, but our secondary has proved more than capable over the past couple of games. If the Cardinal can slow down Ronald Jones II and pressure Darnold, our offensive line, coupled with Costello and Bryce Love, can take care of the rest – high ankle sprain or not. Plus, Stanford hasn’t lost at home for this whole season, and Levi’s Stadium is practically a home game.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu, Jose Saldana at jsaldana ‘at’ stanford.edu and Ariana Rollins at arianar ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Men’s basketball seeks redemption against Montana https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-seeks-redemption-against-montana/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-seeks-redemption-against-montana/#respond Wed, 29 Nov 2017 17:10:39 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1134044 Coming off a disappointing Thanksgiving weekend at the PK80 Invitational, the Stanford Cardinal (3-5) will look to redeem themselves against the Big Sky Conference’s Montana Grizzlies (4-2) Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion.

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Coming off a disappointing Thanksgiving weekend at the PK80 Invitational, the Stanford Cardinal (3-5) will look to redeem themselves against the Big Sky Conference’s Montana Grizzlies (4-2) Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford has lost to two Big Sky foes already this season, dropping a game to Eastern Washington at Maples a couple weeks ago and falling to Portland State Sunday in the seventh-place game of the PK80 Motion Bracket.

The Grizzlies, on the other hand, have had an optimistic start to the season, going 4-2 and taking down the ACC’s Pittsburgh Panthers in the process.

Montana’s leading scorer has been junior guard Ahmaad Rorie, a sharpshooter who also led the Grizzlies in scoring and assists last season. Rorie is averaging 18.8 points per game on the season and leads the team with 4.3 assists per contest.

Another player to watch for will be junior guard Michael Oguine, who is averaging 16.2 points per game this season and leads the team in rebounds. Oguine scored 29 in Montana’s overtime win over Pitt.

As for the Cardinal, a team that has dropped four straight, they will look to keep turnovers to a minimum and improve on defense. Stanford has allowed opponents to score 92.5 points per game over its losing streak and committed 28 turnovers as a team against Portland State, the stat that undoubtedly allowed the Vikings to pull off the upset.

Look for the usual contributors for the Cardinal to produce Wednesday, such as senior forward Reid Travis, who leads the Cardinal in scoring, senior forward Michael Humphrey, the team’s leading rebounder and especially freshman point guard Daejon Davis, whose development has been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal opening to the season for Stanford.

Stanford and Montana tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion, and the game will be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Networks.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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By the Numbers: Washington https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/13/by-the-numbers-washington/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/13/by-the-numbers-washington/#respond Mon, 13 Nov 2017 08:04:13 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1133249 The Cardinal pulled off a major upset at Stanford Stadium Saturday, knocking off the no. 9 Huskies 30-22. These are some notable stats from a wild Friday night:   406: Total yards of offense from the Cardinal, the highest total the Huskies have given up all season by 93 yards. The Huskies were ranked No. […]

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The Cardinal pulled off a major upset at Stanford Stadium Saturday, knocking off the no. 9 Huskies 30-22. These are some notable stats from a wild Friday night:

 

406: Total yards of offense from the Cardinal, the highest total the Huskies have given up all season by 93 yards. The Huskies were ranked No. 1 in the nation in yards allowed per game prior to Friday night.

166: Yards on the ground from junior running back Bryce Love Friday, the most the Huskies have allowed an opposing rusher to run for this season. Love also ran for three touchdowns, equivalent to the number of rushing touchdowns given up by the Huskies all season going into the game.

211: Passing yards for sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello, the most of his career. Costello moved the ball effectively against a strong Huskies secondary and finished 16 for 27 with no touchdowns or interceptions.

130: Receiving yards for junior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside, the most of his career. Arcega-Whiteside accumulated those yards on just five receptions, coming to 26 yards per reception.

325: Total yards for the Huskies, their second-lowest total of the season. The Cardinal kept the Washington offense in check for most of the game, keeping them scoreless for 30:15 seconds from the second quarter to the fourth, and holding prolific quarterback Jake Browning to just 190 yards through the air.

8: Tackles for loss for Stanford, tied for their most in a game this season. Four of those came from senior linebacker Bobby Okereke, including two crucial sacks of Jake Browning. Okereke also had a forced fumble in his stellar performance Friday that helped seal the game for the Cardinal.

11: Tackles for junior safety Frank Buncom, a game-high as well as a career-high for him.

3: Teams still in contention for the Pac-12 North title. Stanford, Washington, and Washington State all still have a shot at a trip to Santa Clara for the Pac-12 Championship game with just two weeks left in the regular season. Stanford needs to beat Cal next Saturday and have Washington win at home in the Apple Cup, while Washington needs a Stanford loss plus two wins in the next two weeks, and Washington State only needs to defeat the Huskies on the road in two weeks.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Costello to start against Washington State https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/03/costello-to-start-against-washington-state/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/03/costello-to-start-against-washington-state/#respond Fri, 03 Nov 2017 10:58:19 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1132463 Head coach David Shaw announced Thursday that he will start sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello over senior Keller Chryst in Saturday’s matchup with no. 25 Washington State. The decision comes a week after a near upset at Oregon State in which Chryst threw 33 passes for 16 completions, 141 yards, an interception and the game-winning touchdown.

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Head coach David Shaw announced Thursday that he will start sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello over senior Keller Chryst in Saturday’s matchup with no. 25 Washington State. The decision comes a week after a near upset at Oregon State in which Chryst threw 33 passes for 16 completions, 141 yards, an interception and the game-winning touchdown.

This is the third time Shaw has changed quarterbacks midseason in six years.

Chryst has had a disappointing year, throwing for a 54.2 completion percentage, eight touchdowns and four interceptions in six full games on the season. He threw 10 touchdowns and two interceptions last season with a similar amount of playing time.

Costello has thrown 67 passes for 43 completions and 492 yards this season, he has a quarterback rating of 145.6 to Chryst’s 123.1 and has yet to throw an interception in his career. In his lone start this season against Arizona State, he completed 15 of 24 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown in a 34-24 win.

Costello’s second start of his career kicks off in Pullman at 12:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted on Fox.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Men’s basketball warms up with Chico State https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/02/mens-basketball-warms-up-with-chico-state/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/02/mens-basketball-warms-up-with-chico-state/#respond Thu, 02 Nov 2017 09:00:38 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1132397 The Stanford Cardinal will warm up for the regular season and give fans their first taste of Cardinal basketball action with an exhibition matchup against the Chico State Wildcats on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion.

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The Stanford Cardinal will warm up for the regular season and give fans their first taste of Cardinal basketball action with an exhibition matchup against the Chico State Wildcats on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion.

The Wildcats, an NCAA Division II program, are the reigning NCAA West region champs from last season’s NCAA Tournament, and finished with a 26-8 overall record last season. They finished with a 15-5 conference record, putting them at fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Wildcats made their sixth consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearance and second elite eight appearance in four years.

Chico State has four returning starters from that team, including senior forward Isaiah Ellis, who led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding last season, averaging 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest. Ellis also earned First-Team All-CCAA honors for the second straight season.

Another player to watch for is Jalen McFerren, a senior guard from Oakland who averaged 12.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last season and also received First-Team All-CCAA recognition. McFerren shoots 44.7 percent from beyond the arc and 92.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Fans will get their first look at an experienced Cardinal squad that includes familiar faces like senior forward and ESPN preseason All-American Reid Travis, senior guard Dorian Pickens and senior forward Michael Humphrey as well as new faces from Stanford’s top-25 recruiting class, including freshmen Daejon Davis, Kezie Okpala, Isaac White and Oscar Da Silva.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be aired on a live stream that can be found on gostanford.com.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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By the numbers: Stanford vs. Oregon State https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/30/by-the-numbers-stanford-vs-oregon-state-2/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/30/by-the-numbers-stanford-vs-oregon-state-2/#respond Mon, 30 Oct 2017 08:02:41 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1132094 The Stanford Cardinal made an improbable comeback in the closing minutes of their game Thursday to defeat the Oregon State Beavers 15-14 in Corvallis. Here are some notable statistics from that game and the season thus far:

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By the numbers: Stanford vs. Oregon State
Junior wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside caught the game-winning touchdown against Oregon State last week.(SYLER PERALTA-RAMOS/The Stanford Daily)

The Stanford Cardinal made an improbable comeback in the closing minutes of their game Thursday to defeat the Oregon State Beavers 15-14 in Corvallis. Here are some notable statistics from that game and the season thus far:

81: Rushing yards for the Cardinal on Thursday in the absence of star junior running back Bryce Love. This was their lowest rushing total since being drubbed 42-16 by the Washington State Cougars last season. Love alone has averaged over 198 rushing yards per game this season.

222: Total yards from the Stanford offense Thursday, its lowest total since a 44-6 loss to Washington last season. Oregon State’s defense ranks 106th in the nation in yards allowed per game.

+2: Turnover margin for the Cardinal, as they forced the Beavers to one interception and two fumbles and committed just one turnover, an interception thrown by senior quarterback Keller Chryst. The Cardinal rank seventh nationally in turnover margin, with a +10 mark for the season.

9: Total tackles for senior defensive tackle Harrison Phillips Thursday, including two tackles for loss. Phillips leads the team in total tackles with 59, which ranks 10th in the Pac-12. Phillips also recovered two fumbles and was partially responsible for the Ryan Nall fumble that gave Stanford the ball for its game-winning drive.

8: Penalties for the Cardinal on Thursday, amounting to 81 penalty yards. Penalties have plagued Stanford at times this season, as it ranks 84th in the nation in penalties per game, averaging 6.8 penalties and 54.3 penalty yards per game this season.

20: First downs for Oregon State Thursday, compared to just 12 for Stanford. The Cardinal had trouble moving the chains in Corvallis, going 5-16 on third downs with four three-and-outs.

33: Pass attempts from Keller Chryst, a new career-high for him. Chryst was given a bigger role with Love’s absence Thursday, along with the fact that sophomore K.J. Costello did not get any snaps, but could not take advantage of the higher workload. Chryst only completed 48.5 percent of his throws for 4.3 yards per attempt.

1: Game-sealing interception by senior free safety Brandon Simmons. It was the first interception of his career.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Football narrowly escapes major upset at Oregon State https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/26/football-narrowly-escapes-major-upset-at-oregon-state/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/26/football-narrowly-escapes-major-upset-at-oregon-state/#respond Fri, 27 Oct 2017 06:53:59 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1132012 The Stanford Cardinal (6-2, 5-1 Pac-12) edged the Oregon State Beavers (1-7, 0-5 Pac-12) 15-14 in a Pac-12 contest at Reser Stadium in Corvallis Thursday night. The Cardinal were lifted to victory by a touchdown reception from junior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside on a fade throw to the corner from senior quarterback Keller Chryst with […]

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The Stanford Cardinal (6-2, 5-1 Pac-12) edged the Oregon State Beavers (1-7, 0-5 Pac-12) 15-14 in a Pac-12 contest at Reser Stadium in Corvallis Thursday night. The Cardinal were lifted to victory by a touchdown reception from junior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside on a fade throw to the corner from senior quarterback Keller Chryst with 20 seconds left to play.

Oregon State looked primed to complete what would have been perhaps the biggest Pac-12 upset of the season, as they held the ball up 14-9 with 1st & 10 and roughly two and a half minutes left in the game.

Senior defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and fifth year outside linebacker Peter Kalambayi quickly changed Stanford’s fortunes, however.

Phillips bursted through the middle and knocked the ball loose from Oregon State junior running back Ryan Nall’s hands. Nall juggled the ball and was hit by an unblocked Kalambayi, who ultimately knocked the ball back to Phillips, who made the recovery.

“You can’t say enough about Harrison Phillips, and the effort and determination with which he plays,” said head coach David Shaw. “When the game’s on the line you expect your senior captains to make plays, and Harrison did that, and found a way to come away with that ball at the end of the game.”

The Cardinal took over at Oregon State’s 40-yard line and were put in great position to score their first touchdown of the game and take the lead for the first time since the second quarter.

It was not quite so easy for the Cardinal, though, as they were immediately forced to a 4th & 10 situation. Chryst proceeded to throw over the middle to sophomore tight end Kaden Smith who made an impressive catch over an Oregon State defender to put the Cardinal at the Oregon State 15-yard line and sustain their hopes of escaping Reser Stadium alive.

After several short gains, the Cardinal found themselves on the three-yard line for 2nd & goal.

Enter JJ Arcega-Whiteside.

In a play somewhat reminiscent of the comeback win against UCLA last season, Chryst threw a fade to Arcega-Whiteside who jostled for position with an Oregon State defensive back before coming down with the ball to put the Cardinal up 15-14.

“[Arcega-Whiteside] seems to always make the big plays for us,” said junior running back Cameron Scarlett.

The catch was one of three in the game for Arcega-Whiteside, who had 30 receiving yards when all was finished. Chryst went 16-33 for 141 yards, a touchdown, and an interception on the night.

Junior running back Bryce Love did not play in the game, as he is still recovering from an apparent ankle injury. His replacement, Cameron Scarlett, struggled to find gaps in the Beavers defense and ultimately finished with just 72 yards on 4.2 yards per carry.

Stanford only rushed for 81 yards as a team, their lowest total since losing to Washington State 42-16 last season.

“It was tough,” said Scarlett. “Oregon State played a great game. They gave us their best punch and we knew that coming in. We had to make some adjustments in the second half and we started running the ball a little bit better, but we have to get back to the drawing boards, go watch some film and see what we can do next week.”

“It is hard to win a conference game, in any conference, late in the season on the road,” said Shaw. “It doesn’t have to be pretty, and we found a way to get it done.”

Next up for Oregon State, a team that seems somewhat revitalized after their head coach Gary Andersen resigned, is a trip to Cal. The Beavers are still searching for their first conference win of the season. As for the Cardinal, they begin a brutal stretch to finish the season that includes three top-15 teams and rival Cal. Stanford begins that stretch by traveling north to Pullman next weekend for a matchup with the Washington State Cougars.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

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Travis, Humphrey named to preseason watch lists https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/24/travis-humphrey-named-to-preseason-watch-lists/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/24/travis-humphrey-named-to-preseason-watch-lists/#respond Tue, 24 Oct 2017 08:02:46 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1131657 As the college basketball season approaches, two Stanford men’s basketball players were named to preseason watchlists by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Senior forward Reid Travis was honored with being named one of the 20 players on the watchlist for the Karl Malone award, given to the best power forward in college basketball, while senior forward Michael Humphrey was chosen for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar watch list, which honors the nation’s top center each year.

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Travis, Humphrey named to preseason watch lists
Senior forwards Reid Travis (above) and Michael Humphrey received preseason recognitions as both were named on award watchlists.(LAUREN DYER/The Stanford Daily)

As the college basketball season approaches, two Stanford men’s basketball players were named to preseason watchlists by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Senior forward Reid Travis was honored with being named one of the 20 players on the watchlist for the Karl Malone award, which is given to the best power forward in college basketball, while senior forward Michael Humphrey was chosen for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar watch list, which honors the nation’s top center.

Travis will be looking to build on his tremendous success from last season, in which he was the fourth-leading scorer and fifth-leading rebounder in the Pac-12. Travis averaged 17.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last year and is the top returning scorer and rebounder in the conference. Travis received first-team All-Pac-12 honors last season and ESPN deemed him a fourth-team preseason All-American on Monday.

As for Humphrey, he will also look to improve upon solid play from the 2016-2017 season. While his numbers did not see an uptick from his sophomore campaign, Humphrey was a staple for the Cardinal last year, scoring 9.4 points and grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game, which ranked third and second on the team, respectively.

Travis, Humphrey and the rest of the Cardinal will start their season on Nov. 10 against the Cal Poly Mustangs at Maples Pavilion. That game will tip-off at 4 p.m.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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By the Numbers: Stanford vs. Oregon https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/16/by-the-numbers-stanford-vs-oregon-2/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/16/by-the-numbers-stanford-vs-oregon-2/#respond Mon, 16 Oct 2017 07:05:51 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1131078 Stanford coasted to a 49-7 romp of the Oregon Ducks Saturday. Here are some notable statistics from the game and season so far:

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Stanford coasted to a 49-7 romp of the Oregon Ducks on Saturday. Here are some notable statistics from the game and season so far:

42: Stanford’s margin of victory Saturday, its largest ever margin over the Ducks.

4:23: Amount of time it took junior running back Bryce Love to eclipse 100 yards rushing. Love took the ball 67 yards to the house on the first play of Stanford’s second drive to put his rushing total at 115 yards on just five carries. Love would only gain 32 yards on the ground on 12 carries the rest of the game to finish with 147 yards.

9: Consecutive Stanford games with a Bryce Love touchdown run of over 50 yards. It was also Love’s ninth straight game with over 100 yards rushing, tied for the longest such streak in school history.

2: Number of games in which senior quarterback Keller Chryst has thrown for three touchdowns in his career, with both games coming against Oregon. Chryst finished Saturday’s game 15-21 for 181 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

1: Number of career multiple-touchdown games for junior wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Arcega-Whiteside finished Saturday with career-highs in receptions (six), receiving yards (112) and receiving touchdowns (two).

33: Passing yards for the Oregon offense. Freshman quarterback Braxton Burmeister had a rough outing, finishing 3-8 for 23 yards and two interceptions. Thirty-three yards is the lowest passing total Stanford has held the opposition to since holding Army to nine yards in 2014.

33: Percent chance Stanford wins the Pac-12, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. Only Washington has a higher chance, at 35 percent.

11: Team interceptions for the Cardinal this season, which ranks them fourth in the nation. Both Casey Toohill and Quenton Meeks were able to snag a Braxton Burmeister pass Saturday, Meeks’ second interception of the season and Toohill’s first-ever career pick.

2: Receiving touchdowns for freshman tight end Colby Parkinson, with both coming in the fourth quarter. Parkinson caught one from both Keller Chryst and sophomore quarterback KJ Costello, and he now has four touchdown receptions this season, tied for first on the team with Arcega-Whiteside.

16: Passing yards for junior wide receiver Jay Tyler. On a trick play similar to what coach Shaw ran with quarterback Andrew Luck, Tyler found a wide-open Ryan Burns for a big pickup.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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By the Numbers: Utah https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/09/by-the-numbers-utah/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/09/by-the-numbers-utah/#respond Mon, 09 Oct 2017 07:21:51 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1130770 Stanford was able to hold on for a 23-20 upset of Utah late Saturday night. Here are some important stats from the game and season so far: 5: Interceptions for junior safety Justin Reid this season, who’s tied for first in the nation. Both Reid and junior cornerback Quenton Meeks came down with a pass […]

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Stanford was able to hold on for a 23-20 upset of Utah late Saturday night. Here are some important stats from the game and season so far:

5: Interceptions for junior safety Justin Reid this season, who’s tied for first in the nation. Both Reid and junior cornerback Quenton Meeks came down with a pass from Utah quarterback Troy Williams Saturday. Reid also led the Cardinal in tackles Saturday with seven, including one for loss. “I don’t know if there’s another safety playing at his level in America right now,” head coach David Shaw said. Stanford has forced opposing quarterbacks to at least one interception in five of their six games this season, amounting to nine interceptions as a team, making them tied for sixth in the nation.

+7: Turnover margin for Stanford this season, tied for 9th nationally. The Cardinal have turned the ball over just twice in their past three games, while forcing the opposition to 8 turnovers in that stretch, something that has undoubtedly helped Stanford during their three-game win streak.

152: Rushing yards for junior running back Bryce Love Saturday, with nearly half of those yards coming on a 68-yard sprint to the end zone. This was certainly an impressive performance against a stout Utah defense, but a season-low for Love nonetheless. “You’re going to have days where things aren’t going to open up. You’re not going to have 300 yards rushing or 260 or stuff like that. Sometimes, especially against a good team like Utah, you’re going to have to get nitty and gritty and really fight,” Love said after the game.

23: Stanford’s ranking in the Associated Press Poll Sunday. The Cardinal are the only ranked team with two losses. Four Pac-12 teams cracked the Top-25 this week, with Washington moving up a spot to No.5, Washington State jumping three spots to No. 8, USC checking in at 13th and the Cardinal moving back into the poll at 23rd. The Utes dropped out of the poll after being ranked No. 20 last week.

25: First downs for Utah Saturday, compared to just 14 for Stanford. The Utes were able to move the ball effectively, gaining 382 total yards, but their two turnovers and a missed field goal doomed some of their drives.

84: Penalty yards for Stanford in Utah. The Cardinal committed nine penalties, including two targeting calls late in the game on fifth-year outside linebacker Peter Kalambayi and senior defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, each resulting in ejections. The Cardinal have had trouble with penalties this season, averaging 7.3 penalties a game, tied for 99th in the nation.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Behind enemy lines: Utah Utes https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/06/behind-enemy-lines-utah-utes/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/06/behind-enemy-lines-utah-utes/#respond Fri, 06 Oct 2017 19:30:01 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1130710 Stanford football heads to Salt Lake City to play No. 20 Utah. To preview the game The Daily’s Sam Curry spoke with Brittni Colindres of The Daily Utah Chronicle about Utah’s perspective on the game. The Stanford Daily (TSD): Sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley went down with an injury two weeks ago against Arizona, but senior Troy Williams stepped […]

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Stanford football heads to Salt Lake City to play No. 20 Utah. To preview the game The Daily’s Sam Curry spoke with Brittni Colindres of The Daily Utah Chronicle about Utah’s perspective on the game.

The Stanford Daily (TSD): Sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley went down with an injury two weeks ago against Arizona, but senior Troy Williams stepped in to lead the Utes to the victory. If Huntley isn’t back this Saturday, what changes for the Utes with Williams leading the offense?

Brittni Colindres (BC): If Huntley isn’t back this Saturday, I don’t expect to see many changes for Utah with Williams leading the offense. One things that stands out to me is that Huntley has shown off his dual threat abilities this season, and he isn’t afraid to run or throw the ball, but Williams on the other hand seems to be more confident in throwing the ball than running it.

That difference between the two players could play a factor in the game, but at the same time, Williams led Utah to nine wins this past season as the starting quarterback. It’s a new offensive look with offensive coordinator Troy Taylor running things, but Williams is comfortable in the spotlight, and he is capable of taking charge and directing the offense — he has done it before.

 

TSD: Utah has been solid on defense this season, ranking 17th nationally in total yards allowed per game and 10th in rushing yards allowed per game. Stanford junior Bryce Love is averaging just under 218 yards on the ground per game. Can the Utes contain Love?

BC: I believe Bryce Love will be the biggest challenge for the Utes on Saturday night, but I do think they can slow him down. Love’s explosive, athletic and dominates the ground with over 1,000 yards on the season already, but Utah’s defense  — in particular, its secondary  — has had a strong start to its season, and I don’t see that position group tumbling when Love enters the mix.

Cornerbacks Julian Blackmon, Jaylon Johnson as well as Casey Hughes will be Utes to keep an eye on.

 

TSD: Utah remains the only unbeaten team in the Pac-12 South; however, their schedule thus far has been labeled by some as soft. Are the Utes truly built to compete for a Pac-12 title this season?

BC: I definitely think that Utah has a shot at competing for the Pac-12 title this season because they are chuck full of talent. One major addition to the Utes this season has been wide receiver Darren Carrington II, a graduate transfer from Oregon. With three 100-yard games this year (North Dakota, BYU and San Jose State) he is showing what kind of impact he can have on the offensive side of the ball, and that’s a big plus.

The Utes got off on the right foot, winning all four of their games to remain undefeated on their season, while also taking over as the South division leader, but they haven’t truly been tested yet. As Pac-12 play continues to roll along, it’ll be interesting to watch how Utah responds since it hasn’t faced four incredibly tough opponents thus far. That being said, the Utes however do have that talent and depth, something that’s needed to compete for a Pac-12 title.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Football roundtable: Can Love conquer Utah? https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/05/football-roundtable-can-love-conquer-utah/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/05/football-roundtable-can-love-conquer-utah/#respond Thu, 05 Oct 2017 08:37:27 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1130623 Junior running back Bryce Love broke the Stanford single-game rushing record with 301 rushing yards against Arizona State. The Cardinal will face their toughest defensive test when they travel to Salt Lake City to face off against Utah. The Daily’s Ariana Rollins, Jose Saldana and Sam Curry discuss whether Love and sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello will be successful against the Utes, the defense's ability to stop Utah's quarterback and what Stanford can do to survive the rest of its schedule.

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Junior running back Bryce Love broke the Stanford single-game rushing record with 301 rushing yards against Arizona State. The Cardinal will face their toughest defensive test when they travel to Salt Lake City to face off against Utah. The Daily’s Ariana Rollins, Jose Saldana and Sam Curry discuss whether Love and sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello will be successful against the Utes, the defense’s ability to stop Utah’s quarterback and what Stanford can do to survive the rest of its schedule. 

 

The Stanford offense was able to deliver back-to-back 500+ yard games in their first two home games of the season, with junior running back Bryce Love putting up absurd numbers in the process. This weekend, however, the Cardinal will meet a much stronger defense in the Utah Utes, who rank 17th in the FBS in yards allowed per game. With the Utes only allowing 87 yards per game on the ground, and Love averaging just under 218 rushing yards per game, something has to give. Will Love and sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello continue their success or will they find themselves stifled in Salt Lake?

Jose Saldana (JS): The Utes definitely have smothered their opposition, but they have faced North Dakota (an FCS team that currently is 1-4), BYU (no run game), San Jose State (122th in scoring) and Arizona (ran for 200 yards against Utah last week). Utah has a good maybe great defense, but its high defensive rankings are skewed by the competition it has faced so far in the season. I don’t expect the Cardinal to put up over 500 total yards or for Bryce Love to match his season average for rushing yards per game. Against Arizona State, I was impressed by Love’s ability to churn out yardage even without any holes, which was something he wasn’t doing earlier in the season. This is important against the Utes, where there he might not have the holes he saw against UCLA and Arizona State. K.J. Costello will need to continue his solid play to stretch the field for Love’s power runs. Costello will have to be careful with his throws as Utah has eight interceptions on the year. Stanford needs to get short third downs in order to control time of possession, which will be the key to winning this game.

Sam Curry (SC): The Utes have yet to face a running back with anything near the speed and overall skill set Love possesses, but even so, they will undoubtedly be more solid up front than both Arizona State and UCLA. I think Love’s success depends directly on Costello’s. The last two games, although his stats don’t really speak to this, Costello has been a breath of fresh air for the Cardinal offense, finding holes in the defense and throwing strikes to his receivers when necessary, forcing opposing defenses to respect the Stanford air attack. If Costello is able to keep the sturdier Utes defense honest and convert on longer third-down situations, I think Love has a good chance of racking up some impressive stats yet again, and the Cardinal offense will thrive for a third straight week despite the challenges the Utah defense presents.

Ariana Rollins (AR): The answer here is two-fold, the first part being that Bryce Love is one of the top running backs in college football right now, so whatever the Utes have managed in the past will certainly be put to the test against a playmaker like Love. However, there are those that say he is only as good as he has been because we haven’t played great defenses thus far, and Utah is certainly much better. I’m a little worried given their defensive ranking compared to UCLA’s and ASU’s, and don’t expect Love to come anywhere near his record, though he’ll certainly still do some damage. The real test will be to see how K.J. Costello performs against a stronger defense, and whether he continues to motivate the team in the way we’ve seen in the past two weeks.

 

The Cardinal defense has yet to face a true dual-threat quarterback this season, and if sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley is back from an injury he suffered against Arizona two weeks ago, he is certainly comfortable running the ball, accruing 208 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground thus far this season. With the struggles the Stanford defense has had against some opposing signal-callers already, how do you see the Cardinal handling a quarterback who can make plays with his legs as well?

JS: The Stanford defense did a great job defending Sun Devils quarterback Manny Wilkins last week. He was held to 181 passing yards and two interceptions. Prior to that game, Wilkins was averaging over 300 passing yards per game. Stanford was able to limit Wilkins because of Arizona State’s bad offensive line, and the defense was allowing the Sun Devils to run. The Cardinal will maybe be able to do this against the Utes, but Utah has a better offensive line and a decent running game. Against USC, quarterback Sam Darnold showed that Stanford’s defense couldn’t handle when the quarterback left the pocket, so Tyler Huntley may have a good game on the ground. The Utes have had two weeks to prepare for this game, so they might be prepared to start the game with design runs if the Cardinal are playing the pass.

SC: The added challenge of a dual-threat quarterback has me worried for the Cardinal. The defensive front has definitely done a better job of getting pressure on the quarterback the last two games, but as we saw against Darnold and a little bit against Josh Rosen, a quarterback with pocket presence and even the slightest bit of mobility can give this Stanford defense a lot of trouble. I don’t yet trust this defense against a quarterback content to sit in the pocket, so a quarterback that can escape pressure and burn you on the ground has me concerned about one more thing the Cardinal might not be able to stop. The answer to this question is crucial for Stanford, as it will likely determine how successful they will be at stopping teams like Washington and Notre Dame.

AR: The Stanford defense, like many defenses, has been pretty good this season when it knew what to expect. However, we have consistently struggled with teams that have a couple of offensive threats, and while the defensive front has been good with pressure recently, they have had issues with mobile quarterbacks. To be honest, all parts of the defense have struggled with quarterbacks, and I’m not excited to see how we match up against a dual-threat, especially given how we keep having to line-up on defense. On the bright side, it’s looking like Huntley won’t play, and Williams, while formidable, isn’t quite as threatening.

 

Stanford plays four of its remaining seven games against ranked teams (Utah, Washington, Washington State and Notre Dame). What will the Cardinal have to do in order survive this brutal stretch?

JS: The defense needs to improve especially on the line. That is a hard task because the defensive front is the weakest position group on the defense. Outside of the game against Rice, the Cardinal haven’t put a total defensive effort. The team gives up either a ton of passing yards or rushing yards. This might not change in the future as the Cardinal aren’t talented upfront to stop an entire offense. Going to Utah and Washington State be will incredibly tough on the defense, but the offense might be affected the most. The offensive line has definitely improved from the start of the year, but it will need show the improvement is real against tougher defenses. K.J. Costello will need to continue to improve and to take advantage of the defenses focusing on Love. I don’t worry about Love getting his 50+ yard carry for a touchdown against these defense, but I worry if he can make 1-yard runs to 3-4 yard runs. Doing that successfully will go along way to continue a humming Stanford offense the rest of the season.

SC: In order to have a chance at the Pac-12 North, K.J. Costello needs to prove he can throw against above-average defenses, the offensive line needs to prove they can protect him and create running lanes for Love against above-average defenses, and the defense needs to be able to stop the pass while rushing more than three defensive linemen. When the Cardinal defense was torn apart by USC, it was due to Stanford’s inability to cover receivers without five defensive backs on the field. Darnold forced the Cardinal to go to a nickel defense, and the USC running backs were able to run wild as a result. We could see similarly frustrating results against Washington and Washington State if the Stanford defensive front and secondary aren’t able to coordinate a complete defensive performance. While the Stanford offense has many questions left to answer, they showed me they are capable of putting up plenty of points on top competition in the first half of the USC game. The defense has yet to show me it is capable of stopping the better offenses of the Pac-12, so I think Stanford’s success for the rest of the season will likely depend on their defense.

AR: K.J. Costello has been great thus far, but I’m worried about how much that has been because our offensive line hasn’t been truly pushed recently. In order to keep our offense variable, our line has to protect the pocket, unlike earlier this year, and also try to create some holes for Bryce Love, who can do practically anything with some good blocks. Perhaps in terms of improvement though, our defense needs to work on its coverage. We seem to be able to protect against one kind of attack per game, and that’s just not sustainable against some of the high-powered offenses we’re about to go against. Other than that, Stanford will always do the same thing — play tough and run them down — and everyone will always know to expect that, so we just have to keep doing it better than the week before.

 

Contact Jose Saldana at jsaldana ‘at’ stanford .edu, Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu and Ariana Rollins at arianar ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

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By the numbers: Stanford vs. Arizona State https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/01/by-the-numbers-stanford-vs-arizona-state-2/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/01/by-the-numbers-stanford-vs-arizona-state-2/#respond Mon, 02 Oct 2017 06:00:10 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1130487 The Cardinal defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils 34-24 Saturday at Stanford Stadium behind a monster game from junior running back Bryce Love. Here are a few significant stats from the game and the season so far. Note: Given the absurd numbers Love put up Saturday, as well as the entire season, the majority of these statistics will be related to Love, so if you’re tired of hearing about how ridiculously impressive Love has been through his first five games, you may want to stop reading here.

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The Cardinal defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils 34-24 Saturday at Stanford Stadium behind a monster game from junior running back Bryce Love. Here are a few significant stats from the game and the season so far. Note: Given the absurd numbers Love put up Saturday, as well as the entire season, the majority of these statistics will be related to Love, so if you’re tired of hearing about how ridiculously impressive Love has been through his first five games, you may want to stop reading here.

301: Rushing yards from Love on Saturday, breaking the single-game Stanford record of 284 yards previously set by Christian McCaffrey against Cal last season.

1088: Rushing yards from Love on the season, leading the next best rusher in the FBS by 265 yards, with San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny checking at number two with 823 yards on the ground. Only three FBS players have ever racked up more yards in their team’s first five games.

7: Consecutive games in which Love has had a run of 50 yards or more. He ran 61 yards for a score on his second carry Saturday and took it to the house for 59 yards later in the game. He is the only college football player in the last 20 years to have such a streak.

2835: Number of rushing yards Love is on pace for this season. While it is difficult to imagine him keeping up this blistering pace, that number would break Barry Sanders’ FBS record of 2628 yards.

19: Consecutive games junior wide receiver Trenton Irwin has had a reception. He had three catches for 23 yards Saturday.

4: Interceptions for junior safety Justin Reid this season. He picked off Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins, who had zero interceptions going into the game, twice Saturday, and is now tied for third most in the FBS.

33: Consecutive kicks made by sophomore kicker Jet Toner. Toner is 24-24 on PATs and 9-9 on field goals this season and is one of just seven kickers in the FBS with a perfect record this season.

501: Total yards for the Stanford offense Saturday, the third time they’ve gained over 500 yards as a team this season.

39.0: Number of points Stanford is scoring per game. The Cardinal have been held under 30 points only twice this season against USC (24) and San Diego State (17). They rank 24th in the scoring department and fifth in the Pac-12. Oregon has the nation’s highest scoring team at 49.6 points per game.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Instant recap: Love rocks, Cardinal roll 34-24 over Arizona State https://stanforddaily.com/2017/09/30/instant-recap-love-rocks-cardinal-roll-34-24-over-arizona-state/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/09/30/instant-recap-love-rocks-cardinal-roll-34-24-over-arizona-state/#respond Sun, 01 Oct 2017 00:22:56 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1130477 The Stanford Cardinal (3-2, 2-1 Pac-12) defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils (2-3, 1-1 Pac-12) 34-24 at Stanford Stadium on Saturday afternoon behind a record-breaking performance from junior running back Bryce Love. The win marks the fourth straight home victory for the Cardinal and their first win over the Sun Devils since 2013.

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The Stanford Cardinal (3-2, 2-1 Pac-12) defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils (2-3, 1-1 Pac-12) 34-24 at Stanford Stadium on Saturday afternoon behind a record-breaking performance from junior running back Bryce Love. The win marks the fourth straight home victory for the Cardinal and their first win over the Sun Devils since 2013.

Love opened the game by extending his phenomenal now seven-game streak of games with a rush of at least 50 yards, with a 61-yard sprint to the end zone on just his second carry of the game.

He was far from done.

Love would go on to break the Stanford single-game rushing record of 284 yards previously held by Christian McCaffrey, find the end zone three times and become the first rusher of the 2017 season to run for over 1000 yards. Love’s final statline read 25 carries for 301 yards, which amounts to just over 12 yards per carry.

Love’s monster game was complimented by sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello, who finished his first start 15-24 with 173 yards and a touchdown to junior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside in the second quarter. Arcega-Whiteside caught four passes for 63 yards before leaving the game in the second quarter after getting injured on a 40-yard reception.

Despite another impressive offensive performance from the Cardinal, who gained 501 total yards as a team, the Sun Devils were able to keep an upset victory within reach for the duration of the game, as their offense was able to move the ball effectively against the Cardinal, gaining 409 yards in total.

Senior quarterback Manny Wilkins threw for 181 yards and three Sun Devils ran for at least 60 yards, with senior running back Demario Richard leading the way with 80 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.

Despite allowing a high yardage total for yet another week, the Stanford defense was able to force two turnovers, tarnishing Wilkins’ clean interception record going into the game with two picks from junior safety Justin Reid. Reid now has four interceptions this season.

The Sun Devils have a bye next week, and will now look toward an Oct. 14 date with the No. 6 Washington Huskies while the Cardinal will prepare for a trip to Salt Lake City to face the 20th-ranked Utah Utes next Saturday. That game kicks off at 7:15 p.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports One.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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By the numbers: Stanford vs. UCLA https://stanforddaily.com/2017/09/25/by-the-numbers-stanford-vs-ucla-3/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/09/25/by-the-numbers-stanford-vs-ucla-3/#respond Tue, 26 Sep 2017 06:26:52 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1130166 Stanford football increased its winning streak over UCLA to ten games in emphatic fashion as the Cardinal downed the Bruins 58-34 on Saturday night. Here are a few of the notable statistics from the game:

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Stanford football increased its winning streak over UCLA to ten games in emphatic fashion as the Cardinal downed the Bruins 58-34 on Saturday night. Here are a few of the notable statistics from the game:

1148: Total yards of offense in the game. Both defenses struggled to slow down the opposition, with the Bruins doing their damage through the air with 480 passing yards and Stanford getting most of its production on the ground, gaining 405 rushing yards as a team. Despite holding the Bruins to a season-low of 34 points on Saturday, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen had the second-best game of his career yardage-wise.

By the numbers: Stanford vs. UCLA
Junior running back Bryce Love (above) set a career high in rushing yards (263) and carries (30) in the 58-34 win over UCLA on Saturday.(SYLER PERALTA-RAMOS/The Stanford Daily)

30: Carries for junior running back Bryce Love, his largest-ever workload in a game by far. He had 30 carries in the USC and San Diego State games combined.

263: Rushing yards for Bryce Love. He definitely took advantage of his increased number of touches and averaged 8.8 yards per carry. Love now leads the FBS in rushing yards.

3: Rushing touchdowns for junior running back Cameron Scarlett, his second three-touchdown performance this season.

58: Points for Stanford, its highest total in a conference game since beating Cal 63-13 in 2013. The Cardinal had 35 points come from the ground.

7: Quarterback hurries from the Stanford defense on Saturday. The Cardinal defensive front, despite only sacking Rosen once, pressured him the whole game and never let him get too comfortable in the pocket.

4: Turnovers for UCLA, its highest total of the season. Rosen had two passes intercepted in this game, which doubled his interception total for the season.

514: Stanford yards gained on drives K.J. Costello led the offense. The sophomore quarterback took commanding control of the offense after junior Keller Chryst went out with an injury in the first quarter. “The way he took control of that huddle was pretty cool,” senior tight end Dalton Schultz said after the game.

 

Contact Sam Curry at curry ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

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Instant Recap: Bryce Love and K.J. Costello lead Stanford over UCLA https://stanforddaily.com/2017/09/24/instant-recap-bryce-love-and-k-j-costello-lead-stanford-over-ucla/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/09/24/instant-recap-bryce-love-and-k-j-costello-lead-stanford-over-ucla/#respond Sun, 24 Sep 2017 07:31:31 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1130149 The Stanford Cardinal (2-2, 1-1 Pac-12), behind an offense led for the majority of the game by sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello, captured a decisive 58-34 win against the UCLA Bruins (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) Saturday night at Stanford Stadium. The win marks Stanford’s tenth straight victory against UCLA.

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Most fans knew a quarterback wearing number three would lead an effective offensive attack at Stanford Stadium Saturday.

They just didn’t know he’d be wearing Cardinal red.

The Stanford Cardinal (2-2, 1-1 Pac-12), behind an offense led for the majority of the game by sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello, captured a decisive 58-34 win against the UCLA Bruins (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) Saturday night at Stanford Stadium. The win marks Stanford’s tenth straight victory against UCLA.

The game started slowly for both teams, and after senior quarterback Keller Chryst stayed down after getting hit on a 5-yard run in the first quarter, the mood was less than optimistic in Stanford Stadium.

That would soon change as K.J. Costello led two touchdown drives and breathed life into a Stanford offense that had not showed any since the first half of the USC game two weeks ago. Costello finished the game 13-for-19 with 123 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored a touchdown on the ground, diving for the pylon against four UCLA defenders for the nine-yard score.

Stanford would maintain a comfortable lead the entire second half behind a monster performance from junior running back Bryce Love, who finished the game with 263 yards on the ground, a career-high for him and just 21 yards from the Stanford single-game record held by Christian McCaffrey.

Love was not the only running back with an impressive statline however, as junior Cameron Scarlett ran for 86 yards and punched in three rushing touchdowns for the Cardinal. Stanford finished with 405 rushing yards as a team.

As for the receiving corps, junior J.J. Arcega-Whiteside led Stanford with five catches for 62 yards, while junior Trenton Irwin hauled in the second touchdown reception of his career over a UCLA defender and finished with 33 yards. Senior tight end Dalton Schultz also caught a touchdown on an errant throw from Costello that Schultz somehow saved from the ground with one hand.

The Stanford defense had a disappointing performance on paper, allowing UCLA to gain a total of 595 yards and junior quarterback Josh Rosen to go 40-of-60 for 480 yards and three touchdowns, but it forced the Bruins to commit four turnovers, and it came through when the Cardinal needed it: holding UCLA to a season-low 34 points.

Next week, the Bruins will face off against the Colorado Buffaloes in Los Angeles while the Cardinal will play host to the Arizona State Sun Devils at Stanford Stadium, a team that will be fresh off a 37-35 win against No. 24 Oregon. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. and the game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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By the numbers: Stanford vs. San Diego State https://stanforddaily.com/2017/09/18/by-the-numbers-stanford-vs-san-diego-state/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/09/18/by-the-numbers-stanford-vs-san-diego-state/#respond Mon, 18 Sep 2017 18:17:17 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1130074 The Cardinal were upset by the San Diego State Aztecs 20-17 last Saturday. Here are some notable statistics from the game and season:

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The Cardinal were upset by the San Diego State Aztecs 20-17 last Saturday. Here are some notable statistics from the game and season:

72: Passing yards from senior quarterback Keller Chryst on Saturday, his third-lowest output as a starter. Chryst’s bad day did not end with that figure as he only completed nine of 20 passes and threw two interceptions. He was also sacked four times and lost a fumble.

187: Passing yards from San Diego State quarterback Christian Chapman Saturday, the fourth-highest total of his career against FBS opponents. Arizona State’s mediocre pass defense held him to 73 yards the week before.

22: Minutes the game was delayed due to the lights going out in SDCCU Stadium. The Cardinal were up 17-13 with less than four minutes to go at the time of the delay. Stanford head coach David Shaw did not seem to think the delay affected Stanford, “If anything, San Diego State had the momentum,” he said. “They’d just gotten an explosive play.”

3: Number of times the Cardinal have lost back-to-back games under David Shaw.

184: Rushing yards from Bryce Love on only 13 carries for an average of 14.3 yards per rush. The list of impressive stats for Love goes on and on. Saturday marked his fifth-straight start with at least 100 yards on the ground. He’s averaging 15 yards per carry on first downs this season. Love even has a rush of 50 yards or more in five straight games, not to mention he is now 2nd in the nation in rushing yards.

17: Consecutive kicks Jet Toner has made to start his career. The sophomore is 13-for-13 on extra points and four-for-four on field goals with his longest being from 40 yards.

6: Number of players to record a sack for the Cardinal Saturday. Six sacks is the Stanford defense’s highest total since recording six against Arizona last season.

41:13: San Diego State’s time of possession. Perhaps the most shocking and telling stat of the game, it shows just how much the Aztecs controlled the ball and beat the Cardinal at their own game. Stanford has always prided itself on controlling the ball and wearing down opponents on the ground, but Rashaad Penny, who had 175 yards on a career-high 32 carries, and the Aztecs turned the tables on the Cardinal to grind out the upset.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Football blows past Rice in season opener https://stanforddaily.com/2017/08/28/football-blows-past-rice-in-season-opener/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/08/28/football-blows-past-rice-in-season-opener/#respond Mon, 28 Aug 2017 19:47:08 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1129955 No. 14 Stanford football (1-0) easily handled the Rice Owls(0-1) on college football’s opening day Saturday, running away to a 62-7 rout in the Sydney Cup.

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No. 14 Stanford football (1-0) easily handled the Rice Owls (0-1) on college football’s opening day Saturday, running away to a 62-7 rout in the Sydney Cup.

The Cardinal did not take their time in establishing their dominance over the Owls, jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter before extending their lead to 38 points before the half.

Bryce Love and Cameron Scarlett may have had something to do with that.

The pair of junior running backs combined for four touchdowns in the first half, with Love wasting no time in proving himself a worthy successor to Christian McCaffrey, running 62 yards on the first play from scrimmage. He would go on to set a new career high in rushing yards before the half and ended the game with 180 yards on 13 carries.

Scarlett finished the game with 59 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, as well as a 56-yard reception.

“Bryce is going to be our lead dog,” head coach David Shaw said. “But it’s nice to know we’ve got some guys who can back him up. I’m excited about where Bryce is heading into this season. We don’t want to wear Bryce out in any one game, so those guys have got to come out and make plays like they did today.”

The Stanford defense was just as impressive the offense Saturday, allowing the Owls only 71 total yards and three first downs in the first half. The Rice offense would fare better in the second half against Stanford’s reserves but still would finish the game with just 241 total yards and a late rushing touchdown.

Sophomore quarterback Sam Glaesmann had a rough start to his collegiate career, completing just seven passes for 69 yards on 18 attempts for the Owls.

“We’re a better team than we showed today,” Rice head coach David Bailiff said. “When you play against a team like Stanford, or any elite team, you have to be at your very best. And we made some poor decisions early.”

Numerous freshmen saw the field and contributed significantly on Saturday: an uncommon theme for the Cardinal in the David Shaw era.

Freshman tight end Colby Parkinson caught a ball in the corner of the endzone to cap off Stanford’s first drive of the season. He would also come down with a jump ball in the endzone early in the second half to finish his day with two touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Keller Chryst, as well as quarterbacks fifth-year senior Ryan Burns and sophomore K.J. Costello, had another freshman as their favorite target as wide receiver Connor Wedington was Stanford’s leading receiver, hauling in six passes for 83 yards.

Freshmen tackles Walker Little and Foster Sarell also made their college football debuts in Sydney.

As for Chryst, it certainly was not a perfect day, but he showed no signs of injury and commanded the offense effectively, throwing 14 completions for 253 yards on 24 attempts and leading the Cardinal to 404 total yards in the first half. Stanford would finish the game with 656 total yards, the highest total for the program since 1999.

“It was great to see Keller Chryst come and be completely healthy, and be able to run the show from the quarterback position,” Shaw said.

Now, after a week full of cultural exchange and new experiences, both teams face a long flight home.

“We’ll take a bit of Sydney with us when we leave, and hopefully we left a little bit of Stanford in Sydney,” coach Shaw said.

Stanford will take a week off before heading to Los Angeles to face off against the USC Trojans in a pivotal Pac-12 matchup Sept. 9. As for the Owls, they will also take a week off before facing UTEP in El Paso.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Football looks to start season with a bang against Rice https://stanforddaily.com/2017/08/25/football-preview-rice-2017/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/08/25/football-preview-rice-2017/#respond Sat, 26 Aug 2017 03:51:00 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1129906 The No. 14 Stanford Cardinal will begin that journey in unique fashion, as they take on the Rice Owls at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Australia on Saturday. "This is like a bowl game for us," head coach David Shaw said. "There's an incredible amount of planning goes into it."

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For all 129 teams of the Football Bowl Subdivision, the start of a new college football season brings newfound expectations and the dream of being crowned college football’s best team. Perennial powers and ambitious underdogs alike will soon embark on a long journey that all hope will conclude at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, this year’s home for the national title game.

The No. 14 Stanford Cardinal will begin that journey in unique fashion, as they take on the Rice Owls at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Australia on Saturday.

“This is like a bowl game for us,” head coach David Shaw said. “There’s an incredible amount of planning goes into it.”

The Cardinal will attempt to start this year’s regular season the same way they ended last year’s: with a win against Rice.

Stanford handled the Owls with ease last season, racking up 373 rushing yards on the way to a 41-17 romp, and the Cardinal are a 31-point favorite in Vegas, but Rice head coach David Bailiff is certain fans will see a different Owls squad in 2017.

“We’ll be a different football team,” said Bailiff. “We’re a healthy football team and we played a lot of young ones last year, so I think we’ll be a lot better this season.”

Rice’s offense will be commanded by sophomore quarterback Sam Glaesmann, who has been given the tall order of playing his first collegiate football game against what is projected to be one of the nation’s best secondaries with two defensive backs on the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List in juniors Quenton Meeks and Justin Reid.

“Whatever they have out there, I just need to make my reads,” Glaesmann said. “Unless they’re an NFL player, they’re going to make mistakes sometimes, so you just have to take advantage of that.”

On the other side of the ball, the Stanford defense will look to establish itself as one of the best defenses in the nation on Saturday. Last season, the Cardinal allowed 20.4 points per game, good for 18th in the nation. With few departures and a deep depth chart, that number should only improve for Stanford.

“We come back with Harrison [Phillips] up front, who has a chance to be one of the better players in our conference and around the nation. Really good group of linebackers inside and outside with speed, athleticism, length and experience,” Shaw said. “Defensive backfield, I’m excited about that position as any position we have on our team. We think these guys have a chance to be one of the better units in America.”

As for the Stanford offense, all eyes will be on senior quarterback Keller Chryst, who went undefeated as a starter before tearing his ACL against North Carolina in the Sun Bowl. While Chryst has made a remarkably fast recovery from that injury and will start Saturday, it has yet to be seen whether he will be as mobile as he was in last year’s match-up with Rice – where he did this.

“He’s shown us no signs of any issues at all physically, there are no limitations on him right now, so we feel good about him getting ready to go play in Sydney,” Shaw affirmed.

On the ground, Saturday is a chance for Stanford to showcase its new and improved offensive line, along with the man they’ll be primarily blocking for, junior running back Bryce Love.

While Love, at least on the national stage, has lived in Christian McCaffrey’s shadow the last two years, the speedster is fully expected to have a breakout season for the Cardinal. Averaging seven yards per carry over his career, Love was able to show just how explosive he can be for moments last season, such as a 50-yard touchdown run against Rice.

“Every time Bryce has touched the ball for the last two years, there is a collective pause that happens on our sideline and the other sideline and there is a gasp that you can actually hear that anticipation because he is so explosive,” Shaw praised of his primary tailback.

But Love’s role will be much different this season, as when McCaffrey left, he took 253 carries with him: a workload that primarily falls on Love’s shoulders. The question of whether Love is durable enough to maintain the blistering pace he set in his first two seasons with a much heavier workload will start to be answered on Saturday.

Trying to stop him will be senior linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee and the Rice defense, who has switched to a 3-4 defensive scheme this year. Ellerbee led the Owls with 118 total tackles last season and was recently named the Preseason Conference-USA Defensive Player of the Year.

An offseason full of speculation culminates in Sydney on Saturday. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. PST and the game will be televised on ESPN.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Behind enemy lines: Rice Owls https://stanforddaily.com/2017/08/23/behind-enemy-lines-rice-owls-2017/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/08/23/behind-enemy-lines-rice-owls-2017/#respond Wed, 23 Aug 2017 08:25:01 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1129844 No. 14 Stanford football will begin the season in Sydney, Australia against the Rice Owls on Saturday. To preview the game The Daily’s Sam Curry spoke with sports editor Andrew Grottkau of The Rice Thresher of Rice University about how Rice can improve from last year and what it means to play in a nationally televised game in Sydney.

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No. 14 Stanford football will begin the season in Sydney, Australia against the Rice Owls on Saturday. To preview the game The Daily’s Sam Curry spoke with sports editor Andrew Grottkau of The Rice Thresher of Rice University about how Rice can improve from last year and what it means to play in a nationally televised game in Sydney.

The Stanford Daily (TSD): Last season, Rice ranked 86th in the nation in total offense. Who could give the Owls the spark they need against a Stanford defense that is expected to be one of the toughest in the nation?

Andrew Grottkau (AG): The Owls face a lot of question marks on offense, but if there is one constant it is the offensive line. All five starters from last season return; together, they have combined for 92 career starts. Senior center Trey Martin was named to the preseason All-Conference USA team and junior tackle Calvin Anderson earned All-C-USA honors as well. The offensive line should give junior running back Samuel Stewart a chance to rack up yards. Despite playing in just four full games in 2016, Stewart averaged 6.2 yards per rush and had 13 carries for 77 yards in last season’s matchup against the Cardinal. Given the uncertainty at quarterback, which we will discuss later, he should be Rice’s best chance to get the offense moving.

TSD: What’s your take on Rice’s quarterback situation? With redshirt freshman Sam Glaesmann getting the nod over JT Granato and fall camp favorite Jackson Tyner, what new looks could we see from the Rice offense and is Glaesmann ready for this stage?

AG: According to head coach David Bailiff, Glaesmann won the job by showcasing his playmaking ability. That’s code for “he can run.” He has yet to appear in a game, so the only data set we can use to assess his performance is Rice’s spring game. In that game, he was 3-for-5 passing for 95 yards and two touchdowns. He added five rushes for 83 yards including a 70-yard rushing touchdown. With all of that said, he was going up against a Rice defense that was No. 123 in the country in total defense. He will have a lot of work to do to mold himself into a quality Division I quarterback, but he has plenty of talent. Against one of the nation’s best defenses, though, expectations should be held in check. It will be a difficult stage for a first-time starter.

TSD: In last year’s matchup with Stanford, Rice allowed the Cardinal to run for 373 yards. Even with Christian McCaffrey gone, what adjustments can the Owls make and who could give an inspiring defensive performance to slow down a Cardinal offense that prefers wearing down opponents on the ground?

AG: After last season’s repeated defensive breakdowns, Rice hired former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart. He has worked all offseason to install a new 3-4 defensive scheme at Rice. The goal is to overhaul a defense that gave up chunks of rushing yards and was susceptible to big plays in the passing game. The most important player to watch on the defensive side for Rice is senior linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee. Ellerbee was named the Preseason C-USA Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference with 10.7 tackles per game last year. If anyone is going to slow the Cardinal rushing attack, it will likely be him.

TSD: What does a game like this—primetime in a foreign country—mean for Rice’s program and what are the Owls looking to get out of this game?

AG: Rice doesn’t get these kinds of opportunities every day. As a group of five school, Rice has had one nationally televised game each of the past three years. This one is particularly special because it is ESPN’s season-opening game. It’s a chance for the players to showcase their talent in front of a primetime, national television audience and it’s a chance for Rice to show future recruits that it can compete against one of the best teams in the country. In the short term, the quality competition will help Rice learn what it needs to improve upon for the conference season. But in the long term, it is a chance to attract future talent—something group of five schools always struggle to do.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu and Andrew Grottkau at abg4 ‘at’ rice.edu.

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Football ranks No. 14 in AP preseason poll https://stanforddaily.com/2017/08/22/football-ranks-no-14-in-ap-preseason-poll/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/08/22/football-ranks-no-14-in-ap-preseason-poll/#respond Tue, 22 Aug 2017 08:03:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1129834 The Associated Press ranked Stanford football the 14th-ranked team in the nation on Monday to start the 2017 season, marking the seventh consecutive year Stanford has earned a spot in the preseason AP poll.

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The Associated Press deemed Stanford football the 14th-ranked team in the nation on Monday to start the 2017 season after finishing last season at No. 12 following a Sun Bowl victory.

Monday’s rankings mark the seventh consecutive season Stanford has earned a spot in the preseason AP poll. The Cardinal have yet to be left out of the initial poll with head coach David Shaw at the helm.

The Cardinal hold the third best ranking of all Pac-12 schools in the poll behind the USC Trojans at No. 4 and the Washington Huskies at No. 8.

Four Pac-12 teams total garnered enough votes to make the top-25, with the Washington State Cougars checking in at No. 24. The Utah Utes just missed the top-25 with 85 votes, just 29 fewer than No. 25 Tennessee. The Colorado Buffaloes did not make the cut despite finishing last season ranked No. 17.

The Alabama Crimson Tide were once again named the team to beat in college football, claiming the No. 1 ranking for the second straight year and fourth time since 2010. The Ohio State Buckeyes grabbed the No. 2 spot while the defending champion Clemson Tigers were placed in the No. 5 spot.

The Cardinal have three opponents this season ranked in the preseason poll—USC, Washington and Washington State—with the Cougars and the Huskies on the schedule back-to-back weekends. While only three top-25 opponents appears to be an easy slate, this number should be misleading, as many of Stanford’s scheduled opponents narrowly missed the cut for the top-25—including Utah, Notre Dame and Oregon.

Stanford will look to improve upon its initial ranking and start the long and hopeful journey that is the college football season Saturday against the Rice Owls in Sydney, Australia. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Pacific Time, and the game will be televised on ESPN.

Contact Samuel Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Rector, Owusu sign with teams post-draft https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/30/rector-owusu-sign-with-teams-post-draft/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/30/rector-owusu-sign-with-teams-post-draft/#respond Mon, 01 May 2017 06:33:01 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1126795 Although the final rounds of the NFL Draft came and went without former Stanford wide receivers Michael Rector and Francis Owusu hearing their names called in Philadelphia on Saturday, the pair will still be taking their talents to the National Football League after being signed as undrafted free agents Saturday.

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Although the final rounds of the NFL Draft came and went without former Stanford wide receivers Michael Rector and Francis Owusu hearing their names called in Philadelphia on Saturday, the pair will still be taking their talents to the National Football League after being signed as undrafted free agents Saturday.

Almost immediately after the final pick in the draft was announced Saturday, Rector’s agent told sources that he would be signing with the Detroit Lions while it was reported shortly thereafter that Owusu had signed with the Miami Dolphins.

While Rector’s stats did not always live up to expectations at Stanford, he is an explosive athlete who undoubtedly impressed scouts with his blistering speed at the NFL combine in March. Rector accumulated a total of 1681 receiving yards and hauled in 15 receiving touchdowns over the course of his Stanford career.

As for Owusu, he did not receive an invite to the NFL combine but turned heads with his athleticism at Stanford’s pro day. Owusu ran a 4.34 40-yard dash and had a 39” vertical jump that made him nearly irresistible to NFL teams after the draft, especially with his 6’3”, 221-pound frame. Owusu tallied 482 receiving yards and caught three touchdowns during his Stanford career, with his most notable catch being the one in which he pinned the ball against a UCLA defender’s back to hold on for a touchdown, perhaps one of the best plays in recent college football history.

Both players will now join many others, both drafted and undrafted, in beginning the hopeful journey to making an NFL roster in the fall.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Football roundtable: 2017 NFL Draft https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/26/football-roundtable-2017-nfl-draft/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/26/football-roundtable-2017-nfl-draft/#respond Wed, 26 Apr 2017 07:26:01 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1126396 Ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft, football analysts Jamie MacFarlane and Samuel Curry weigh in on the pro stock of this year's top Cardinal prospects.

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Ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft, football analysts Jamie MacFarlane and Samuel Curry weigh in on the pro stock of this year’s top Cardinal prospects. 

[ubergrid id=1126554]

(Photos by DAVID BERNAL/isihpotos.com)

 

Solomon Thomas: DL—6’3” / 273 lbs / 4.69 40 / 30 bench press reps
Football roundtable: 2017 NFL Draft
(SAM GIRVIN/The Stanford Daily)

Notes:

Considered a “tweener”: not quite big enough for inside, but not long enough for the outside/has had some issues getting around tackles (gets stuck and attached instead of shedding)

Also has had trouble wrapping up in the backfield; has small hands for a  defensive lineman, and has allowed quarterbacks and running backs to break free from his grip

Incredible athleticism, powerful player; amongst defensive linemen at Combine, 11th in 40 time, fourth in bench-press reps, fifth in vertical leap, fifth in broad jump, fourth in three-cone drill, third in 20-yard shuttle

Projection: top-five pick

Jamie MacFarlane (JM): Although not as much of a household name as McCaffrey, Solomon Thomas will be the first Cardinal off the board this Thursday and shouldn’t have to wait long before hearing his name called.  Though he is considered a “tweener,” I think he’ll fit into any system as he is so strong and an elite athlete, as evidenced by his top-five placement in five of the six Combine drills amongst defensive linemen. He gets off the ball extremely quickly and is great at anticipating the snap count, although at times he has had trouble with being drawn offsides. I’d be surprised if he falls outside the top five and dumbfounded if he makes it past the Panther’s pick at No. 8. He could go as high as No. 2 overall, although the 49ers seem to be leaning towards selecting North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky with that pick.

SC: It makes a lot of sense for the San Francisco 49ers to use their No. 2 overall selection on Solomon Thomas. The Niners may wait to find their franchise quarterback due to this year’s somewhat underwhelming quarterback class, and while Alabama’s Jonathan Allen is rated higher than Thomas on some draft boards at the defensive tackle position, Thomas is much more than your usual interior lineman. He has the potential to play and thrive inside, off the edge or perhaps even as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. His ceiling is high, and with all the chatter about him since the end of the season, I would be surprised if the 49ers passed on Thomas at the No. 2 spot. If they do, however, there will be no shortage of teams waiting to pick up a rare prospect like Thomas in the top 10.

Christian McCaffrey: RB/KR/PR—5’11” / 202 lbs / 4.48 40
Football roundtable: 2017 NFL Draft
(JIM SHORIN/isiphotos.com)

Notes:

Scored a 21 on the Wonderlic intelligence test, while Fournette and Cook both had 11

Benched only 10 reps

Projection: first rounder—could go as high as 8, could fall to late 20s

JM: Three very different running backs are vying to be the first back chosen in this year’s draft. LSU man-child Leonard Fournette (6’0” 240 lbs) brings an extremely rare blend of size and speed to the NFL and has drawn comparisons to NFL star Adrian Peterson and the legendary Bo Jackson. Fournette has the ability to throw off would-be tacklers with a brutal stiff arm or bowl them over seemingly without losing speed. Dalvin Cook can be a ground-and-pound sort of back and still has good size (6’0” 209 lbs), but he has fantastic lateral quickness and an unbelievable burst that he uses to gain the edge and explode down the sideline. Cook is also a proven receiver out of the backfield, while Fournette has shown flashes of being a capable receiver, but only registered 41 catches in 32 career games. McCaffrey, while smaller than both of the other two backs, is a tool that can be used in so many more facets of the game. His ability to line up and thrive as a wideout, in addition to catching the ball out of the backfield, gives offenses much more flexibility with offensive packages. Even if his size prohibits carrying the ball 20-25 times per game, he can still rack up touches in so many other ways, from catches to kick and punt returns. In fact, I think that the best fit for McCaffery is a team that recognizes that he isn’t meant to be the only running back, but rather uses him in two-back sets or puts him out in the slot more often than not. Beyond simply athleticism, McCaffery outshone Fournette and Cook on the Wonderlich test—administered at the NFL combine to measure intelligence—scoring a 21 compared to 11 by both of the other backs. All in all, McCaffrey has shown his incredible athleticism at the Combine and his vision and anticipation on the field making defenders miss. However, I think Fournette’s physical tools are too tough for NFL teams to ignore, and McCaffrey is the second back taken, likely in the 10-15 range, but could be a fit with the Panthers at No. 8.

Samuel Curry (SC): I honestly can’t see McCaffrey falling beyond the top 10 at this point. Any team that drafts him is getting a player that can seriously affect a game in three ways: as a runner, as a pass-catcher and as a returner. I would say that while Fournette was a more dominant runner in college due to his frightening power, McCaffrey may see more success in the NFL due to the patience he possesses as a runner that Fournette seems to lack. Fournette’s power will, without a doubt, punish defenders at the next level and give him extra yards on every touch, but I don’t think it will be as overwhelming as it was for defenders in college, and his occasional lack of vision and patience may become apparent. As for the comparison to Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, I think that while Cook shows similarly impressive versatility and quickness, McCaffrey is a more polished route runner, and Cook presents a significant ball-security concern with six fumbles in 2016. I also think critics should not be so fast to exclude McCaffrey from the every-down-back conversation, even with his lack of size. It’s hard for teams to get a clean hit on McCaffrey due to his elusiveness, and other than a brief injury in 2016, he has given little reason to question his durability. Lastly, McCaffrey is an elite competitor. The man lives and breathes the game, and preparation both on the practice field and in the film room will not be an issue for him. McCaffrey is the top running back in the draft in my opinion, and he will hear his name called in the top 10 before both Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook.

Conrad Ukropina: K—6’0” / 190 lbs
Football roundtable: 2017 NFL Draft
(JIM SHORIN/isiphotos.com)

Notes:

Ranked No. 1 kicker in the draft by ESPN

Set school record for career field goal percentage (82.4)

Only kicker to go 15-15 on field goals at Combine

Projection: late-round pick

JM: Stanford football fans have grown accustomed to the former walk-on’s consistency and unwavering presence over the past several years. Ukropina’s steady foot is best exemplified by his school-record 108 consecutive extra points made. Although many see Arizona State’s Zane Gonzalez as the best kicker available in the draft (23-25 on field goal attempts this past year including 7-9 from 50+ yards), Ukropina is in the discussion. History tells us that likely only one or two kickers will be taken in the draft, but it also tells us that kickers’ success does not depend on being drafted, with Adam Vinatieri, David Akers and Phil Dawson, and many more having illustrious careers after not hearing their names called. I think Ukropina is promptly signed as an undrafted free agent once the draft ends, but there is a chance he sneaks into the seventh round given his impressive Combine performance.

SC: While teams are generally reluctant to use even a late-round pick on a kicker, I see Conrad Ukropina getting picked up in the sixth or seventh round. He’s arguably the best kicker in this year’s class and was the only kicker to hit home on 15-of-15 field goals at the NFL combine. Ukropina comes with above-average leg strength, a career-long of 52 yards and impressive accuracy, setting a school record for career field goal percentage (82 percent). It’s difficult to say what moves teams will make on the sometimes chaotic third day of the draft, but I think there is an NFL franchise out there willing to use a late-round pick on Ukropina, even if he isn’t the first kicker taken.

Dallas Lloyd: S—6’2” / 207 lbs / 4.65 40
Football roundtable: 2017 NFL Draft
(JIM SHORIN/isiphotos.com)

Projection: late-round pick or undrafted free agent

JM: Lloyd put his best forward in his last collegiate game, making his case to scouts that he possesses NFL readiness by picking off North Carolina quarterback—and likely second overall pick—Mitch Trubisky twice, and returning one of the interceptions 19 yards for a touchdown, and the other 45 yards into UNC territory. In addition, Lloyd added a forced fumble and six tackles. Having spent his first two years at Stanford as a quarterback, Lloyd undoubtedly has untapped ability, and NFL teams will like that upside. He’s big for a safety, and was second on the Stanford team this year with 66 tackles. That tackling ability to go along with his team-high five interceptions is a blend of physicality and ball-hawking that I believe results in him going between the fourth and sixth rounds.

SC: Lloyd has the size and intangibles to be an NFL safety, but the only thing that concerns me regarding Lloyd’s potential at the next level is his athleticism. His 4.65 mark in the 40 at Stanford’s pro day would have placed second-to-last at the Combine among safeties, and with almost every NFL receiver possessing sub-4.4 speed these days, it’s hard for me to definitively say he can keep up at the next level. While I had no problems with his pass coverage at Stanford, many of his interceptions seemed to be gimmes more than ball-hawking skills. That being said, Lloyd is a sure tackler and an intelligent safety who, as Jamie said, came to Stanford as a quarterback and certainly can still improve at his position. I would be shocked if Lloyd was not drafted, and I see him going in the fifth round.

Michael Rector: WR—6’0” / 193 lbs / 4.42 40
Football roundtable: 2017 NFL Draft
(DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

Projection: late-round pick or undrafted free agent

JM: Rector’s calling card is his straight-line speed. He certainly isn’t small, but he doesn’t have enough size to overpower defensive backs, so at times it is easy for him to get jammed at the line, and his speed negated. Of bigger concern, however, is that Rector has consistently been plagued with drops in his career at Stanford. I think this question mark causes him to fall to the sixth or seventh round. If he doesn’t get drafted, he will undoubtedly be a coveted undrafted free agent as his speed is too hard to ignore and he certainly has potential as a dangerous deep threat, which gives him a solid shot at making an NFL roster.

SC: While Rector’s senior season didn’t quite live up to its lofty expectations after a promising junior season, I think Rector’s pure athleticism will make an NFL franchise give up a sixth or seventh round pick for him. Both his hands and route-running must improve if he wants to be a consistent and significant contributor for any NFL team in the future, but I believe he’s an intriguing prospect who can be used creatively by any number of teams. The sixth and seventh rounds see players like Rector frequently and I see someone picking him up in that range.

Noor Davis: LB—6’4” / 243 lbs / 4.85 40
Football roundtable: 2017 NFL Draft
(DON FERIA/isiphotos.com)

Projection: undrafted free agent

JM: Davis came into Stanford as the Butkus Award winner for best high school linebacker and was a consensus top-100 and top tier four-star recruit, and at 6’4” is big, for a linebacker. With a 4.85 40 time, he doesn’t quite have the speed to be a sideline-to-sideline linebacker but in the right system could stop up the middle. His productivity in college leaves major question marks, with 19, 11 and 32 tackles his past three seasons. He could get invited to a training camp because of potential and size.

SC: Davis never seemed to be able to fully tap into his potential at Stanford, and I don’t see him doing it at the next level due to his modest pro day performance. While he will likely get a call from an NFL team after the draft, I don’t see him making a roster in the fall and he will likely find himself on a practice squad. However, he could become a special teams contributor for a team if he begins to show the potential he demonstrated as a prep athlete and at Stanford at times.

Francis Owusu: WR—6’3” / 221 lbs / 4.35 40 / 39” vertical jump
Football roundtable: 2017 NFL Draft
(SAM GIRVIN/The Stanford Daily)

Projection: undrafted free agent

JM: Owusu boasts very good size and fantastic athleticism, which will almost certainly spark an NFL team to sign him to a training camp spot and give him a shot and could cause a team to take him in the seventh round, but at Stanford that eye-popping 4.35 40 time and 39” vertical didn’t really translate to the box score. He did deal with some injuries in his time with the Cardinal, including a nasty concussion his senior season, but overall he did not make his mark as an athlete of his caliber may have been capable. However, the potential certainly is there, and nobody will forget the time he pinned the football against a UCLA cornerback’s back for a touchdown his junior year.

SC: Besides “the catch” against UCLA in 2015, Owusu’s Stanford career was fairly unremarkable, only catching 34 passes for 482 yards in his four seasons as a Cardinal, but his impressive numbers at Stanford’s pro day are going to force teams to take a second look at him. While his college stats don’t warrant a draft selection, his elite athleticism and considerable size will inevitably prompt a team to give him a chance this fall as an undrafted free agent, and perhaps he can become a special teams contributor or, in the right system, tap into his potential as a receiver.

 

Contact Jamie MacFarlane at jamiemac ‘at’ stanford.edu and Samuel Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

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Men’s basketball falls to Arizona State in overtime https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/08/mens-basketball/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/08/mens-basketball/#respond Wed, 08 Mar 2017 23:14:27 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1124601 The Stanford Cardinal (14-17, 6-13 Pac-12) were outscored 17-7 in overtime by the Arizona State Sun Devils (15-17, 8-11 Pac-12) after coming back from a 14-point deficit in a 98-88 loss in the first round of the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Wednesday afternoon.

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The Stanford Cardinal (14-17, 6-13 Pac-12) were outscored 17-7 in overtime by the Arizona State Sun Devils (15-17, 8-11 Pac-12) after coming back from a 14-point deficit in a 98-88 loss in the first round of the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Wednesday afternoon.

Junior forward Michael Humphrey knocked down a long two-pointer with just seconds to go in regulation to send the game to overtime, but the Sun Devils came out hot in overtime and hit three-pointers on three straight possessions to ultimately knock the Cardinal out of the tournament and move to the quarterfinals.

Arizona State’s starters accounted for 96 of their 98 points as the Sun Devils lit up the Cardinal defense for 50 points in the first half. Senior forward Obinna Oleka led the way for Arizona State, recording a double-double with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guard Tra Holder contributed 21 points for the Sun Devils.

“Obinna is a matchup nightmare for people because of his mobility, quickness and physicality … all the things he brings give us great confidence,” said Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley.

Stanford’s defense was able to make adjustments at halftime and slow down Arizona State’s blistering pace with a zone defense, holding the Sun Devils to 31 second-half points.

“I thought we were much more competitive or maybe a step quicker in the second half… for whatever reason we were just a step slow in the first half, but when we’re playing a very potent offensive team like that, it gets difficult at times,” said Stanford head coach Jerod Haase.

Stanford was able to move the ball effectively, picking up 23 assists as a team, and the Cardinal offense accumulated their highest scoring total in regulation since blowing out Washington State in early January.

Junior forward Reid Travis was the leading scorer for Stanford, taking advantage of Arizona State’s lack of size for 23 points, including four and-ones. Travis worked in tandem nicely with Humphrey, as Humphrey added 18 points and the two big men combined for 18 rebounds.

“When it comes in a loss it definitely hurts, so it kind of takes a backseat to that, but it’s definitely encouraging going forward to next year to know that we can both put up numbers like that,” said Travis.

The game began with a lot of fast-paced offense, as the teams traded leads while moving and scoring the ball quickly and effectively. But the Cardinal faltered while the Sun Devils stayed hot, and Arizona State held a 36-22 lead after a 13-3 run in the middle of the first half.

Although the Sun Devils seemingly scored at will for the rest of the half, Stanford was able to narrow the gap before halftime with efficient offense, trailing 50-42 at the break.

The Cardinal were able to slow down the Arizona State offense in the second half with halftime defensive adjustments, including a zone defense that seemed to disrupt the Sun Devils’ ball movement.

These adjustments, along with a consistent offensive effort, allowed Stanford to inch their way back into the game late, only trailing 81-77 with just over two minutes left in the game.

Humphrey made a layup with one minute left, and Stanford was able to get a defensive stop before calling a timeout with 25 seconds left to set up their last possession of regulation.

The Cardinal appeared to be in disarray as the clock winded down, but Humphrey was able to corral a pass from senior forward Christian Sanders to knock down a deep two from the top of the key and ultimately send the game to overtime.

While Stanford seemingly had all of the momentum going into the extra period, the Sun Devils did not seem to care, hitting three shots from beyond the arc on three straight possessions to take a 92-84 lead and create a deficit from which the Cardinal ultimately could not recover.

“It shows the character and the determination of my team … to respond and be able to keep playing well and to put them away. It was a tribute to how they’ve been competing and battling this whole Pac-12 season,” said Hurley.

The Sun Devils now move on to face the top-seeded Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals at noon Thursday. The Cardinal will finish their season on a four-game losing streak as they now look toward their first full offseason under Jerod Haase.

 

Contact Samuel Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

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Men’s basketball set for first round matchup against Arizona State https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/07/mens-basketball-set-for-first-round-matchup-against-arizona-state/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/07/mens-basketball-set-for-first-round-matchup-against-arizona-state/#respond Wed, 08 Mar 2017 03:07:08 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1124541 Stanford Men’s Basketball (14-16, 6-12 Pac-12) will look to improve their case for any semblance of a postseason tournament bid when kicking off the Pac-12 men’s basketball championship tournament against the Arizona State Sun Devils (14-17, 7-11 Pac-12) on Wednesday in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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Stanford men’s basketball (14-16, 6-12 Pac-12) will look to improve its case for any semblance of a postseason tournament bid when kicking off the Pac-12 men’s basketball championship tournament against the Arizona State Sun Devils (14-17, 7-11 Pac-12) on Wednesday in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The No. 8 seeded Sun Devils swept the No. 9 seeded Cardinal in their regular season series, first winning a 98-93 shootout at Maples Pavilion in December and then sneaking past the Cardinal for a 75-69 win in Tempe a few weeks ago.

Stanford enters the tournament on a three-game losing streak after losses to Colorado and Utah last week. While Arizona State ended its regular season last week with a thrilling 83-82 win against likely NCAA tournament team, USC followed by a loss to rival Arizona.

The Cardinal will look to avoid a repeat of last season’s conference tournament, when they also held the No. 9 seed and subsequently lost to Washington 91-68 in a first-round rout. The last and only time the Cardinal won the conference tournament was in 2004.

Defensively, Stanford will likely focus on keeping the Sun Devil backcourt pair of senior guard Torian Graham and junior guard Tra Holder in check. As the leading scorers for Arizona State, the two have combined for an average of 34.7 points a game this season. The duo proved particularly effective against the Cardinal, averaging a combined 42.5 points per game in the two meetings between the teams.

The offensive weapons do not end there for the Sun Devils, with junior guard Shannon Evans II and senior forward Obinna Oleka each averaging in the double digits in scoring, accumulating an average of 15.2 and 12.2 points per contest, respectively. Oleka averages just under a double-double, pulling down 9.8 rebounds per game.

As for the Stanford offense, it will look to find a combination of outside shooting and inside scoring that has been elusive this season. Sharpshooting junior guard Dorian Pickens has lead the team’s outside shooting effort. Against Utah last Saturday, Pickens hit five-of-seven shots from beyond the arc.

The Cardinal will also look to junior forward Reid Travis as their reliable inside scorer. Travis, named to the All-Pac-12 First Team, finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the Pac-12 in scoring and No. 5 in rebounding.

Stanford will take into account the high number of assists allowed by the Arizona State defense and look to increase efficient ball handling in order to claim its first victory over the Sun Devils.

Arizona State allows 18.8 assists per game, compared to Stanford’s 14.3. The Sun Devils defense ranks last in field goal percentage in the conference.

If the Cardinal can successfully move the ball, Stanford will generate the open shots necessary to move past the first round in the tournament.

In the long run, a Pac-12 Tournament championship is the only hope of a NCAA Tournament bid for either team, whose resumes are simply not strong enough to be considered for an at-large bid. With national title contenders like Oregon, Arizona and UCLA standing in the way, a Pac-12 Tournament title will be one of the most difficult in the nation to attain.

The Cardinal and the Sun Devils will vie for the right to move on to the quarterfinals and play the top-seeded Oregon Ducks starting at 12 p.m. PT Wednesday. The game will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks.

 

Contact Samuel Blake Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Colorado stampedes Stanford men’s basketball, 91-72 https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/03/colorado-stampedes-stanford-mens-basketball-91-72/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/03/colorado-stampedes-stanford-mens-basketball-91-72/#respond Fri, 03 Mar 2017 08:33:31 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1124290 Six Colorado players scored in double figures and the Buffaloes, behind effective ball movement and a strong shooting performance, managed to run away from Stanford in the second half after outscoring them 16-5 run in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the half.

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Six Colorado players scored in double figures and the Buffaloes, behind effective ball movement and a strong shooting performance, managed to run away from Stanford in the second half after outscoring them 16-5 run in the first three and a half minutes of the half.

The Buffaloes put up their highest point total of the season despite no one scoring more than 15 points in the game, a product of generously sharing the ball, as the Buffs recorded a season-high 25 assists to Stanford’s 13.

Meanwhile, Stanford’s offense functioned less efficiently than usual, shooting 45 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the three-point line. Senior forward Marcus Allen was the leading scorer for the Cardinal, tallying 15 points, with junior forwards Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey not far behind him with 14 and 13, respectively. Travis also grabbed eight rebounds in the game. Sophomore Marcus Sheffield, who has been averaging just under 7 points per game this season, also had a big night, putting up 10 points and two rebounds that made him the most impactful Cardinal off the bench.

Colorado finished the game shooting a solid 56.5 percent from the field, tying their highest percentage on the season. Senior guard Xavier Johnson, junior guard George King and freshman forward Lucas Siewert all tied for the highest scoring contribution, each netting 15 points for the Buffaloes. Johnson nearly earned a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds in the game.

The game began with frequent lead changes and both teams failing to create much separation from one another. However, Colorado managed to string together a few made shots with strong defensive stops to go on an 11-2 run that put them up 39-31 with just over two minutes left in the half. The Buffaloes maintained their lead into the intermission, leading 41-35 at halftime.

Colorado then picked up where it left off in the second half, racing out to a 50-37 lead two minutes into the second half after a 9-2 run that forced Stanford to call a timeout. The game would move forward with more of the same, as Colorado poured it on and held a 17-point lead with 16:27 remaining.

The Buffaloes then coasted to their seventh Pac-12 victory, maintaining around a 20-point margin while bench players on both sides got plenty of minutes in the later part of the second half.

Both teams now look ahead to their final game of the regular season, as Colorado will face off against the California Golden Bears on Saturday, while the Cardinal will travel to Salt Lake City to square off against Utah. Stanford’s contest against the Utes will tip-off at the Jon M. Huntsman Center at 1 p.m. Saturday and will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks.

 

Contact Samuel Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

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Men’s basketball aims to bolster Pac-12 standing against Colorado https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/01/mens-basketball-aims-to-bolster-pac-12-standing-against-colorado/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/01/mens-basketball-aims-to-bolster-pac-12-standing-against-colorado/#respond Thu, 02 Mar 2017 07:58:30 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1124055 For the final weekend of its regular season, Stanford Men’s Basketball (14-14, 6-10 Pac-12) will look to capture a much needed conference win as the team travels to Boulder to face their equally seated Pac-12 foe, Colorado (16-13, 6-10) on Thursday night at the Coors Events Center.

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For the final weekend of its regular season, Stanford men’s basketball (14-14, 6-10 Pac-12) will look to capture a much-needed conference win as the team travels to Boulder to face their equally seated Pac-12 foe, Colorado (16-13, 6-10), on Thursday night at the Coors Events Center.

Men’s basketball aims to bolster Pac-12 standing against Colorado
Junior guard Dorian Pickens has fueled Stanford’s offensive production, leading the team in scoring with with teammate, junior forward Reid Travis. Pickens and Travis will need to not only continue, but to up their game as they prepare for their final regular season game (RAHIM ULLAH/The Stanford Daily).

The Cardinal will attempt to avenge their last 81-74 loss to the Buffaloes a month prior to Thursday’s match-up. The Buffs have won the last seven meetings between the two schools.

On Thursday, both teams will be vying for the superior seed in next week’s Pac-12 tournament, as they are part of a three-way tie with the Washington State Cougars (13-15, 6-10 Pac-12) for No. 8. Both Stanford and Colorado sit just half of a game behind the Arizona State Sun Devils (14-16, 7-10) at No. 7.  

In order to get this crucial win, Stanford will need a better defensive showing than its first outing versus the Buffs. The 81-point performance Colorado put together in early February is the fourth-highest point total that the Cardinal have allowed this season.

To lock down on the Buffaloes defensively, Stanford will need to hold off Colorado’s most versatile player and its lead scorer, senior guard Derrick White. White put up 19 points last month at Maples Pavilion and was only a few assists and rebounds away from a triple-double.

Other key players for the Buffs include senior guard Xavier Johnson, who also hung 19 points on Stanford in the first meeting, and junior guard George King, Colorado’s leading rebounder.

Offensively, the Cardinal will likely turn to their leading scorers – junior forward Reid Travis and junior guard Dorian Pickens – to fuel their production. Pickens will look to match his hot shooting performance from last Saturday against Oregon, during which he hit six out of eight shots from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, Travis will try to continue his consistently impressive performance in the paint, as he nearly averages a double-double per game with 17.7 points and 8.8 rebounds. Travis, when healthy for the entirety of the game, has only totaled fewer than 10 points twice this season, and his most recent showing was in the last matchup against the Buffs.

The penultimate game of the regular season for the Cardinal tips off at 6 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN2.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Men’s basketball dominates Oregon State https://stanforddaily.com/2017/02/23/mens-basketball-dominates-oregon-state/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/02/23/mens-basketball-dominates-oregon-state/#respond Thu, 23 Feb 2017 08:03:36 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1123569 The Stanford Cardinal (14-13, 6-9 Pac-12) handily defeated the Oregon State Beavers (5-24, 1-15 Pac-12) 79-66 in a Pac-12 men’s basketball matchup Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion to capture their second straight conference victory.

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The Stanford Cardinal (14-13, 6-9 Pac-12) handily defeated the Oregon State Beavers (5-24, 1-15 Pac-12) 79-66 in a Pac-12 men’s basketball matchup Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion to capture their second straight conference victory.

Stanford scored the first seven points of the game and did not look back as they held the lead for the entire contest. The Cardinal led by as many as 25 points in the second half before Oregon State made a furious run late in the game that was simply too little too late for the Beavers.

“The way we’re playing now is great for this time of year,” said junior forward Reid Travis. “I feel like we’re really taking off.”

Stanford shot 57 percent from the field and was led in scoring by senior guard Marcus Allen and Travis, who both nabbed 17 points. Junior guard Dorian Pickens also contributed 15 points for the Cardinal.

The majority of Stanford’s points came from the inside, as the Cardinal accumulated 46 points in the paint to Oregon State’s 22.

“For us to be at our best, we’re going to score from the free throw line, like we did in the Cal game, or score around the basket,” said head coach Jerod Haase “Smash-mouth is a football term, but if it was a basketball term, I think that would be a good word for us.”

As for the Beavers, they were paced by sophomore big men Drew Eubanks and Gligorije Rakocevic, who had 21 and 16 points, respectively. Eubanks had a double-double, pulling down 14 boards as well.

The Stanford defense was as active as ever, grabbing 13 steals as a team and forcing 21 turnovers overall. The Cardinal capitalized with 21 points off of those turnovers in the game.

“We’re trying to play fundamentally sound basketball and keep people out of the paint and be really active from there … the guys are just playing their tails off,” said Haase.

The Cardinal wasted no time getting on the board, as they scored seven points in 1:12 to establish an early lead that they would later refuse to relinquish. Although the Beavers kept it close early in the first half, the Cardinal crept out of striking distance one scoring run at a time, holding a 15-point lead with 5:20 remaining in the first and a 43-33 lead at half.

Stanford showed no signs of letting up for the most of the second half, and garbage time seemed imminent as the Cardinal held a 25-point advantage with 7:47 remaining after sophomore guard Marcus Sheffield knocked down a pair of free throws.

But the Beavers suddenly showed signs of life, scoring 12 unanswered points in just over two minutes, and eventually brought the Stanford lead down to 12. It was far too late for Oregon State, however, and the Cardinal were able to kill the clock to secure a win in their penultimate home game.

“We’re pointing in the right direction on both ends of the floor,” said Marcus Allen. “[The] guys are getting good looks, and on defense we’re more active. Hopefully, that continues.”

The Cardinal will look to distance themselves from Arizona State and Colorado, with whom they are now tied at seventh in the Pac-12, with a win against the No. 6 Oregon Ducks at Maples Pavilion on Saturday. That game will tip-off at 1 p.m. and will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu

 

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Men’s basketball falls late to Sun Devils https://stanforddaily.com/2017/02/12/mens-basketball-falls-late-to-sun-devils/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/02/12/mens-basketball-falls-late-to-sun-devils/#respond Mon, 13 Feb 2017 07:01:33 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1122806 The Stanford Cardinal (12-13, 4-9) would take the lead before falling 75-69 after a second-half comeback by the Arizona State Sun Devils (12-14, 5-8 Pac-12) in a men’s basketball matchup at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe Saturday evening.

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Stanford men’s basketball (12-13, 4-9) lost a lead to a second-half comeback from the Arizona State Sun Devils (12-14, 5-8 Pac-12), ultimately falling 75-69 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe on Saturday evening.

Men's basketball falls late to Sun Devils
Junior forward and Phoenix native Michael Humphrey’s third double-double of the season was not enough to overcome a late ASU rally.
(AL CHANG/Stanford Athletics)


Senior guard and Sun Devils leading scorer Torian Graham fueled Arizona State’s comeback with 16 second-half points, including two contested shots from beyond the arc in the last 1:16 that would ultimately propel the Sun Devils to victory. Graham had 24 points in the game and led Arizona State in rebounds as well, pulling down six.

The Cardinal were in control for the majority of the game, as they held the lead for 27:52 during the contest. This control could largely be attributed to a dominating effort on the boards. Stanford took full advantage of Arizona State’s lack of size and out-rebounded the Sun Devils 49-27, with 22 of the 49 coming on the offensive end for the Cardinal.

This rebounding effort was led by junior forwards Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey, who both recorded double-doubles. Humphrey had attained his double-double by halftime and finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Travis scored 17 points and hauled in 11 boards.

Senior guard Marcus Allen also had a productive outing for the Cardinal, confidently driving to the basket on his way to a season-high 20 points.

A win was crucial for both schools; four teams, including Arizona State and Stanford, were tied for seventh in the Pac-12 going into the game. The win gives the Sun Devils an upper hand as the season winds down and schools battle for conference tournament seeding.

Arizona State came out hot, going 4-for-6 from behind the 3-point line to start the game to gain an early 19-11 advantage over Stanford.

But the Cardinal bounced back quickly, going on a 10-0 run to take a 21-19 lead. The two teams traded buckets and leads for the rest of the first half, with six lead changes occurring in the half.

Stanford then gradually widened its lead as the second half progressed and held a 9-point advantage with 9:19 remaining in the game.

But the Sun Devils found their shot again, as they heated up to knock down three shots from behind the arc during a 12-3 run that tied the game at 59.

The Cardinal then managed to create and hold a small lead. With less than two minutes remaining, the squad appeared to be in complete control as it had both momentum and a 67-63 edge.

But nobody told Torian Graham that, as he knocked down an impressive 3-point jumper to cut the deficit to just one, and with 21.1 seconds left, he came off of a screen to hit a three at the same spot with two defenders in his face to give a Arizona State a 71-69 lead.

The Cardinal quickly turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, ending the game. The Sun Devils would make four free throws to end the game and obtain their fifth conference win.

The Cardinal will look to get back on track against the California Golden Bears at Maples Pavilion on Friday at 7 p.m.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Colorado edges men’s basketball at home https://stanforddaily.com/2017/02/03/colorado-edges-mens-basketball-at-home/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/02/03/colorado-edges-mens-basketball-at-home/#respond Fri, 03 Feb 2017 16:20:09 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1122436 The Colorado Buffaloes (13-10, 3-7 Pac-12) outshot and outrebounded the Stanford Cardinal (11-11, 3-7) on their way to an 81-74 victory in a Pac-12 men’s basketball contest at Maples Pavilion Thursday night. The win marks Colorado’s seventh straight win over the Cardinal and third straight this season.

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The Colorado Buffaloes (13-10, 3-7 Pac-12) outshot and out-rebounded the Stanford Cardinal (11-11, 3-7) on their way to an 81-74 victory in a Pac-12 men’s basketball contest at Maples Pavilion Thursday night. The win marks Colorado’s seventh straight win over the Cardinal and third straight this season.

The Buffaloes went on a 14-2 run to go up 29-18 in the middle of the second half and never relinquished that lead despite turning the ball over a surprising 23 times, nearly twice their average per game.

Colorado’s leading scorers for the season, senior guards Derrick White and Xavier Johnson, led the Buffaloes in scoring, as they each contributed 19 points for Colorado. White even approached a triple-double stat-line, tallying eight rebounds and eight assists as well as four blocks in the game.

The Cardinal were led in scoring by sophomore guard Marcus Sheffield, who scored 19 points off the bench. Sheffield went 3-of-4 from outside the arc in the first half on his way to 15 points, but his hot hand cooled off in the second, as he went 0-of-5 and got his only four points off of free throws.

The two teams traded buckets to begin with, and a dunk from junior forward Michael Humphrey put Stanford up 16-15 with 11:31 left to play in the half. But this would be the last time the Cardinal led in the game, as Stanford went cold and the Buffaloes capitalized with a 14-2 run to go up 29-18. Colorado maintained this separation and went into the locker room with a 41-31 lead.

Stanford made a few runs in the second half, including a 7-0 run that cut the Colorado lead to just four with 11:46 left to play, but the Buffs quickly widened the gap again with back-to-back three-pointers.

“We had a few little runs where some positive things happened, but I didn’t really feel like there was a flow to our offense,” said head coach Jerod Haase. “We manufactured some points here and there … but there wasn’t anything I’d hang my hat on.”

Colorado then cruised to their third straight victory, extending the lead to 15 at one point in the second half and not allowing the Cardinal to come closer than the final margin of seven points.

Colorado finished the game with a 38-29 lead in the rebound tally and shot 53 percent from the field, while Stanford shot 45 percent from the field and went a disappointing 14-of-24 from the free-throw line.

“I think our defense failed us,” said Haase. “We had a lot of mistakes that led to that shooting percentage. There was some activity that caused those turnovers, but their field-goal percentage was a key to the game.”

Next up for Colorado is a trip across the Bay to face off against the California Golden Bears on Sunday. As for the Cardinal, they will look to get back on track against the Utah Utes at Maples Pavilion Saturday afternoon. That game will tip-off at 1:30 p.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

 

Contact Samuel Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Top recruits officially commit to Stanford on National Signing Day https://stanforddaily.com/2017/02/02/top-recruits-officially-commit-to-stanford-on-national-signing-day/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/02/02/top-recruits-officially-commit-to-stanford-on-national-signing-day/#respond Thu, 02 Feb 2017 09:50:33 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1122307 The 2017 Stanford football recruiting class adequately embodied the old adage Wednesday, as 14 of some of the best recruits from all over the nation signed a National Letter of Intent to play college football in a Cardinal uniform.

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Top recruits officially commit to Stanford on National Signing Day
Five of Stanford’s 19 recruits boast a No. 1 national position ranking from at least one rankings service. Offensive tackle Walker Little was named the top overall recruit in the nation by 247Sports. (DURAN ALVAREZ/The Stanford Daily)

Quality over quantity.

The 2017 Stanford football recruiting class adequately embodied the old adage Wednesday, as 14 of some of the best recruits from all over the nation signed a National Letter of Intent to play college football in a Cardinal uniform.

It all started at 4:12 a.m. PT, when three-star safety Stuart Head signed on after verbally committing in December of 2015.

The 6-foot-4 safety from Georgia was the first of many to make their verbal commitments official and cement the 2017 Cardinal class as one of the best in the nation.

While the class is ranked 24th in the nation per Scout.com, rankings like these cannot do justice for a class as unique as Stanford’s. The rankings of schools such as Oklahoma and Michigan are undoubtedly bolstered by the sheer size of their classes, with 27 and 28 signing on to the programs, respectively. But what stands out about the Cardinal class is its quality, as Stanford’s small class is ranked fourth in per-player average ranking.

That excellence comes from players such as offensive tackles Walker Little and Foster Sarell, two giants who have a chance to make an immediate impact on a Stanford offensive line that didn’t quite meet expectations last season despite late success.

Sarell, at 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds, is the No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation, while Little, at 6-foot-8 and 305 pounds, is listed at No. 2.

Little, from Bellaire, Texas, verbally committed to Stanford in December, and Sarell, from Graham, Washington, announced his decision to come to the Farm at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January.

The two may be protecting the top-ranked quarterback in the nation in future seasons, as quarterback Davis Mills from Norcross, Georgia, made his commitment official on Wednesday. Mills, lauded for his accuracy and football IQ, has been verbally committed to Stanford since March.

“We needed to add a top-flight quarterback,” head coach David Shaw said. “We wanted to add some special players to our offensive line. And we needed to add dynamic football players who can score touchdowns for us at the skill positions.”

Mills was not the only weapon acquired by the Cardinal offense Wednesday by a long shot. The nationally top-rated tight end from Westlake Village, California, Colby Parkinson, will join the Cardinal, along with Connor Wedington, a four-star athlete from Sumner, Washington, who decommitted from Washington just weeks ago, and four-star receiver Osiris St. Brown from Santa Ana, California.

The list goes on for the Cardinal offense, as they also added four-star athlete Sione Lund from Salt Lake City, Utah, who at 6-foot-1 and 237 pounds will add to the Stanford rushing attack at the fullback position.

The 2017 class is rounded out on offense by two sons of former Stanford football players. Drew Dalman, the No. 7 center in the country and son of Chris Dalman, will join Sarell and Little on the offensive line, and tight end Tucker Fisk, son of former NFL defensive tackle and Cardinal alum Jason Fisk, will join Parkinson on the typically stellar Stanford tight end unit.

On the defensive side, the Cardinal added four-star recruit Paulson Adebo from Mansfield, Texas, along with Stuart Head to the secondary and strengthened the defensive line by landing another recruit from the SEC’s backyard in four-star defensive end Ryan Johnson from Mobile, Alabama, and adding three-star defensive tackle Dalyn-Wade Perry from Sparta, New Jersey.

Shaw also strengthened the linebacking corps for the future by landing three-star outside linebacker Levani Damuni from Millville, Utah, who will serve a two-year LDS mission before joining the Cardinal squad in 2019.

“We sought to add defensive linemen with size and pass-rush ability who can also stop the run,” Shaw said. “We needed more athleticism at linebacker and defensive back to continue to play the high-level defense we have played here for years.”

The Cardinal will be adding two 2015 signees to the team as fullback Houston Heimuli and outside linebacker Gabe Reid will be returning from their LDS missions.

Defensive end Dylan Boles from Adel, Iowa; long snapper Will Sweeney from Larkspur, California; safety Joe McGrath of San Antonio, Texas; tight end Kyle McCombs from Laguna Beach, California; and outside linebacker Thunder Keck from Northfield, New Hampshire, will also join the team as they all confirmed their enrollment at Stanford.

“We’re very excited about how this class came together,” Shaw said. “We believe we have a great group of young men who are also very good football players.”  

The future looks bright for Stanford football.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Men’s basketball looks for rivalry win in Berkeley https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/26/mens-basketball-looks-for-rivalry-win-in-berkeley/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/26/mens-basketball-looks-for-rivalry-win-in-berkeley/#respond Fri, 27 Jan 2017 06:36:41 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1121982 Stanford men’s basketball (11-9, 3-5 Pac-12) will look to capture an important conference win as it travels across the Bay for a contest against their rivals, the California Golden Bears (14-6, 5-3 Pac-12) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley this Sunday.

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Stanford men’s basketball (11-9, 3-5 Pac-12) will look to capture an important conference win as it travels across the Bay for a contest against their rivals, the California Golden Bears (14-6, 5-3 Pac-12) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley this Sunday.

The Bears are fifth in the Pac-12 standings and are fresh off a 69-58 win over Oregon State in Corvallis last Saturday. They are led by sophomore forward Ivan Rabb, who leads the team in scoring and rebounds, averaging a double-double with 15.1 points and 10.6 boards per contest.

The Cardinal, currently eighth in the conference, will look to get another winning streak started and to begin separating themselves from the bottom half of the Pac-12 after suffering a tough 69-52 loss to No. 11 Oregon last Saturday. Whether or not Stanford will have junior forward Reid Travis to help them accomplish these goals is still in question.

Even if their leading scorer may not be present, the Cardinal may be able to rely on increased production from senior guard Marcus Allen and junior forward Michael Humphrey, who seem to have compensated for Travis’s absence by averaging 13.3 and 13.6 points in the last three games, respectively – well above both of their season averages.

Tip-off will be at 5:30 p.m. at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sunday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys’at’stanford.edu.

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Men’s basketball tops Huskies for second straight conference win https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/17/mens-basketball-tops-huskies-for-second-straight-conference-win/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/17/mens-basketball-tops-huskies-for-second-straight-conference-win/#respond Tue, 17 Jan 2017 08:24:30 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1121448 Stanford men's basketball (10-8, 2-4 Pac-12) captured their second straight conference win and a weekend sweep of teams from the Evergreen State with a win 76-69 over the Washington Huskies (8-9, 1-4 Pac-12) at Maples Pavilion Saturday night.

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Stanford men’s basketball (10-8, 2-4 Pac-12) captured its second straight conference win and a weekend sweep of teams from the Evergreen State with a win 76-69 over the Washington Huskies (8-9, 1-4 Pac-12) at Maples Pavilion Saturday night.

The Cardinal avoided blowing a 43-24 halftime lead with a late run led by junior forward Michael Humphrey. He had eight points in the final 3:36 after the Huskies tied the game 63-63 with 4:15 remaining in the game. Humphrey finished with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds.

“I’ve played that way in stretches this season,” Humphrey said. “Somebody hit my arm, and it got me upset. I have to have that kind of attitude.”

Freshman guard Markelle Fultz was as prolific as advertised for the Huskies, making contested jumpers and NBA threes look easy on his way to 34 points, 25 of them coming in the second half.

“[Fultz] got good looks and started shooting over everybody,” head coach Jerod Haase said. “We all know he’s a heck of a player.”

The two teams traded buckets early, and Stanford held only a two-point lead when Fultz subbed out with 8:43 left in the first half.

But the Huskies proved just how much they rely on their freshman star, and the Cardinal went on a 11-2 run while he sat out, giving them a 30-19 lead and more importantly, momentum.

Stanford would use that momentum to outscore Washington 13-5 for the rest of the half to bring the score to 43-24 at halftime, even while playing without its leading scorer, junior forward Reid Travis, who went out with a right shoulder injury with five minutes left in the first half.

Travis did not return to the game and is day-to-day, according to Haase.

Stanford shot 60 percent from the field compared to Washington’s 33-percent shooting in the first half, but the shots did not fall so easily for the Cardinal in the second. They missed 11 of their first 13 attempts to open the second half, allowing the Huskies to make a run that culminated with a three-pointer from sophomore guard David Crisp that tied the game 63-63 with 4:15 left.

“That’s a total collapse of the offense,” Haase said. “We were getting out of the flow and that carried over to defense.”

But Stanford, powered by strong play by Michael Humphrey, surged late to get a lead Washington ultimately could not overcome, closing out the Huskies 76-69.

“We scraped and scrapped our way back into the game and gave ourselves a chance to win,” Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar said. “The frustrating part is knowing that we came out flat in the first half and dug ourselves such a hole.”

Stanford will now prepare for a trip up north, as they visit Oregon State on Thursday and Oregon on Saturday, while the Huskies will look to get back on track when they host Colorado on Wednesday.

 

Contact Samuel Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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