Fifth-year running back Cameron Scarlett received the Irving S. Zeimer Award as the team’s most valuable player while fifth-year outside linebacker Casey Toohill earned the Al Masters Award for leadership and respect from his teammates at Stanford football’s annual banquet at Traitel Hall at the Hoover Institution on Sunday.
Here’s the complete list of awardees.
Irving S. Zeimer Award — Cameron Scarlett Awarded to the 2019 team MVP.
A team-captain, Scarlett finished the season with 840 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, finishing his career tied for eighth in rushing touchdowns (24) and 18th in career rushing yards.
Al Masters Award — Casey Toohill Awarded to the player displaying the highest degree of leadership and respect of his teammates.
Tommy Vardell Award — Casey Toohill Awarded to the junior or senior player who best epitomizes excellence in both academics and athletics. A team captain, Campbell Trophy finalist and CoSIDA Academic All-District recipient, Toohill finished with 60 tackles, including a team-high 11.5 for loss and eight sacks. He also added 10 quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, forced fumble and blocked kick.
Jack Huston Award — Curtis Robinson Awarded to the player exemplifying aggressiveness, exceptional performance, and unheralded efforts. Robinson finished second on the team with 64 tackles, adding two forced fumbles, two quarterback hurries, three pass breakups, three tackles for loss and two sacks.
Jim Reynolds Award — Malik Antoine Awarded to the senior player whose courage on the field and devotion to the game are an inspiration to all.
Despite missing the final three games of the season, Antoine–a team captain–continued to lead from the sideline. He finished the season with 31 tackles, four pass breakups and 0.5 tackles for loss.
Gundelach Award — Davis Mills Awarded to the most outstanding junior player. Mills started six games at quarterback and passed for 1,960 yards and 11 touchdowns, including a school-record 504 at Washington State. He completed 158-of-241 (65.6%) of passes on the year.
Deswarte-Eller Award — Simi Fehoko Awarded to the most outstanding sophomore player.
Fehoko led the team with six touchdown receptions, catching 24 passes for 586 yards. He averaged a school-record 23.6 yards per reception and is tops among Power 5 receivers in that category.
Outstanding Freshman Award — Jonathan McGill Awarded to the most outstanding freshman player. McGill started six games at nickelback in 2019 as a true freshman, playing in all 12. He totaled 35 tackles with three for loss. He also added three pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery that he returned 28 yards for a touchdown.
Phil Moffatt Awards — Ryan Sanborn and Connor Wedington Awarded to the top two most outstanding special teams performers.
Sanborn was the only true freshman this season to handle primary punting duties for his team while also kicking off at least 20 times (28) and making seven field goals. Following Jet Toner’s season-ending injury against UCLA, Sanborn handled all three phases in the kicking game.
Wedington was a dynamic receiver and return man in 2019. In addition to his 506 receiving yards, he added 590 kick return yards on 21 attempts, averaging 28.1 yards per return.
Team Technician Award — Drew Dalman Awarded to the player demonstrating a positive attitude and a consistent commitment to strength and conditioning.
Dalman’s dedication paid off in a big way in 2019, as he started all 12 games at center. A member of the Cardinal leadership council, he mentored three true freshman offensive lineman who started the last six games alongside him and junior Foster Sarell (right tackle).
The Billy Anderson Commitment to Community Outreach Award (Offense) — Connor Wedington Awarded to the offensive player who demonstrates a special commitment to community outreach.
Wedington is a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in 2019 for his commitment to starting Hope Given By, a nonprofit organization that builds relationships with the homeless community of San Francisco through passing out items of necessity.
The Chris Draft Commitment to Community Outreach Award (Defense) — Treyjohn Butler Awarded to the defensive player who demonstrates a special commitment to community outreach. Butler has been active in his hometown community as well as also in the greater Bay Area with visits to the Children’s Hospital, reading programs in East Palo Alto and many other community service events. He has also served as the house Academic Theme Associate at Ujamaa.
Frank Rehm Awards — Mike Wilson (offense) and Jovan Swann (defense) Awarded to the most outstanding players in the Big Game
Greg Piers Awards — Dylan Plautz (offense), Jake Lynch (defense) and Levani Damuni (special teams) Awarded to the most outstanding special teams as well as offensive and defensive scout team players.
Just moments after Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw thanked his fifth-year and departing seniors for their fight and leadership–players, coaches and staff applauding twice–fifth-year senior outside linebacker Casey Toohill urged his teammates to let the disappointment of the year fuel them going forward.
“Nobody did enough,” Toohill said passionately.
The message from Toohill resonated after Stanford’s season-ending 45-24 defeat to #15 Notre Dame (10-2) on Saturday at chilly, breezy and sometimes rainy Stanford Stadium. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Cardinal finished 4-8, the program’s first losing record since 2008.
“Any team that goes through a season like this never wants to feel this way again,” sophomore defensive end Thomas Booker said. “I know I don’t. Whenever I’m lifting or thinking about putting in extra work, it’s going to be on my mind.”
Junior tight end and team captain Colby Parkinson felt the same.
“If you’re able to brush this off, you don’t care,” Parkinson said. “We are all more than football players and we have lives outside of football. At the same time, if you don’t care about the football game you just lost and think about it, you have some issues. I don’t think we have any of those guys in here. Different things didn’t go our way, but we’ll use it as motivation.”
Stanford stated strong again on both sides of the ball against Notre Dame, claiming leads of 7-0 and 17-7. But miscues–including the first blocked punt since 2014–and missed opportunities, did in the Cardinal, who was outscored 24-7 in the second half.
“You can say a lot of things about this year, the injuries and all that,” said Booker. “But that’s not an excuse and we know that. When the offense and defense are clicking, we can get it going and I think the first half showed that. It’s about sustained effort. When we put all that together in the offseason and get it right, it’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Coming off a close and emotional loss to Cal last week, Parkinson never doubted players would respond on Senior Day.
“If we had packed it in, that would be a big culture change we had to make in the offseason,” Parkinson said. “But we still have guys who are fighters and giving it their best every play. There’s definitely room for growth, but it was good to see some fire in this game.”
Booker praised the seniors for leadership, attention to detail and resiliency.
“Everyone knows this wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but I can’t be more proud of the senior class,” Booker said.
SENIOR DAY
Prior to the game, the following seniors were introduced: inside linebacker Ryan Beecher; wide receiver Isaiah Brandt-Sims; quarterback K.J. Costello; tight end Scooter Harrington; running back Dorian Maddox; long snapper Richard McNitzky; inside linebacker Andrew Pryts; punter/kicker Colin Riccitelli; quarterback Jack Richardson; running back Cameron Scarlett; defensive end Thomas Schaffer; wide receiver Harry Schwartz; wide receiver Donald Stewart; defensive end Jovan Swann; Toohill; outside linebacker Anthony Trinh; and defensive tackle Michael Williams.
STRONG FINISH
Scarlett ran 13 times for 43 yards, but his last carry was memorable. With 3:12 remaining in the game, he broke tackles up the middle and dove into the end zone to complete a nine-yard scoring burst, his seventh touchdown of the season.
“I saw the opening backside and knew my carries were coming to a close, so I wanted to make sure I finished in the end zone one more time,” Scarlett said.
Scarlett and sophomore wide receiver Simi Fehoko had a friendly competition all season on who would score more touchdowns and were tied coming into the contest.
“So it was a good way to end it,” said Scarlett.
Scarlett finished his Stanford career with 1,676 rushing yards, No. 18 on the school’s all-time list. Scarlett now ranks eighth in program history with 24 rushing touchdowns.
“Every game I was bringing my hard hat,” Scarlett said. “Didn’t matter what linemen were playing, weren’t playing, I came in with the mindset I was going to give it my all every game. And that’s something that was instilled in me from players before. Stanford football is really just a bunch of grimy guys who like to get after it and play good football.”
Scarlett predicts big things for the Cardinal next season.
“Next year’s team is going to be so deep,” Scarlett said. “We weren’t really able to showcase everything we had because we had so many injuries and it’s nothing we can complain about. But we were a really dangerous team coming into that first game and it wasn’t in God’s plan for us to all stay healthy.
“Next year I can tell they’re going to be a dominant unit up front once everybody gets healthy. And the run game is going to be nasty with those two young running backs (freshmen Austin Jones and Nathaniel Peat). And then with the pass game, Davis Mills is a special talent and I think he’s going to show if off next year.”
STEP UP
Scarlett didn’t mention Stanford’s receiving group, which came on strong in the second half of the season. Junior Connor Wedington returns, as do sophomores Michael Wilson, Fehoko and Brycen Tremayne and junior Osiris St. Brown.
Wilson caught a career-high 10 passes for 94 yards on Saturday, including a 27-yard touchdown. Fehoko grabbed a personal-best six for 63 and St. Brown caught three.
Fehoko finished with 24 receptions for 566 yards and established a new school record by averaging 23.58 yards per catch, breaking the old mark of 22.93 set by Devon Cajuste in 2013.
Tremayne had three receptions this season and all resulted in touchdowns. He hauled in a 5-yarder from Mills in the first quarter against Notre Dame.
Earlier this season, Tremayne recovered a blocked punt for a score.
FAST START
In just his sixth collegiate start, Mills completed 28 of 46 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. The junior started fast, hitting his first six attempts and 10 of his first 12. Mills was also victimized by several drops.
Mills showed good mobility, running seven times for 36 yards.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
HANG IN THERE
Despite the final score, the Stanford defense kept the game within reach until the fourth quarter. In the second and third stanzas, the unit forced three consecutive punts. Notre Dame scored 10 points off turnovers.
“We played great defense in big, long spurts,” said Shaw. “And then a couple of big plays shift the balance. But that’s a really good football team and they made plays at the end of the game.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Twenty true freshmen saw game action this season, with 12 playing more than four games and using a year of eligibility.
Counting punter/kicker Ryan Sanborn, eight true freshmen started at least one game, tied for the fourth-most in the country.
In all, 38 Cardinal players started at least one game, 18 for the first time in their college careers.
INSTANT STUDIES
Once again, three true freshmen–left tackle Walter Rouse, left guard Barrett Miller and right guard Jake Hornibrook–started on the offensive line and held their own against a veteran defensive front.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said junior center Drew Dalman. “I don’t think a lot of people know the mental aspect of the game to kind of get yourself up to speed so you can play in a game like this as an offensive lineman. They got better every week.”
So did Dalman. He was the only offensive lineman to start every game and did an admirable job coordinating the group at the line of scrimmage and tutoring and encouraging the younger players.
SHAW SPECIALTIES
Shaw had special praise for the efforts of Rouse, Sanborn and freshman cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly.
“I would be shocked if we didn’t have three first-team freshmen All-Americans,” Shaw said. “What our punter (Sanborn) did this year as a true freshman is unbelievable. What Kyu Kelly did this entire year is unbelievable. What Walter Rouse did, starting at Game 2 at USC and playing the entire season at left tackle; I want to say maybe gave up two sacks on the year? It’s unreal.”
CHANGEABLE COSTELLO
Shaw met with Costello on Friday and they will convene again to discuss his future. Hampered by injuries all season, Costello played in only five games and has one year of eligibility remaining.
“I just told him that I love him,” said Shaw. “And this entire year, I’ve just felt for him. The aspirations that he had, difficult when you can’t attain them. We’ll see how it goes over the next couple weeks. One thing about K.J., you never question his heart.”
NOTES
The loss snapped a streak of 22 consecutive non-conference home wins and was the first under Shaw (12-1) … The last setback came against Notre Dame in 2007 … Junior strong safety Stuart Head matched his career-high with eight tackles … Stanford recorded eight tackles for loss, 2.5 by junior outside linebacker Gabe Reid … Stanford finished the decade with 98 victories, tied for the eighth-most in college football, and went to nine bowl games … Half of Stanford’s opponents this season finished with seven or more wins … Stanford scored points on its opening possession in eight of 12 games this season (four touchdowns and four field goals) and in seven of its final nine contests … Former Stanford great Toby Gerhart ’10 was recognized as part of the program’s 125-year anniversary of Stanford football. He ran for 3,522 yards, the fifth-most in school history, and his 44 rushing touchdowns rank No. 1. In 2009, Gerhart led the nation in rushing, won the Doak Walker Award and was a unanimous All-American. He played in the NFL for six years and now attends the Stanford Graduate School of Business … Michael McFaul ’86, MA ’86 and a Professor of Political Science at Stanford since 1995, served as the team’s honorary captain. A Rhodes Scholar, he served as Ambassador to Russia for the U.S. State Department from 2012-14 and has been Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute since 2005.
photo from gostanford.com: The Stanford Cardinal Tyrell Terry (3) goes for the throw down in the Cardinal victory over WNC Wilmington at Maple Pavilion on Sunday afternoon
By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Stanford returned to the win column in men’s basketball on Sunday, as the Cardinal defeated UNC-Wilmington 72-54 in non-conference play at Maples Pavilion.
The Cardinal are off to their best start since 2011, when they won 10 of their first 11 contests.
Oscar da Silva netted a career-high 26 points, as the Cardinal bounced back from their only loss of the season. Da Silva was 11 of 14 from the field and grabbed five rebounds despite missing a few minutes early in the second half after taking an errant elbow to the head.
Spencer Jones scored 17 points, including a career-high five f3-pointers for the Cardinal (8-1). Freshman Tyrell Terry was in early foul trouble, but still scored nine points while collecting four rebounds and five assists.
Marten Linssen and Jaylen Sims scored 12 points each to lead the Seahawks, who have not defeated a Pac-12 team since 2006.
Stanford never trailed in the game, leading by as many as 25. It was UNC-Wilmington’s fifth game in 10 days, and, after falling behind 12-0, the Seahawks never caught up. The Cardinal held a 33-30 rebounding edge.
The Cardinal led by 19 in the first half behind the inside-outside games of da Silva and Jones. Jones sank four of his 3-pointers in the first half, as Stanford built a 38-19 lead.
The two head coaches — Jerod Haase of Stanford and C.B. McGrath of Wilmington — were teammates for two years while playing at Kansas, and coached together for 14 seasons at North Carolina.
Stanford has nearly two weeks off before its next game on Dec. 14 at San Jose State.
STANFORD — On a cold, windy, rainy day, the Stanford Cardinal met the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the final game of the 2019 season.
The 15-ranked Irish fell behind early in the game 17-7. The Cardinal dominated in all phases of the game for the first 26 minutes of the game. They led in time of possession. They led in yards passing and yards rushing. It appeared that Stanford quarterback Davis Mills would lead his squad to an upset. Everything changed late in the first half when the Irish blocked a Ryan Sanborn punt. Notre Dame scored, and from that point on until late in the fourth quarter, the dominated the Cardinal. They scored 31 unanswered points to lead 38-17. The Cardinal scored with just 1:54 left in the game. With 41 seconds left to play, the Irish stripped Davis Mills of the ball in the end zone. The Irish recovered for the score to win 45-24.
The Cardinal dominated play until late in the first half. Stanford scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game. They went on a 75-yard drive in 3 minutes and 34 seconds to go-ahead 7-0. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish responded with a touchdown of their own. The Irish went 80 yards in five plays to tie the game 7-7. The essential play was a 16-yard pass from Ian Book to Micah Jones for the score.
Stanford went on a long 82-yard drive that consumed 8 minutes and 15 seconds, and all they could come up with was a field goal. They had first, and goal from the two-yard line but could not get the ball across the goal line. Ryan Sanborn made the field goal, and the Cardinal led 17-7. Things were looking good for Stanford until late in the first half. The Irish defense forced the Cardinal to kick, and Notre Dame’s Isaiah Foskey blocked Sanborn’s put. The ball was recovered on the one-yard line. The ball was moved back to the sixth when the Irish were called for a false start. Quarterback Ian Book connected with tight end Tommy Tremble for the score. The Irish now trailed by three 17-14 with 3:01 left to play in the half.
The momentum had shifted to Notre Dame. The Irish forced Stanford to punt again. They got the ball on their own 24-yard line. Notre Dame went 76-yards in just 21 seconds to score their third touchdown of the game and now led the Cardinal 21-17. The key play was a 41-yard throw from Book to Chase Claypool for the score.
In the second half, the Irish dominated. With the ball on the 7-yard line, they went on a 93-yard drive to up the lead to 28-17. The essential play was a 43-yard pass play from Book to Braden Lenzy. The score came on an 8-yard pass from Book to Claypoole for the score. That was the only score in the third quarter. Just before the quarter ended, Stanford forced the Irish to punt from deep in their territory. Michael Wilson fumbled the catch, and Notre Dame recovered. They cashed in to start the fourth quarter with a 42-yard field goal to go ahead 31-17.
The Irish continued to pour it on. The Irish put another 7 points on the board with a 10-play 72-yard drive to lead 38-17. The Cardinal finally scored when Cameron Scarlett scored on a 9-yard run with 1:54 left in the game. The Irish added another touchdown when they stripped Davis Mills of the ball in the end zone and recovered the fumble for the score. The Irish won 45-24.
Game Notes: With the loss, Stanford drops to 4-8 for the year. It was the first losing season for head coach David Shaw. Notre Dame improved to 10-2.
Total yardage for Notre Dame was 455 yards. Ian Book was 17-for-30 good for 255 yards and four touchdowns. They rushed for 190 yards. Stanford produced 394 yards of total offense. Quarterback Davis Mills was 28-for 46 good for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Cardinal rushed for 118 yards.
Attendance at Stanford Stadium was sparse due to the weather. The stadium was about half full with Stanford fans. There was a large contingent of rabid and noisy Notre Dame fans in the north end of the stadium. They went home very happy as their team will be playing in a bowl game again this year.
When Ryan Beecher runs out of the tunnel into Stanford Stadium on Saturday for the last time, he’ll be met by water works.
It’s Senior Day against No. 15 Notre Dame, so Cardinal players will be recognized before the game and greeted by their families on the field. Emotional, but even more so for Jim and Julie Beecher, and their other children, Annabelle (’17) and Holden.
In December 2017, the night before the team was flying to the Alamo Bowl, Ryan was packing at his home in Fresno, Calif. when he received a phone call from Stanford Hospital. A pathology report had come back about a lump under his armpit and a biopsy revealed he had tested positive for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Scared and uncertain about his future, Ryan stayed home and sought an immediate diagnosis. Steve Schwartz, the father of teammate Harry Schwartz, arranged an appointment with a lymphoma specialist at UCLA. The family was told he had a treatable strain.
“The days before Ryan was officially diagnosed were some of the hardest days of my life,” said Julie. “Suddenly, my young, healthy son had this terrifying word, cancer, hanging over his head and we had no idea what that would mean for him.”
Teammates quickly rallied around Beecher. They signed his No. 43 game jersey and wrote messages, and it arrived at his home the day before the game. On game day against TCU, Beecher wore the jersey and watched the game on television with his family. Many Stanford players wrote his number on their arms and JJ Arcega-Whiteside pointed to it after catching a touchdown pass.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
“From Week 1, it was just an overwhelming amount of love and support,” Beecher said. “I will always be thankful to them.”
The official diagnosis was a rare form of lymphoma called “ALK-positive.” Beecher underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, lost his hair and considerable weight off his 6-1, 230-pound frame.
“The eyebrows took some getting used to,” Beecher said.
Teammate Lewis Burik cooked a big dinner for Beecher and his friends before his first round of chemotherapy. Kaden Smith helped him shave his head.
Beecher was unsure about his football future and missed spring practice and two quarters of school. He never complained and told his mom he wanted to climb Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
“Right before the Spring Game that year, Ryan was at a low point,” said Julie. “It was hard to get him to go because he was completely bald and pretty run down from months of chemotherapy. He decided to go, and as he was walking into the game, Coach (David) Shaw approached him and told him he was being put on scholarship. When Ryan told us after the game, it an was incredible moment. It still makes me cry to think about it.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Beecher was cleared to participate in fall camp in the summer of 2018 and hasn’t missed a beat.
“Getting back out on the field was a goal and dream of mine once it got taken away,” Beecher said. “Football was a huge motivator in the sense that it taught me a lot of mechanisms to respond to that type of adversity. I give a lot of credit to our training staff and coaches for instilling in us the sense of reacting to adversity and staying positive.”
Beecher was initially told to take it easy, especially during wind sprints, but he tuned out the strength and conditioning coach.
“I’m a stubborn guy and didn’t listen as much as I should have,” Beecher said. “I was pretty exhausted after that first workout. But let me tell you, it was so relieving after months and months — the doctors didn’t want me to go into any gym and expose myself to germs — being back. There’s a certain type of energy you get working out, especially with a group of guys you love.”
Cardinal team captain Casey Toohill said Beecher’s attitude and determination inspired everyone.
“The thing that impressed me the most was when he came back for summer runs after just doing the chemo, he made all the times, which is unheard of, because people miss the times anyway,” Toohill said.
Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, wasn’t surprised Beecher sold out.
“Being through something similar with my brother the last couple of years, the appreciation of life is powerful,” said Shaw. “To come back from cancer and say all I have to do is run gassers? That’s it? I’m not going to pull back and I’m going to go as hard as I can and know my body is going to respond.”
Beecher, a former walk-on and now a fifth-year senior, played on special teams in 13 games in 2017 and 2018. This season, he has appeared in every contest and earned his first start against Colorado, collecting a career-high five tackles. Beecher has 16 total stops, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry.
“To play as well as he’s played, stepping up and contributing at inside linebacker, it’s been amazing to watch,” Toohill said. “I’m just proud to be his friend.”
Shaw said, “He’s a tough guy. And tough guys like being around tough guys. To see a guy fight through what he fought through and be able to get in there and grind with his brothers on the field makes you feel like you’re around someone special.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Beecher isn’t the biggest, strongest or fastest player on the team. If you walked by him on campus, he looks more like a history major — which he is — than a football player.
Looks can be deceiving. Beecher started 32 consecutive varsity games at San Joaquin Memorial High School and made 232 tackles, leading the league in 2013.
“All he thinks about is his job and what he can do,” said Shaw. “His teammates appreciate that. Every time he makes a tackle or a play, the sideline goes crazy. They’re always cheering and rooting for him. To be able to coach a guy like Ryan Beecher makes you feel good about what you do on a daily basis.”
Beecher is cancer-free, but will need follow up scans for the rest of his life.
“Going through something like that, you take things a little more serious now,” Beecher said. “Definitely happier and more thankful for everything … my family, my friends and everyone who was in my corner supporting me. It’s just really easy when you have a bad day to kick yourself out of it because you’ve had worse days for sure.”
INJURY UPDATE
Connor Wedington, K.J. Costello, Paulson Adebo and Malik Antoine will not play against Notre Dame.
PERSEVERANCE LEADS TO PROMINENCE
Donald Stewart caught his first career touchdown pass last week against Cal, and it was a feel-good moment for everyone. He has overcome injuries, dipped on the depth chart and has spent much of the season working with the scout team. He never complained, went full speed, remained positive and stepped up last week when Connor Wedington was injured on the opening kickoff.
“Donald has had the entire college football experience from playing early, playing well, from not playing much, playing more and making big catches,” Shaw said. “He’s probably grown as much as anybody on the football team.”
Shaw continued to remind him that nothing is set in stone. If you put in the work, it’ll pay off.
“I commend Donald for trusting us,” Shaw said. “We put him back in the rotation and for the last month, Donald has been ready. It was great in a big moment in a Big Game for him to be open and that was a tough catch. Great to see that for him and guys celebrating for him.”
MAKING MILLS
Davis Mills will make his sixth career start at quarterback against the Fighting Irish (9-2). Due to injuries, he didn’t play in 2017 and saw brief action in one game last season.
“Technically, in my book, you’re still a freshman until you play 12 games,” said Shaw. “We’re still technically in Davis’ freshman year. He’s capable of extreme highs.
SHAW ON HIS DEFENSE
“We’ve had outstanding effort and consistent play from a handful of guys, led by Casey Toohill,” Shaw said about the unit’s showing against Cal. “The guy just pours his heart out every single play. Everybody that stepped out on the field played well.”
Shaw also praised the efforts of Andrew Pryts, Curtis Robinson, Thomas Booker and Jovan Swann.
“As injured as we are, we have the guys on the field that can make the plays,” said Shaw. “And now it’s when we make those plays. If it’s late fourth quarter, we make to make those plays. The same thing about us offensively.”
TIGHTEN UP
Containing mobile quarterbacks remains a challenge. Stanford will encounter another quick, athletic and explosive player in Ian Book on Saturday.
“That’s been a difficult thing the entire year, understanding the integrity of where you need to be,” Shaw said. “The rush lanes containing the quarterback are vital. We’ve struggled with that and must improve.”
SENIOR RECOGNITION
Shaw commended the leadership of his seniors for never letting down this season.
“Even after a couple tough losses, the guys come out and are flying around, practicing hard and pushing each other in a positive way,” said Shaw. “That credit doesn’t go to our coaches; that credit goes to our seniors and our leaders.
“These guys have been outstanding in a year when most people are understandably talking about the record and it’s not what we want it to be. But there have been some moments this year at any point in time where these guys could have packed it in, and their teammates wouldn’t allow them to.”
MUTUAL ADMIRATION
Lynn Swann grew up in Michigan and is not a Notre Dame fan. That being said, he respects what the program has accomplished and knows they are benchmark for success.
“It means a lot to strap up and go against a team like that,” Swann said. “People have dislike for them because they are such a great program. I just happened to be born in Michigan.
“I think they’re a great team and we have a great challenge ahead of us and I’m excited to play against them because when you make plays against teams like that it shows you are a real team and can compete against some of the best in the nation. And I think that’s our mentality this week to play to the best of our ability.”
QUOTE
“Growing pains are called growing pains because they hurt.” — David Shaw on using 20 freshmen this season.
On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:
#1 Jerry, talk about the Big Game last Saturday against Cal at Stanford Stadium. For Cardinal quarterback David Mills, he gave it his best, but Stanford fell in a very narrow game.
#2 Cal was able to play successfully on both sides of the football and come up with two touchdowns in the four quarter to get by Stanford by four points in one for the ages as Cal has not won in Stanford since 2009.
#3 In Stanford men’s basketball: A tough loss for Stanford men’s (7-1) fall in their first loss of the season after winning seven straight games to the Butler Bulldogs (7-0) 68-67, a one-point loss.
#4 It seems like Butler can beat up on the big schools with a perfect record so far. Is it fair to say look for them in March?
#5 UNC Wilmington (5-3) is next to face the Cardinal on Sunday at Maples Pavilion. Jerry talks about how he sees this game.
By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Butler’s Kamar Baldwin didn’t just take over in the final minutes of the Hall of Fame Classic championship, his 18-foot jumper in the closing seconds gave the Bulldogs a 68-67 win over Stanford Tuesday in Kansas City.
It was the Cardinal’s first loss of the season after seven consecutive victories, and their first game this season against a Power Five school.
Baldwin scored six of his 22 points in the final 1 ½ minutes. Bryce Nze scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Bryce Golden added 12 points for the undefeated Bulldogs (7-0).
Stanford (7-1) was led by Tyrell Tyler’s 21 points, followed by Oscar da Silva with 19, Bryce Willis with 12 and Spencer Jones 11.
The Cardinal led 51-48 with six minutes remaining before Butler used a 10-0 run to go up by six. After a Baldwin trey put the Bulldogs up by eight, Stanford used a 9-1 run to tie the game at 62-all at the two-minute mark.
With 41 seconds to play, Baldwin connected on a layup and a jumper, giving the Bulldogs a four-point lead. Stanford responded with a Jones 3-pointer and a dunk by Willis to take a 67-66 lead with 21 seconds to play.
Baldwin hit his game-winner on the next possession.
Stanford made nine 3-pointers, including one by Terry at the first half buzzer that tied the game at 29-all. Butler made six 3’s and converted 12 offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points. The Cardinal shot 53 percent from the field, but the Bulldogs outrebounded them 31-21.
Butler won despite being without Sean McDermott for much of the game,
McDermott, one of the Bulldogs’ leading scorers, suffered an ankle injury in the first half, but returned in the final minutes.
The Cardinal return home on Sunday, Dec. 1, to host UNC-Wilmington at Maples Pavilion.
#1 Barbara, the Cal Bears (6-5) just got by the Stanford Cardinal (4-7) in the Big Game Saturday with a touchdown in the closing minutes when Chase Garber ran a keeper for the game-winner.
#2 The San Francisco 49ers (10-1) continue to roll with a crushing win over the Green Bay Packers (8-3) 37-8. The Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers totally got shutdown by the 49ers defense Sunday.
#3 The Oakland Raiders (6-5) didn’t show up at Metlife Stadium and got crushed by the New York Jets (4-7) Sunday 34-3. The Raiders avoided getting shutout early when kicker Daniel Carlson hit a 48-yarder in the first quarter for three points and the Raiders only score.
#4 In San Jose on Saturday night at SAP Center. the San Jose Sharks continued their run of wins defeating one of hockey’s hottest teams, the New York Islanders, with a 2-1 shootout victory. The Sharks got a goal in the shootout from team captain Logan Couture, who converted a breakaway shot for the win. The Sharks also picked up another overtime win on Monday night in LA against the Kings for a 4-3 win.
#5 No. 3 Stanford women (5-0) got a key victory over Buffalo (4-2) 88-69 at Maples Pavilion. Lexie Hull led with 21 points and Ashten Prechtel had 17 points in the Cardinal win.
The Stanford Cardinal football team will host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a battle for the Legends Trophy. The Legends Trophy is awarded to the winner. It is named in honor of the 1925 Rose Bowl meeting, which was said by sportswriters to contain more legends on one field than had ever played the game. The trophy was created by the Notre Dame Club of San Francisco Bay Area, appropriately from Northern California redwood with an Irish crystal bowl.
Stanford will take the field for the final time this decade, a decade which saw them post 98 wins (to date), tied for the eighth-most in college football. The Cardinal’s 98 wins are tied for the most in the Pac-12 Conference this decade. After winning just 47 games and making two bowl appearances in the previous 10 years (2000-09), Stanford went to three Rose Bowls, an Orange Bowl and a Fiesta Bowl, in addition to the Sun Bowl (2), Foster Farms Bowl (1) and Alamo Bowl (1) this decade.
Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, David Shaw, is in his ninth season as the Stanford head coach. His 86 wins make him the winningest coach in program history. In the 15 seasons prior to Shaw taking over as head coach, Stanford won just 82 games.
Stanford is 17-0 at home under Shaw in nonconference games. The Cardinal has won its past 22 home nonconference games, with the last loss in 2007 against Notre Dame.
Twenty true freshmen have made their first career appearances so far this season: Bradley Archer, Branson Bragg, Aeneas DiCosmo, Stephen Herron, Elijah Higgins, Jake Hornibrook, Austin Jones, Brock Jones, Spencer Jorgensen, Kyu Blu Kelly, Zahran Manley, Jonathan McGill, Barrett Miller, Drake Nugent, Joshua Pakola, Nathaniel Peat, Walter Rouse, Ryan Sanborn, Tristan Sinclair and Nicolas Toomer. While 20 total true freshmen have played in 132 combined games, a staggering 12 have played in more than four games.
A total of 18 Cardinal have made their first career starts so far: Ryan Beecher, Branson Bragg, Henry Hattis, Stuart Head, Houston Heimuli, Elijah Higgins, Jake Hornibrook, Kyu Blu Kelly, Jonathan McGill, Barrett Miller, Davis Mills, J.J. Parson, Andrew Pryts, Curtis Robinson, Walter Rouse, Foster Sarell, Osiris St. Brown and Jack West. 38 different Cardinal have started at least one game for Stanford this season.
By the way, Stanford ranks fourth nationally and first in the Pac-12 with four blocked kicks this season.
By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Monday, November 25, 2019
Stanford extended its men’s basketball season-opening winning streak to seven games on Monday, as the Cardinal defeated Oklahoma 73-54 in the first day of the Hall of Fame Classic at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Freshman Tyrell Terry led Stanford (7-0) with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Spencer Davis was next with 13 points and Bryce Willis finished with 10. Oscar da Silva added nine points while pulling down 11 boards.
Austin Reaves was the Sooners’ top scorer with 17 points, followed by Alondes Williams with 12 points and Brady Manek with 10. Kristian Doolittle led Oklahoma (5-1) with eight rebounds.
The Cardinal opened the game with a 17-0 run and led 37-24 at halftime and never trailed throughout the second half in their first game of the season against a Power Five school. Oklahoma didn’t score until the 14:00 mark of the first half.
A brief 10-0 run pulled the Sooners to within seven midway through the first half, but never got any closer, as Terry had 16 points and nine rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
Although both teams shot 38 percent from the field, Stanford made 10 3-pointers and hit 13 of 19 free throws. The Sooners, meanwhile made four 3’s and struggled at the foul line, making 4 of 13 free throws.
Another factor in the Cardinal’s decisive win was outscoring Oklahoma 15-0 on second-chance points while holding a 51-32 rebounding edge.
On Tuesday, Stanford meets Butler for the Hall of Fame Classic championship.
