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_______________________ Chase Thomas contemplated entering the NFL Draft after last season, but felt he needed to improve to increase his value. Thomas said he has done so, adding 10 pounds to 245, getting stronger in the weight room, and becoming more flexible. “(Sports performance coach Shannon) Turley emphasizes stretching and being functional more than any other coach probably out there,” Thomas said. “He’s a technician when it comes to injury prevention. He’s a huge flexibility guy.” Another result of that emphasis? Yoga classes. _______________________ Many underclassmen will have their first opportunities to make an impact in game situations. When evaluating their performances, what is Shaw looking for? “How they handle adversity,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. “Hand the ball to the running back, and everybody’s blocked so he walks into the end zone -- that tells me nothing. What happens when he gets hit in the backfield? What happens when he makes a mistake? What happens when a tackle gets beat? All that stuff is important. When a young receiver catches the ball and gets hit hard, what happens on the next play? That’s what tells you about young guys. It’s not important what happens to you, it’s how you respond to what happens to you.” _______________________ Stanford and San Jose State annually meet in the Bill Walsh Legacy Game. The title honors Walsh, a three-time Super Bowl champion coach of the San Francisco 49ers, who played at San Jose State and had two successful stints as Stanford’s coach. Shaw, who played for Walsh at Stanford, took time to talk about Walsh to his team this week. One of the lessons came from Walsh’s amateur boxing career. “He always talked about beating the opponent to the punch,” Shaw said. _______________________ Nunes said he learned a lot from being an understudy to Luck. Primary was Luck’s extensive preparation. “Maybe it was just the fact that I’d always try to be early in the film room, and whenever I came in early, he was always there before me,” Nunes said. Another lesson: the importance of sleep. “The guy got almost 10 hours of sleep every night,” Nunes said. “You have to do everything to get physically prepared.” David Kiefer is a member of the Stanford Sports Information staff
Don Feria/stanfordphoto.com
by David Kiefer or a team that must replace top NFL Draft pick Andrew Luck at quarterback, there may be just as much fascination with another position — left tackle. The success of Stanford’s 2012 recruiting class, ranked No. 5 in the nation, was largely judged as such by the collection of superstar offensive linemen. Two of those freshmen, Andrus Peat and Kyle Murphy, are competing for that starting left tackle spot for Friday’s opener against visiting San Jose State at 7 p.m. Regardless of whether either makes the start, each has been promised a significant amount of playing time, head coach David Shaw said. Shaw said the starting assignment would be determined late in the week. If either is determined to be ready to start, third-year sophomore David Yankey will remain at his left guard position. If there were some reservations, Yankey would shift to left tackle and Khalil Wilkes would start at left guard. “We’ve seen tremendous growth in both Andrus Peat and Kyle Murphy,” Shaw said. “The challenge is to make sure one of those young guys is ready. There’s no question about the physical tools. It’s can we get the consistent play at that position? “If I’m not comfortable with one of the young guys, I’ll go with the old guy. But I’m comfortable in the progress so far. I think the entire freshman class is special. We have the luxury of hopefully putting those guys on the shelf for a year, but some of these guys are ready to play.” Peat is 6-foot-7 and 308 pounds. Murphy is 6-7, 280. New starting quarterback Josh Nunes, who won the job over Brett Nottingham, described his first impression: “They’re huge.” “I definitely feel comfortable with whoever’s over there,” he said. _______________________ Another top recruit, running back Barry Sanders, is being considered for a redshirt year, but that decision won’t be made just yet. “We’ll see how it goes,” Shaw said. “We’re very healthy at running back. So, how much will he be able to play? Is it worth playing a minimal amount to burn a redshirt year? But, you never know what will happen a couple of games into the season. “There’s no hesitation about him with the ball in his hands. It’s all the other things we ask our backs to do. Is he physically ready and mentally ready for all that? We’ll see.”
in the third week. Stanford will have to replace five defensive starters, but those who do step in, for the most part, have plenty of experience. “We still have special guys,” Shaw said. “Our combination of linebackers; I’d love to see a group anyone says is better.” The Cardinal will play its first game without Skov, who will sit out a game for a violation of team rules, an alleged DUI incident. Nunes is where the talk begins. He’s had minimal playing experience during his first two years, appearing in four games. Even at that, he takes more college experience into his first start than Luck. “I feel excited and ready to go,” Nunes said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been hit in a real game.” Like Luck, Nunes also said he enjoys the first contact of the game. During his freshmen season, former coach Jim Harbaugh would sometimes allow the defense to go after him on the practice field. “Harbaugh would yell, ‘OK quarterback live,’ and the defensive line would perk up and run back in for a a few plays,” Nunes said. “I got to know Chase Thomas quite well.” Nunes received a text message from Luck after Shaw announced him as the starting quarterback: “Congratulations, now it’s time to get to work.” It’s also time for guys like senior right guard Kevin Danser (6-6, 298), who takes over for All-American David DeCastro, and whomever takes over at left tackle for Jonathan Martin. Danser, who grew up in Saratoga and rooted for his older brother Chris, who played at San Jose State, will be making his first collegiate start. “Being consistent every day is the biggest thing I am working on,” Danser said. “David is such a great player, I’d watch him on film and wonder ‘Wow, how can I ever do that?’” Left tackle will be manned, whether as the starter or otherwise, by a pair of true freshmen in Andrus Peat (6-7, 308) and/or Kyle Murphy (6-7, 280). If Shaw feels neither is ready, he’ll go with veteran guard David Yankey (6-5, 301). “I have seen tremendous growth from Andrus and Kyle,” Shaw said. “We’ll see how much one or both are ready to help. Who takes the snap on the first play is not important. I’d love to keep David at guard, where he at his best. If for some reason neither freshman is ready, I’m not worried about David.” Peat and Murphy are both considered two of the better overall recruits in the nation. “They could both be dominant by the end of this year,” Shaw said. “The entire freshmen class is special and this is the best group of freshmen linemen I’ve seen.” Center Graham Shuler is part of that class and is considered the best at his position (in the nation) by Shaw, even though senior Sam Schwartzstein (6-3, 292) will Stanford’s starting center with redshirt
Senior linebacker Chase Thomas contemplated entering the NFL Draft after last season, but felt he needed to increase his value. sophomore Connor McFadden (6-3, 284) as the backup.. Senior Drew Terrell (5-11, 180) and sophomore Ty Montgomery (6-2, 212) step into starting roles as wide receivers, taking over for Griff Whalen and Chris Owusu. Terrell and Montgomery, the team’s best kick returner, have seen action in the past. “For the last two years Drew has been our best blocking receiver,” Shaw said. Tight end Coby Fleener joined Luck with the Indianapolis Colts and will be replaced at Stanford by the experienced Levine Toilolo (6-8, 285) or Zach Ertz (6-6, 252). They combined to catch 10 touchdown passes last year. Schwartzstein and Cameron Fleming (6-6, 314) join Yankey to give the front four some stability and should help the running game remain as one of the team’s strength. Senior Stepfan Taylor (5-11, 215) has quietly put together an impressive career at Stanford and could set the school’s career rushing record. Fullback Ryan Hewitt (6-4, 248) is the team’s leading returning receiver. Jordan Williamson (5-11, 192) and Daniel Zychlinksi (6-3, 208) return to handle kicking and punting duties, respectively. Skov and outside linebacker Chase Thomas (6-4, 248) are the heart and soul of the Stanford defense and both are expected to be top choices in next year’s NFL draft. “The defense has grown over the last couple years,” Thomas said. “This year we’re really at the top and playing faster.” With the injury to Skov came opportunity for inside linebackers Jarek Lancaster (6-1, 242) and A.J. Tarpley (6-2, 238), part of the talented group of linebackers that
also includes Trent Murphy (6-6, 261), Palo Alto grad Kevin Anderson (6-4, 250) and James Vaughters (6-2, 246). Terrence Stephens (6-2, 305) and Ben Gardner (6-4, 275) return to the defensive line and will be joined by the experienced group of Henry Anderson (6-6, 278), Josh Mauro (6-6, 277) and David Parry (6-2, 300). Terrence Brown (6-1, 178) is the lone returning starter in the defensive backfield, but there’s plenty of depth there, as well, with Ed Reynolds (6-2, 207), Jordan Richards (5-11, 208) and Barry Browning (6-1, 182). Former running back Usua Amanam (5-10, 176) will be utilized as a nickel back. Hewitt (ankle) and senior fullback Geoff Meinken (6-4, 252) are both out for San Jose State. Meinken is expected to return mid season while Hewitt is likely to miss one more game. In addition to Anderson, other locals at Stanford include MenloAtherton grad Sam Knapp (6-3, 208) and Sacred Heart Prep grads Chris Gaertner (6-1, 182) and Brian Moran (6-7, 309). N
STANFORD FOOTBALL Date Friday Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 27 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 24 Nov. 30
Opponent Time vs. San Jose St. 7 p.m. vs. Duke 7:30 p.m. vs. USC 4:30 p.m. at Washington 6 p.m. vs. Arizona TBA at Notre Dame 12:30 p.m. at California TBA vs. Washington St. TBA at Colorado TBA vs. Oregon St. TBA at Oregon TBA at UCLA TBA Pac-12 Championship TBA
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