Sports
Receivers
by Rick Eymer t’s military week for the Stanford football team, which takes on Army on Saturday morning in West Point. “We’re playing against young men that are willing to do some of the things that we’re not willing to do down the road,” said Stanford head coach David Shaw said. “Our freedom is in their hands. We love them, we appreciate them.” The fifth-ranked Cardinal (1-0) has plenty of connections to the military, beginning with Shaw’s father, Willie Shaw, who enlisted in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, serving in the mid-1960s, just as things were getting nasty. “I have the utmost respect for our servicemen,” Cardinal running back Tyler Gaffney said. “I’ve heard so much about West Point. They are all about details.” Stanford wide receiver Devon Cajuste has a sister who served in the army. Stanford flew to New York on Thursday, allowing an extra day to adjust to the time change (the kickoff is scheduled for 9 a.m. PDT). Shaw organized a bus tour to peruse the buildings on campus Friday for his players to learn about Army’s history before playing near the banks of the Hudson River at Michie Stadium on Saturday. “I’m going to be a tourist for a little bit,” Shaw said of the hallowed ground on which officers of every rank have walked, including George Armstrong Custer, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. “I’m going to take pictures.” As for the game, Stanford’s rush defense will be put to the test. Army led the nation in rushing last year, utilizing a triple-option offense. “I respect what they do. I really do,” Shaw said. “They’re determined to do what they do and do it as well as they can do it. And they challenge you to stop it.” * * * Stanford safety Ed Reynolds has been named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week in an announcement from the Foundation on Monday. The 6-foot-2, 206-pound senior from Orange Park, Fla., had a team-high 12 tackles and one interception in Stanford’s victory over San Jose State on Saturday night. In recognition of Reynolds’ performance, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, sponsors of the Lott IMPACT Trophy,
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will make a $1,000 donation to the general scholarship fund at Stanford. * * * Stanford’s game against visiting Arizona State on Sept. 21 will kick off at 4 p.m., and will be broadcast live nationally on FOX. * * * On the heels of its seasonopening victory over San Jose State in front of a sold-out crowd of 50,424, Stanford ticket sales have continued at a rapid pace. As of Tuesday morning, all mini-plans are now sold out in addition to individual tickets for the Nov. 7 Oregon game being sold out. Tickets for UCLA and Notre Dame previously sold out and only limited quantities remain for the Arizona State (Sept. 21, 4 p.m.), Washington (Oct. 5) and Cal (Nov. 23) games. * * * The East Coast trip serves a couple of purposes. It allows players from the East to play in front of family and friends. It also serves recruiting, by allowing Stanford coaches to visit high schools and see potential recruits on both Thursday and Friday. * * * Much is being made of Stanford’s size advantage over Army. “The problem is, a lot of times when you’re going against smaller guys, the smaller guys are quicker,” Shaw said. “It’s hard sometimes for big guys to get down against guys that are smaller than them. We have to be ready for movement, a lot of slants and twists, and guys moving up front in different combinations.” * * * Shaw was pleased with Hogan’s performance against San Jose State (17-27-207, 2 TDs, 0 INT), but said the quarterback was not too happy with a couple of passes that overshot their targets. “It’s excitement,” Shaw said. “Devon’s open in the corner, he got really excited and he launched that thing. Ty Montgomery had a double move and was splitting the safety and the corner, and he launched it. He got so excited. “Just make the throw. He saw it, he read it, he did everything right until the throw. By coaching standards, he’s still a freshman. He’s only started six games. He hasn’t started 12 games yet. We have to remember, he’s still young.” * * * -- Dave Kiefer of Stanford Athletics contributed
Stadium on Saturday at 9 a.m. “Of all the schools who offered, Stanford was the only one willing to give me a chance at wide receiver,” Cajuste said. “My dad always said not to let anybody tell what I could not do. I wanted to try the position.” Stanford has a history of giving under-sized (Ken Margerum, Troy Walters) and unconventional (Greg Camarillo, Ryan Whalen) athletes a chance at wide receiver. It has paid off for the Cardinal. Cajuste, who caught his first career touchdown pass in Stanford’s 34-13 victory over San Jose State last Saturday, seems to be the latest of the series — even though he’s bigger than his predecessors. “He’s a freak athlete,” Stanford running back Tyler Gaffney said. “Unfortunately he got hurt early in his freshman year. It was inspiring just to watch him work his way back.” He caught one pass for seven yards as a sophomore and then caught three passes for 64 yards, including a 40-yard scoring reception, in the win over the Spartans. “You have to take steps,” Cajuste said of earning his starting spot. “At first I wanted to be the scout team Player of the Week, then I wanted to play. Catching my first touchdown pass was the latest goal. I haven’t thought about the next one yet.” Maybe he could think up a way of keeping the football following his next touchdown pass. He thought about it last week but erred on the side of caution. He described the catch as “a normal catch in practice with Kevin Hogan. I wasn’t nervous because I had practice that catch a million times. Why over think it?” Cajuste knew he could be playing an important role this season and took it as an opportunity. He had been working toward this most of his football life. “My sense of confidence went up,” Cajuste said. “I knew I would play a key role and the idea was to have fun. Game day meant the same composure as practice. I trusted in Kevin to get me the ball and he trusted in me to catch it. It’s very comfortable.” His father, Gregory, served in the Marines. He has a sister who served in the army. He knew he could trust what his father told him and developed a love for running because of him. “For a while my dad could beat my dog (“Rocky”) in a race,” Cajuste said. “I got his speed. I always love to run. I’d randomly start racing down the block.” Cajuste figures he has an advantage over smaller defensive backs because of his size and speed. He wanted to play outside “for the glory of the big catch,” he said. He began playing football on the defensive side of the ball (“I was born on defense,” he said) and as a freshman outside linebacker
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After missing games with an injury last season, Ty Montgomery came out strong in Saturday’s season opener, catching a 17-yard TD pass. at Holy Cross High, he took matters into his own hands during one game. “It was the fourth quarter with something like 1:35 left to play,” Cajuste said. “I just decided to blitz on my own. I got the safety and it was the first time we’d beaten this team in a long time. I got yelled at.” Afterward, the coach asked him if he could catch. “I said, ‘I don’t know, throw me the ball,’” he said. “That’s how I knew I was a wide receiver.” Gaffney, meanwhile, said his neck and shoulders were pretty sore after gaining 104 yards and scoring a touchdown against San Jose State. “It had been a while since I really hit anybody,” Gaffney said. “It was reminded that football is a physical sport. It was a surreal experience but I was glad to be out there. I had every sort of anxious feeling before the game. I was nervous, I got goosebumps and I didn’t know what to expect. After the first couple of plays it felt like I was back where I was supposed to be.” One of the big questions prior to the season was how long it would take Stanford’s mostly untested wide receivers and tight ends to step up in the offense. Based on Saturday night’s strong showing against San Jose State, they’re off to a fast start. Junior wide receivers Ty Montgomery and Cajuste combined for seven receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the
season-opening victory at Stanford Stadium. Additionally, tight ends Charlie Hopkins and Luke Kaumatule each caught their first career passes, as did wide receiver Jeff Trojan. Montgomery, hampered by a knee injury much of last season, looked like his old, explosive self. In the third quarter, he wouldn’t be denied on a 17-yard scoring toss from Hogan, bulling over Spartan cornerback Jimmy Pruitt at the 9-yard-line. Montgomery also had a 36-yard kickoff return. “I don’t play this game for myself; I play this game for the rest of my teammates,” said Montgomery. “So I want to lay it all on the line for all those guys.” Montgomery played in all 13 games as a freshman and caught 24 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned 27 kickoffs for 680 yards (25.2 yards per return) and one touchdown. Last year, he hauled in 26 passes for 213 yards, but didn’t score. His mantra for 2013 is simple: “Be aggressive, physical, fast and quick, but not in a hurry,” he said. It showed on his touchdown Saturday night. Montgomery wouldn’t be denied. Montgomery said he wasn’t nervous before the game, but wanted to show he is someone to contend with this year. All four catches came in the second half, including a 42-yarder on third down in the fourth quarter. N -- Mark Soltau of Stanford Athletics contributed
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