Stanford on the board for 2013 Physical NorCal wideout gets 2013 class off to a great start
PALO ALTO, CA - The Stanford coaches were understandably agitated on the plane ride home from South Bend, fresh off a humbling defeat against rival Notre Dame. But they arrived back home on The Farm to some good news: the first commitment for the 2013 recruiting class is in.
4-star wide receiver Gary Harris of powerful Grant Union High School in Sacramento ended the process Monday, committing to Stanford's coaches in person. Harris picked the Cardinal over Cal and San Diego State, and had been receiving interest from USC, Oregon, and Boise State.
At 6'4, 220 pounds, Harris is a hulking wideout, fitting Stanford coach Brian Kudron's prototype perfectly. He uses every bit of his size, too, overpowering opposing defensive backs, using his size to shield the ball, and excelling as a run blocker on the outside.
Stanford's class is expected to be smaller than usual this year, so the coaches are being very selective with who they pursue. At the top of their wishlist, however, is the #2 quarterback in the country, 5-star Shane Williams from prestigious Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, the same football factory that sent star quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley to USC. Williams is a dazzling prospect, with perfect size (6'5, 232 pounds), a cannon of an arm, and enough mobility to elude pass rushers. As expected, he's being heavily pursued, with offers from Stanford, Oregon, USC, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Boise State, and Penn State. He recently went on record saying that Stanford, Oregon, USC, Alabama and Florida are sticking out from the rest.
Elsewhere, the Cardinal is in several heated battles across the country; they appear to be battling USC and Oklahoma for 340-pound 4-star defensive tackle Andrew Edwards from Hamilton High School in Chandler (AZ). They're fighting and clawing for 4-star cornerback AJ Grant and 4-star running back Garrett Cason, who play together at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney, Maryland. Coach Kudron is trying to continue Stanford's pipeline into the state of Texas, targeting 4-star linebacker Matt Turner from Skyline High School in Dallas. And 4-star defensive end Travis Miller from St. Pius X in Atlanta seems to be eyeing Stanford and hometown Georgia Tech.
Both teams enter this colossal showdown in unfamiliar territory. Boise State occupies the top spot in the polls for the first time, and they will face their first major test as a member of the Pac-12. Stanford, meanwhile, is reeling, and is a substantial underdog at home as their defense continues to escort opposing offenses into the endzone.
Based on the numbers, this could be an **** shootout, as both offenses are high-powered and well balanced, while both defenses rank near the bottom of the conference, statistically. Whichever defense plays the best is likely to win the game.
#1 Boise State @ #12 Stanford
Stanford Stadium
Palo Alto, CA
September 22, 2012
Stanford welcomes Boise to the Pac-12 Cardinal wins war of attrition, buries Boise with 4th quarter blitzkrieg
PALO ALTO, CA - Coming off last week's humbling loss to Notre Dame, the local media in the Bay Area was anxious to see how Brian Kudron's Stanford team would respond, with top-ranked Boise State arriving on The Farm for a monumental showdown.
Kudron's Cardinal was up to the task, battling the Broncos to a stalemate through three quarters, and blindsiding them with a 24-point explosion in the 4th to run away with the game, 37-21.
"I knew what our guys were capable of," Kudron said. "I knew we weren't as bad as we were last week, and I knew our defense was better than it's shown so far this year. A lot of people counted us out coming into this game, but this is our home field, and we value playing here more than any other team in this league. I don't ever wanna lose here at home, and I've done my best to instill that mindset in my players, and they showed that today."
Boise State Broncos at Stanford Cardinal
Sep 22, 2012
1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
SCORE
#1 Boise State Broncos (4-1, 1-1)
3
7
3
8
21
#12 Stanford Cardinal (4-1, 2-0)
0
10
3
24
37
Team Stats Comparison
Total Offense
419
427
Rushing Yards
95
149
Passing Yards
324
278
First Downs
17
12
Punt Return Yards
21
8
Kick Return Yards
179
121
Total Yards
619
556
Turnovers
2
0
3rd Down Converstion
7-18
6-16
4th Down Conversion
1-2
1-1
2-Point Conversion
1-1
0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals
1/0
3/2
Penalties
2-15
3-30
Posession Time
22:42
25:18
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING
BSU
STAN
5:51
(BSU) Pavel, 42 yard FG
3
0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING
BSU
STAN
8:51
(STAN) Williamson, 47 yard FG
3
3
6:50
(BSU) Southwick, 64 yard pass to Moore (Pavel kick)
10
3
0:35
(STAN) Nottingham, 3 yard pass to Ertz (Williamson kick)
10
10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING
BSU
STAN
7:54
(STAN) Williamson, 29 yard FG
10
13
0:44
(BSU) Pavel, 42 yard FG
13
13
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING
BSU
STAN
11:51
(STAN) Nottingham, 9 yard pass to Jackson (Williamson kick)
13
20
10:00
(STAN) Nottingham, 24 yard pass to Montgomery (Williamson kick)
13
27
3:38
(STAN) Wilkerson, 7 yard run (Williamson kick)
13
34
1:36
(STAN) Williamson, 23 yard FG
13
37
0:38
(BSU) Southwick, 8 yard pass to Linehan (Southwick pass to Linehan)
Stanford coach Brian Kudron is well aware of the perils that come with visiting Provo for a night game at BYU when the Cougars are on a roll. When their team is having success like they are now, BYU crowds are among the most frenzied in college football, and coming off their Holy War victory against archrival Utah two weeks ago, the Cougars are flying high and prepared for Stanford.
The Cougars are led by junior quarterback Jake Heaps, who can make teams pay with his legs as well as his arm. He has several talented receivers around him, most notably tight end Marcus Mathews and 6'4 wideout Cody Hoffman. BYU's number one threat on offense, however, is junior running back Joshua Quezada. At 5'11 and 204 pounds, Quezada leads BYU's power running attack with 486 yards and five touchdowns while averaging six yards a carry. He is supplemented by true freshman Brian Romero from Napa. Romero was recruited by Stanford for a time last year before committing to Brigham Young.
On defense, the Cougars boast a talented linebacking corps, led by All-Pac 12 middle linebacker Uona Kaveinga. The 239-pound Kaveinga led BYU with 78 tackles and 6.5 sacks last year, and leads them again in tackles this season with 31, tied with star defensive end Eathyn Manumaleuna. Manumaleuna leads BYU with 2.5 sacks, compared to Kaveinga's two. Kyle Van Noy and Brandon Ogletree round out BYU's stellar group of linebackers. In the secondary, strong safety Daniel Sorensen and cornerback Preston Hadley are the anchors, but against Stanford's run-based offense, 323-pound nose tackle Romney Fuga will be the most important player. His matchup against Stanford's Sam Schwartzstein and David DeCastro may very well decide the game.
#8 Stanford @ #18 BYU
LaVell Edwards Stadium
Provo, UT
October 6, 2012
Cardinal stunned by Cougars Stanford's season pushed to the brink after a meltdown in Provo
PROVO, UT - Everyone knew this was going to be a treacherous, brutal stretch of the schedule for Stanford. Trips to BYU, Washington, USC and Oregon in a five week span is borderline absurd.
And as the fiery crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo stormed the field, the magnitude of the situation hit Stanford coach Brian Kudron square on the shoulders.
The Cardinal picked off BYU quarterback Jake Heaps four times, and forced five turnovers overall, only to see Heaps lead back-to-back touchdown drives in the 4th quarter, erasing a 26-14 Stanford lead and producing a stunning 29-26 after the game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Marcus Mathews with nine seconds left. The winning score game one play after Heaps scrambled for 12 yards on 4th down.
"I'm not sure what can be said after this," Kudron said in the aftermath. "It's the same problems, over and over. We're not consistent enough on offense, and we have no idea what we're doing in pass coverage. Clearly we're not getting the message across, so maybe it's time for some changes. Because this is unacceptable. This is the Pac-12. If you can't defend the pass, you can't win, because so many teams in this league have high-powered offenses with star quarterbacks. We're finding that out the hard way, and it's time for us to respond."
Stanford Cardinal at Brigham Young Cougars
Oct 6, 2012
1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
SCORE
#8 Stanford Cardinal (4-2, 2-1)
7
5
7
7
26
#18 Brigham Young Cougars (6-0, 3-0)
0
7
7
15
29
Team Stats Comparison
Total Offense
316
543
Rushing Yards
129
86
Passing Yards
187
457
First Downs
11
25
Punt Return Yards
22
24
Kick Return Yards
97
72
Total Yards
435
639
Turnovers
1
5
3rd Down Converstion
1-12
7-18
4th Down Conversion
0-1
3-4
2-Point Conversion
0-0
1-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals
1/1
2/0
Penalties
3-13
4-45
Posession Time
23:38
24:22
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING
STAN
BYU
6:04
(STAN) Nottingham, 5 yard pass to Montgomery (Williamson kick)
7
0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING
STAN
BYU
5:32
(STAN) Safety, Vaughters sacked Heaps in the endzone
9
0
2:40
(STAN) Williamson, 30 yard FG
12
0
0:24
(BYU) Heaps, 26 yard pass to Mathews (Smith kick)
12
7
THIRD QUARTER SCORING
STAN
BYU
2:36
(BYU) Heaps, 10 yard pass to Hoffman (Smith kick)
12
14
1:10
(STAN) Nottingham, 23 yard pass to Montgomery (Williamson kick)
19
14
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING
STAN
BYU
4:28
(STAN) Carrington, 53 yard INT return (Williamson kick)
26
14
4:09
(BYU) Heaps, 80 yard pass to Falslev (Smith kick)
26
21
0:09
(BYU) Heaps, 2 yard pass to Mathews (Heaps pass to Mathews)
12-04-2011, 02:50 AM
