There's no questioning Mike Harris's talent on the football field.
At 6'4, 199 pounds, the Laguna Hills (CA) safety has enormous size, ideal for what Stanford looks for in a defensive back.
Rated as a four-star prospect, fourth at his position and 114th in the country overall, Harris is big, fast, strong, and smart. That combination of talent has schools like USC, Ohio State, Nebraska, and others pursuing his services. But the one school Harris likes the most has yet to offer.
"I'm really just waiting on Stanford," the Orange County standout said. "Coach Kudron's recruited me harder than any other coach during the whole process, and I feel closer to him than anybody else. I'm really just waiting on the word from admissions. The coaches aren't allowed to be involved in the process, but Coach Kudron's been there for a while, and he's seen my grades and scores, and he told me he's pretty confident that I'll get in."
Harris visited Stanford for the Cardinal's game against Oregon two weeks ago.
In other visiting news, given the extraordinarily small class Stanford will be signing once again this year, this weekend's game against Notre Dame will be largely void of any visitors. The only two recruits expected to be in town are three-star Arizonians Josh Hunt and Zac Barnes. Hunt is a 6'3, 194-pound quarterback and is a teammate of current commit Carlos Roberts at Buena High School in Sierra Vista, while Barnes plays for Westview High in the Phoenix suburb of Avondale. Neither prospect has an offer yet, but with Stanford still looking for a quarterback and West Bloomfield (MI) St. Mary's signal caller Sean Conley opting for Florida State, Hunt may be close to an offer.
#14 Notre Dame @ #6 Stanford
Stanford Stadium
Palo Alto, CA
November 28, 2015
Senior Day Fiesta; Next Up: Fiesta Bowl? Stanford goes out in style in 2015; will hope to open 2016 in Glendale
PALO ALTO, CA - Capitalizing on the momentum that Jim Harbaugh started before departing for the San Francisco 49ers, Stanford coach Brian Kudron has taken the program on its most successful five-year stretch in its history. And after Saturday, the Cardinal seems poised to reach a BCS bowl for the third time in Kudron's five seasons.
Shane Williams put on a dazzling display in what might've been his final game in Palo Alto, throwing for four touchdowns and running for a fifth as #6 Stanford crushed #14 Notre Dame 65-17, giving the Cardinal their sixth win over the Fighting Irish in seven years, and fourth in five years under Kudron.
"I think the press is giving credit in the wrong spot," Stanford's coach said after the game. "All the accolades are being thrown in my direction, and that's flattering, but inaccurate. The praise should go to these kids, they're the ones who put the work in, and sacrifice themselves on the field every Saturday in the fall. The amount of energy they've poured into this program during their time here is immeasurable, and for this program to be in position for a fourth BCS bowl in six years is a testament to that dedication.
"The funny thing is, the one game everyone in this conference strives for, the Rose Bowl, is the one that's eluded us," Kudron laughed. "We've been to New Orleans, and Miami, and now we might be headed to Glendale for the Fiesta Bowl, but we haven't gotten to the Rose Bowl yet. Just one of those things I suppose. Hopefully we'll get there eventually, but until then, if the Fiesta Bowl will have us, we're excited to go there and represent the Pac-12 and represent Stanford University."
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Stanford Cardinal
Nov 28, 2015
1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
SCORE
#14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-5)
10
0
0
7
17
#6 Stanford Cardinal (10-2)
7
30
7
21
65
Team Stats Comparison
Total Offense
391
525
Rushing Yards
252
354
Passing Yards
139
171
First Downs
16
17
Punt Return Yards
47
31
Kick Return Yards
75
46
Total Yards
513
602
Turnovers
3
0
3rd Down Converstion
3-18
4-13
4th Down Conversion
1-3
0-0
2-Point Conversion
0-0
0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals
0/1
5/0
Penalties
1-6
1-10
Posession Time
15:43
32:17
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING
ND
STAN
6:27
(STAN) Williams, 20 yard pass to Bradford (Clayton kick)
0
7
4:26
(ND) Broussard, 40 yard FG
3
7
1:48
(ND) Meeks, 30 yard run (Broussard kick)
10
7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING
ND
STAN
11:50
(STAN) Johnson, 59 yard run (Clayton kick)
10
14
6:54
(STAN) Williams, 16 yard pass to Harris (Clayton kick)
10
21
3:58
(STAN) Safety, Galloway tackled Meeks in the endzone
10
23
1:33
(STAN) Williams, 2 yard pass to Hicks (Clayton kick)
10
30
0:14
(STAN) Williams, 17 yard pass to Davenport (Clayton kick)
10
37
THIRD QUARTER SCORING
ND
STAN
1:37
(STAN) Williams, 55 yard run (Clayton kick)
10
44
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING
ND
STAN
5:28
(STAN) Cason, 4 yard run (Clayton kick)
10
51
1:55
(STAN) Humphrey, 28 yard pass to Moore (Clayton kick)
A year ago, Stanford's stunning loss to Arizona State in the Pac-12 Championship Game opened the door for North Division runner-up Oregon to backdoor their way into the National Championship Game, which they lost to Penn State.
This year, the roles are reversed, as Oregon's overtime loss on their home field to rival Oregon State, along with Air Force, Michigan, and Michigan State all going down as well, has elevated Stanford to #1, meaning that while the Ducks will play for the Pac-12 title against USC next week, Stanford appears to have stumbled their way into the BCS National Championship in New Orleans.
"That's the system we have," Stanford coach Brian Kudron said. "Are we supposed to feel sorry for a team that benefited from this same sort of situation last year? I don't think so."
Kudron has done little to hide his disdain for the Oregon program in his five years on the Farm, and made sure to make that point when asked.
"They want to complain, that's their right. I didn't hear any complaints last year when we won the North and ended up being penalized for it. Turnabout is fair play, as far as I'm concerned."
02-12-2012, 01:23 AM
