Gap Down Backer.

[toysoldier00]

guess team of destiny was a bit premature

[Soapy]

guess team of destiny was a bit premature

destiny arrives all the same.

[Soapy]

Sports • Football
The Postmortem: Richard Cookus deserves all the good things in life, Stanford's got a quarterback and offensive line worries

Stanford receiver Rodney Cookus runs a route across the middle of the field against Georgia. (Photo: Irene Bronner/DS Photos)
By Anthony Metcalf
Published Oct. 6, 2031, 09:26 a.m.

The initial reaction to Stanford's loss to Georgia might have been one of heartbreak and gut wrench, narrowly losing to the No. 1 team in the country when the Cardinal had a chance at not only forcing overtime but potentially winning the game had they gone for two.

What must not be forgotten, however, is the heart and toughness that receiver Rodney Cookus showed in the game. Cookus was clearly hurt and at one point was on the sideline, helmet off, looking like his day was over but after Brent Baker's dropped pass in the fourth, the broadcast show Cookus getting into an argument with the medical staff and needing the coaching staff to calm him down.

Cookus would return in the game, first in a limited role with that touchdown catch and then on the final drive, hobbled with an apparent upper body injury, he made clutch catch after clutch play to extend the drive and give Stanford a chance.

He's not likely to hold any school records and we'll see where he goes in the draft either this upcoming draft or next but he's certainly an all-time Cardinal with his toughness, his big time playmaking and his unselfishness as a blocker.

Earl Nienhuis has got the guts
Halfway through that game, it felt like Stanford was reverting back to it's Wing-T style of offense of just pounding the run and hoping to bludgeon the other team into a win. But when they needed a play in the fourth quarter, they didn't hesitate to put the ball in Nienhuis' hands.

The comparisons to Alex Rowe will likely never stop but at this point, it's clear that Stanford made the right pick in not only Nienhuis' talent level and his play but also the increased confidence that this coaching staff has in him and the passing game as a whole.

Could Rowe have reached this level of play had the staff trusted him more? Sure. Would Rowe's experience perhaps have avoided that fatal mistake that The Earl made on that final play? Probably. But Stanford clearly wanted to raise their ceiling by moving onto a more physically gifted quarterback and these growing pains might be worth the final product in a year or two.

Should we be worried about the offensive line?
Stanford averaged 5.5 yards per rush against Georgia's defense but a lot of that came in the second half. Nienhuis was also pressured a lot in the first half by Georgia's front, which is what allowed Georgia to get the lead in the first place as Stanford scored just ten points in that first half.

The leakiness came from two places: the left side (D.J. Baas) and the interior as a whole with two first-year starters in Shontrelle Madu and Lawrence Hepburn

The loss of Shaquille Marks at left guard has really hurt Stanford's pass protection and Baas hasn't been the smooth transition some were hoping for going from Neil Pryor, an NFL starting tackle, to Baas.

Stanford will have a few games to clean things up against UNLV and Hawaii but USC has some talented pass rushers in Sam Gizzi (12+ sacks last two seasons) and Soma Singh (3.5 sacks this season).

[djp73]

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[Soapy]

Week 6 Top Stories
Fighting Irish upset rival No. 5 Miami
The Tide's free fall continues with loss to unranked Texas
Tigers are dead in the water after loss to Tennessee
Penn State notches another ranked win over Oregon
Is Mizzou an SEC sleeper after routing No. 15 Miss State 62-31
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Week 7 Notable Games
#22 Alabama (5-2, 1-2) at #12 Florida (3-1, 1-0)
#5 Clemson (5-0, 2-0) at #1 Georgia (4-0, 1-0)
#8 Pittsburgh (6-0, 3-0) at #13 Duke (6-0, 2-0)
#10 Missouri (6-0, 2-0) at #14 Tennessee (4-1, 2-0)
#11 Miami (4-1, 2-0) at #4 UCLA (6-0, 2-0)
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Players of the Week
WR Steve Chunn: W 38-27 vs. Miami U » 12 Rec, 228 Yds, 3 TD
CB Warren Hoffman: W 57-21 at Temple » 7 Tkl, PBU, 2 FF, 4 FR
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247Sports Five-Star Commitments
#14 George Hilliman [WR #2]: 6'3", 205lbs | Spring, TX
#25 Chad Wicks [DT #1]: 6'1", 290lbs | Alabaster, AL

[Soapy]

2. Presentation & Writing Quality
Detail & Storytelling: Does the author just list stats and scores, or do they add depth (e.g., game recaps, player spotlights, press conference write-ups, or backstories)?
Formatting & Readability: Threads with bold headers, images, box scores, and clear layouts tend to be more engaging.
Graphics & Visuals: Some users include screenshots, custom graphics, tables, or video highlights.

too much talking on the net

get in the field and do something

[Soapy]

Week 7 Preview: vs. UNLV Rebels
Record: 1-3, 0-1 MWC
Head Coach: Emari Madden
Offensive Scheme: Spread
Defensive Scheme: Base 4-3

Team Schedule
at #4 UCLA (6-0): L 41-13
at Florida State (6-0): L 38-14
vs. Southeastern (FCS): W 28-24
at UTEP (4-2): L 31-28

Team Leaders
Passing: Lamar Ogletree 52 cmp%, 933 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT, 117.4 passer rating
Rushing: Miles Locke 135 yards, 2.6 ypc, 2 TD
Receiving: Trayvon Davis 26 receptions, 360 yards, 3 TD
Defense: Jose Charles 22 tackles, TFL, 2 INT

Injuries
G Shaquille Marks (Senior) Torn Pectoral (Season)
CB Chauncey Ankrah (Senior) Quad Tear (Out)

Players to Watch
QB Lamar Ogletree (R-Sr) | 6′4", 206LBS | 86 OVR, 88 SPD, 91 ACC, 94 THP, 86 SAC, 87 MAC, 77 DAC
‣ Ogletree is a welcomed sight for this Stanford defense after playing against Georgia and their potent passing offense. Ogletree is a wild underdog, however, with solid performances against UCLA and Florida State. The support cast around him isn't the best but he's got enough physical traits with his legs and strong arm to manufacture some plays on his own outside the structure of the offense.

RT Brian DeLuca (Jr) | 6′4″, 321LBS | 69 OVR, 86 STR, 70 PBK, 77 RBK
‣ Stanford didn't offer much of a consistent pass rush against Georgia which is what allowed for those chunk plays down the field. While Ogletree might have the arm talent to push it down the field, he might not have the time. DeLuca gave up two sacks against UCLA, a sack against Florida State and UTEP with the only game he didn't surrender a sack was against an FCS opponent.

S Vai Mapu (Soph) | 6′1″, 210LBS | 59 OVR, 75 SPD, 73 ACC, 68 COD, 53 MCV, 67 ZCV
‣ After how the last game ended, Stanford will surely try to get Earl Nienhuis going early and often so why not attack Mapu who is a liability in coverage. UNLV has some decent corners but if one of Stanford's receivers ends up matched up and isolated with Mapu in coverage, that will be a matchup that the Cardinal should try to exploit.

Hard Rock Bet™
Spread: Stanford -31.5
Moneyline: N/A
Over: 57.5

Place your bets and I'll keep track of your winnings/loss throughout the season. The winner's (by percentage with a minimum of 16 bets placed) team of choice will get a rating's bump and choose which conference to be the commissioner of for the following season to select my schedule. The second place will have second choice on which conference and so forth for third and fourth place.

The Bookie
Caesar 8-2
Captain Canada 8-1
redsox907 6-4
YaBoyRobRoy 2-0
James
ShireNiner 7-4
djp73 9-2
toysoldier00 4-2

[ShireNiner]

Time to bounce back and let the anger out from last week.

Stanford to win, cover and the over.

[Captain Canada]

I have to imagine you get your lick back and take out the frustration on this lowly NC State team.

Stanford to cover, win, and the over.

[James]

They about to get a Saban-esqe BTA after losing to Georgia. RIP UNLV.