Gap Down Backer.

Post by **Soapy** » 13 Jan 2026, 17:21

(7-1, No. 4 AP)

(6-1, 3-0 Big Ten, No. 2 AP)
CFB 2031 Regular Season, Week 9 - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

STAN | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 42
USC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21

Injury riddled Stanford shows toughness in 42-21 win over No. 2 USC
Both Stanford quarterback Earl Nienhuis and receiver Rodney Cookus tapped their chest and held their hand up after an incomplete pass across the middle where USC safety Colin Bright was waiting for Cookus, jarring the ball loose. Both players took accountability for the play. Nienhuis for leading Cookus into danger and Cookus, who has a knack for those type of catches in traffic, for dropping the ball.

Two drives later, there was no need for apologies, only celebrations as Nienhuis found Cookus for the 19-yard touchdown, fighting his way through the pass interference penalty to begin to put the finishing touches on Stanford's 42-21 win over USC on Saturday in Los Angeles as their rivalry was renewed following a brief hiatus.

USC's lead in the first half was brief with Stanford taking the 14-7 lead heading into the half despite losing their starting left tackle, D.J. Baas, to injury and then lost Baas' backup, Joe Nunn to an injury as well early in the third quarter. They were also without leading rusher Rashawn Crouse who left the game with a chest injury and their most experienced running back Anthony Masifilo was ruled out with a back injury as well.

Despite this, Stanford proved to be the more physical team in the second half, forcing three turnovers and leaned on their running game to close it out as Nienhuis played through an hip injury that caused him to miss one snap in the first quarter.

The Trojans would put up a brief fight, scoring with four minutes left to make it a two score game but a fifteen-yard run and an eleven yard by true freshman Trevon Winbush, who stepped into a bigger role and rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns, helped get them into the redzone where another true freshman Malik Marshall carried the ball on four straight plays for a total of 23 yards got them to the six-yard line where Nienhuis found tight end Colt Mixon, another true freshman, for the touchdown.

Scoring Summary
Quarter 1

Stephen Banks 3 Yd pass from Adonis Ambrose (6:41)

Trevon Winbush, 3 Yd run (1:27)

Quarter 2

Earl Nienhuis, 6 Yd run (8:12)

Quarter 3

Trevon Winbush, 1 Yd run (4:57)

Quarter 4

Rodney Cookus 19 Yd pass from Earl Nienhuis (11:56)

Colt Mixon 18 Yd pass from Earl Nienhuis (8:33)

Cordell Lefotu, 50 Yd run (7:36)

Emmett McClellin 41 Yd pass from Adonis Ambrose (4:29)

Colt Mixon 6 Yd pass from Earl Nienhuis (2:00)

Player Stats

QB Earl Nienhuis (R-Soph): 21-28, 210 yards, 3 TD

QB Adonis Ambrose (R-Jr): 30-47, 298 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT

HB Trevon Winbush (Fr): 15 carries, 110 yards, 2 TD

HB Malik Marshall (Fr): 13 carries, 73 yards

HB Cordell Lefotu (R-Fr): 7 carries, 51 yards, TD

TE Colt Mixon (Fr): 8 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TD

WR Rodney Cookus (R-Jr): 4 receptions, 51 yards, TD

WR Connor Muamba (Jr): 9 receptions, 108 yards

WR Emmett McClellin (R-Jr): 3 receptions, 68 yards, TD

LB Richard Caussin (R-Sr): 9 tackles, 3 TFL, PBU

CB J.T. Kipper (R-Sr): 6 tackles, INT, PBU

S Shaquille Duke (R-Sr): 4 tackles, INT

S Angel Bass (R-Soph): 2 tackles, INT, 2 PBU

CB J.D. Varner (R-Sr): 15 tackles, 2 TFL

EDGE Sam Gizzi (R-Sr): 7 tackles, 3 TFL

redsox907 · Post by **redsox907** » 13 Jan 2026, 17:24

Earl about to die with that W&T :fml:

good win or something

Post by **Caesar** » 13 Jan 2026, 17:27

Now all of a sudden this fn wanna show he ready for Cuban links.

Post by **Soapy** » 13 Jan 2026, 18:21

redsox907 wrote: ↑
13 Jan 2026, 17:24
Earl about to die with that W&T

good win or something

pashun!

Caesar wrote: ↑
13 Jan 2026, 17:27
Now all of a sudden this fn wanna show he ready for Cuban links.

GIVE ME MY MONEY!

Post by **Soapy** » 13 Jan 2026, 18:45

Sports • Football
The Victory Lap: A big win for the stars matter crowd, Stanford's depth will be tested and predicting Stanford's initial CFP ranking

Stanford running back Trevon Winbush celebrates his touchdown against USC in the LA Coliseum. (Photo: James Sooner/DS Photos)
By Anthony Metcalf
Published Oct. 27, 2031, 06:26 p.m.

Stanford beat out Michigan for four-star running back Trevon Winbush almost a year ago and then snatched Malik Marshall right from South Bend a few months later, landing two high profile running backs in the same cycle. It was those two that Stanford went to down the stretch to beat USC 42-21 as Winbush had two touchdowns and rushed for 110 yards while Marshall gutted out some tough runs down the stretch.

While Stanford, at its core, still feels like a band of overlooked, overachieving smart kids that also happen to be athletic and play football, Bubba Mack and his staff have done a really good job of raising the talent level the last few years.

A lot of people were critical of last year's class and deservingly so after some high profile misses and wondered if Stanford should prioritize development over stars and the right answer is probably a mixture of both. Colt Mixon was a low three-star and he might be an All-Freshmen selection at tight end but Carl Shakir was a four-star prospect and Stanford's starting right tackle. Jaron Azumah was a nice find out of Anderson, California but the team's best defensive player has been Kentrell Marvin, the second-year five-star.

Yeah, development matters and so does evaluations but stars do too.

The offensive line is on the brink
Mack all but confirmed on Saturday night that offensive tackles D.J. Baas and Joe Nunn are likely to miss the rest of the season, calling both of their injuries 'serious' and that they will be undergoing further testing to evaluate the extent of the damage.

To lose your left tackle which you paid a lot of money to in the offseason is bad enough but to lose his backup as well in the same game? The left side was already in disarray after losing stalwart left guard Shaquille Marks but now the Cardinals are down to their third-string left tackle with the most important game of the season coming up.

Against USC, we saw a mixture of Hunter Zeise (redshirt sophomore) and Jamal Harris (redshirt senior) at that spot but we could see them mix it up with a week to prepare. They could slide right tackle Carl Shakir to left and elevate Harris into that right tackle spot as he doesn't have the ideal length to play tackle at six-foot-one which means they could also try to move Harris inside and bump right guard Jalen Freeman (6'7".....don't do it) to right tackle.

Either way, the depth will be a concern heading into the final games of the season but they do have a bye week in two weeks after TCU and Oregon to try to sort things out once they get more tape on their options.

Where does Stanford land in the CFP Rankings?
We know Georgia is going to be the top team and with good reason as they are undefeated with wins over No. 20 Ohio State, No. 4 Stanford and No. 10 Clemson with blowout wins over Texas, Kentucky and South Carolina which will give them the SEC bias bump despite those teams being thoroughly mediocre.

Oklahoma, the AP's No. 3 team heading into this week, only has one ranked win and it's against No. 15 Alabama, at home. While they are undefeated, could the committee potentially put Stanford ahead of the Sooners after beating No. 2 USC on the road in a dominant fashion?

The reason why that matters is because Oklahoma plays two teammates with a winning record and one ranked team for the rest of the season with a clear path to make the SEC Championship Game, potentially undefeated. If both Georgia and Oklahoma make it there as the top two teams, the SEC will likely get two top four teams into the playoffs and with it, a bye.

That's a lot harder to do if, on the initial rankings, Stanford is ahead of Oklahoma and takes care of business the rest of the way, finishing the season undefeated. In that scenario, it would be easier to keep an Oklahoma out of the top four as they were behind Stanford the entire team and therefore they wouldn't be punishing them for a playing in a conference championship game, something Stanford won't be doing as an independent.

The other reason why it matters is Stanford, reasonably, could drop another game. They play three more ranked teams, including No. 19 TCU and No. 13 Oregon on the road, as well as rivalry games against California and Notre Dame to end the year. If Stanford losses another game, they need to build a big enough cushion so that it doesn't take them out of the top-10 and by being ranked No. 2, it would almost take two losses, preferably against Oregon and Notre Dame, to keep them out.

Post by **Soapy** » 13 Jan 2026, 18:57

George Ogbonnaya's announcement dampens Marco Stick's commitment
Chris Wallace -- 247Sports Stanford Football Insider

Stanford received a commitment from four-star safety Marco Stick, one of the best names in the cycle and one of the top players but all of the chatter was around quarterback George Ogbonnaya who says that he will be picking between Texas A&M and Texas on Early National Signing Day, putting an end to Stanford's pursuit of the top ranked player in Texas.

Ogbonnaya is set to visit Texas A&M next week and Texas the week after and says that he will be deciding between those two schools in an interview he did with CBS Sports on Saturday. In speaking with a source close to the matter, Stanford had been trying to get in contact with Ogbonnaya since Sunday morning after they returned from their trip to Los Angeles where they beat No. 2 USC but were unable to do so and were caught off guard by the public comments.

Ogbonnaya's announcement certainly took some shine from Stick's commitment, who is a big time get in his own right. He is listed at six-foot and 203 pounds as Stanford continues to add some size and depth to their safety room.

The coaching staff are extremely high on Stick and view him as a potential instant impact player capable of playing multiple positions within the secondary and liken him to current Stanford nickel Kentrell Marvin, who might move to outside corner next year. They beat out Notre Dame for Stick, who made a late push.

Stanford also added cornerback Howie Whitaker, a three-star from Oxnard, California and three-star edge rusher Bradley Turbin from Rancho Cucamonga as they continue to prioritize in-state recruit.

2032 Stanford Cardinal Recruiting Class
Marco Stick [FS #12]: 6'0", 203lbs | Lakewood, CA | 4-star | 85 AGI, 79 MCV, 72 ZCV, 69 PRESS, 67 CTH
Ashton Bayless [RT #16]: 6'5", 284lbs | Franklin, KY | 4-star
Emari Cashman [RG #19]: 6'3", 319lbs | Cypress, TX | 4-star
Bradley Turbin [WR #49]: 6'2", 223lbs | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 4-star | 82 STR, 75 HPW, 70 PUR
Kionte Keo [WR #89]: 6'4", 191lbs | Baltimore, MD | 3-star | 86 SPD, 88 ACC, 79 CTH, 85 SPC, 77 RLS, 73 SRR, 70 MRR, 63 DRR
Kenyon Stacy [ILB #34]: 6'0", 227lbs | Winder, GA | 3-star
Howie Whittaker [CB #56]: 5'10", 170lbs | Oxnard, CA | 3-star

2032 Stanford Cardinal Recruiting Board
Nick Vincent [FS #2]: 6'2", 213lbs | Bellflower, CA | 5-star

Jamerson Rasmussen [EDGE #4]: 6'3", 251lbs | Albany, GA | 5-star

Willie Rudolph [ATH #8]: 6'3", 292lbs | Carrollton, GA | 4-star

Darren Calmelat [ATH #13]: 6'4", 222lbs | Sun Prairie, WI | 4-star

Alex DiMarco [C #6]: 6'3", 276lbs | Lancaster, TX | 4-star

Cole Schlesinger [RT #20]: 6'6", 321lbs | Virginia Beach, VA | 4-star

Nasir Breaston [FS #18]: 6'2", 188lbs | Arlington, TX | 4-star

Damien Yeboah [WR #77]: 5'9", 171lbs | Broken Arrow, OK | 4-star

Stephen Flott [OLB #47]: 6'3", 219lbs | Burton, TX | 3-star

James Bitonio [RT #38]: 6'7", 290lbs | Spring, TX | 3-star

Adrian Madden [WR #114]: 5'9", 175lbs | Roswell, GA | 3-star

Derek Worthy [OLB #57]: 6'1", 225lbs | Long Beach, CA | 3-star

Joey Ahlers [ATH #67]: 5'11", 239lbs | Fresno, CA | 3-star

-----------------------------------
George Ogbonnaya [QB #2]: 6'0", 184lbs | Conroe, TX | 5-star

Post by **Soapy** » 13 Jan 2026, 19:16

Week 9 Top Stories

Penn State cracks the top five with dominant win over Nebraska

The Buckeyes season ain't done yet after win over No. 18 UCLA

Alex Rowe leads Houston past No. 19 TCU
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 10 Notable Games
#15 Washington (7-1, 4-1) at #16 Ohio State (5-3, 4-0)
#14 Houston (6-2, 4-0) at #23 Texas Tech (7-2, 4-1)
#3 Stanford (7-1) at #22 TCU (5-3, 2-3)
#13 Notre Dame (5-2) at #4 Pittsburgh (8-0, 5-0)
#7 Clemson (7-1, 3-1) at #12 Alabama (6-2, 2-2)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CFP Rankings
1. Georgia, 7-0
2. Oklahoma, 9-0
3. Stanford, 7-1
4. Pittsburgh, 8-0
5. Penn State, 8-0
6. Miami, 7-1
7. Clemson, 7-1
8. USC, 6-1
9. Missouri, 7-1
10. Oregon, 6-2
11. Nebraska, 6-1
12. Alabama, 6-2
13. Notre Dame, 5-2
14. Houston, 6-2
15. Washington, 7-1
16. Ohio State, 5-3
17. Tennessee, 6-2
18. UCLA, 6-2
19. LSU, 6-3
20. North Carolina, 6-2
21. East Carolina, 7-0
22. TCU, 5-3
23. Texas Tech, 7-2
24. Baylor, 6-2
25. USF, 5-2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Players of the Week

WR Keenan Finley: L 40-35 vs. Sam Houston » 12 Rec, 235 Yds, 4 TD

LB Vince Pleasant: W 49-21 vs. Georgia State » 10 Tkl, 2 TFL, INT, FF, 2 FR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
247Sports Five-Star Commitments
#4 Joey Kent [CB #1]: 5'11", 183lbs | Cincinnati, OH

#5 Earl Virgin [CB #2]: 6'1", 202lbs | Harbor City, CA

#11 Terrence Swaim [HB #1]: 6'1", 216lbs | Boonville, MO

#13 Creed Stewart [OLB #1]: 6'0", 216lbs | Nacogdoches, TX

#14 George Hilliman [WR #2]: 6'3", 205lbs | Spring, TX

#18 Terrelle Lucien [CB #4]: 6'1", 207lbs | Virginia Beach, VA

#25 Chad Wicks [DT #1]: 6'1", 290lbs | Alabaster, AL

#31 Keke Umenyiora [CB #7]: 6'1", 203lbs | Apokpa, FL

Post by **Soapy** » 13 Jan 2026, 19:22

Five-star safety Nick Vincent stays closer to home, commit to USC Trojans
Chris Wallace -- 247Sports Stanford Football Insider

Stanford might have won the game against USC but the Trojans won the recruiting battle, edging out the Cardinal for five-star safety Nick Vincent.

Vincent, the 2nd ranked safety in the country and a top-two player in the state, was down to Stanford, USC and UCLA before it started trending towards a Stanford vs. USC faceoff but despite being in the building for Stanford's win over the Trojans, he ultimately chose to stay close to home and pick the Trojans.

The Cardinal do have two safeties committed already in Marco Stick and Nasir Breaston but the coaching staff don't view that as a deciding factor in Vincent's decision as they view all three players as versatile players that they feel can play on the field at the same time.

This is a big recruiting loss for the Cardinal as they dedicated a lot of resources to Vincent and it comes on the heels of George Ogbonnaya releasing an updated top two of just Texas and Texas A&M, opting to stay in state.

Stanford is still active in the recruitment of another five-star in edge rusher Jamerson Rasmussen but that one has been trending towards Georgia for a while.

2032 Stanford Cardinal Recruiting Class
Marco Stick [FS #12]: 6'0", 203lbs | Lakewood, CA | 4-star | 85 AGI, 79 MCV, 72 ZCV, 69 PRESS, 67 CTH
Ashton Bayless [RT #16]: 6'5", 284lbs | Franklin, KY | 4-star
Emari Cashman [RG #19]: 6'3", 319lbs | Cypress, TX | 4-star
Nasir Breaston [FS #18]: 6'2", 188lbs | Arlington, TX | 4-star
Bradley Turbin [WR #49]: 6'2", 223lbs | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 4-star | 82 STR, 75 HPW, 70 PUR
Kionte Keo [WR #89]: 6'4", 191lbs | Baltimore, MD | 3-star | 86 SPD, 88 ACC, 79 CTH, 85 SPC, 77 RLS, 73 SRR, 70 MRR, 63 DRR
Kenyon Stacy [ILB #34]: 6'0", 227lbs | Winder, GA | 3-star
Howie Whittaker [CB #56]: 5'10", 170lbs | Oxnard, CA | 3-star

2032 Stanford Cardinal Recruiting Board
Jamerson Rasmussen [EDGE #4]: 6'3", 251lbs | Albany, GA | 5-star