Gap Down Backer.

[Soapy]

been MIA but what a great time to jump back in, time to cage the Tigers! Stanford +3.5 and the under

at the buzzer

[Soapy]

(12-3, 7-1 SEC, No. 7 CFP) (12-1, No. 2 CFP)
CFP 2031 Quarterfinals at the Orange Bowl - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

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CLEM | 3 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 38
STAN | 7 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 59

Earl Nienhuis injured as Stanford leans on running game to cage Tigers
Stanford's sidelines went still when quarterback Earl Nienhuis needed help getting off the field after being hit on a completion to Rodney Cookus midway through the second quarter. It was nearly a year ago to the date that the Cardinal season ended after losing their starting quarterback early against Ohio State. D.J. Sapp was on the sidelines for the game, watching as fellow freshman quarterback Tevita Luck threw three interceptions in a 37-19 rout to eventual national champion Ohio State.

The Cardinal this time didn't waver and Sapp proved to be capable of managing the game as sophomore running back Rashawn Crouse had a career day, rushing for 230 yards in Stanford's 59-38 shootout victory over Clemson to advance to the CFP Semi Finals.

After Clemson opened the second half with a 47-yard touchdown run to take the lead, Stanford didn't blink, sticking with Sapp despite Nienhuis beginning to warm up on the sideline. True freshman Malik Marshall had a 39-yard run of his own to help set up Anthony Masifilo's go ahead touchdown in the fourth. The two teams would swap touchdowns once more entering the fourth as Stanford led 38-31.

The fourth quarter would belong to the Cardinal who opened the quarter with a one-play drive on a screen to Cookus which went for 54 yards and the score. Clemson would follow it up with a three and out, allowing Stanford to start eating into the clock with a ten play drive that took the quarter all the way down to four minutes before Sapp found tight end Sam Bootle on an RPO which proved to be the decisive score.

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Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
Malik Marshall, 1 Yd run (9:47)
Tony Ervin, 28 Yd FG (2:00)

Quarter 2
Terrance Clarke, 14 Yd run (7:55)
Alfonso Bramble, 1 Yd run (5:03)
Rodney Cookus 32 Yd pass from D.J. Sapp (2:53)
Ian Rambo 46 Yd pass from David Scroggins (1:25)
Brian Vallos, 33 Yd FG (0:10)

Quarter 3
Terrance Clarke, 47 Yd run (10:33)
Anthony Masifilo, 5 Yd run (8:30)
Demario Moffatt 76 Yd pass from David Scroggins (7:00)
Rashawn Crouse, 8 Yd run (1:01)

Quarter 4
Rodney Cookus 54 Yd pass from D.J. Sapp (11:34)
Sam Bootle 2 Yd pass from D.J. Sapp (4:37)
Kion Ankrah 66 Yd pass from David Scroggins (3:39)
Anthony Masifilo, 3 Yd run (2:47)

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Player Stats
QB David Scroggins (R-Sr): 37-50, 479 yards, 3 TD, INT, sacked once
QB Earl Nienhuis (R-Soph): 7-7, 80 yards
QB D.J. Sapp (R-Fr): 11-16, 136 yards, 3 TD

HB Terrance Clarke (R-Soph): 9 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD, fumble (lost)
HB Rashawn Crouse (Soph): 29 carries, 230 yards, TD
HB Anthony Masifilo (R-Jr): 14 carries, 113 yards, 2 TD

WR Demario Moffatt (R-Jr): 9 receptions, 125 yards, TD
WR Ian Rambo (R-Sr): 8 receptions, 92 yards, TD
WR Rodney Cookus (R-Jr): 8 receptions 160 yards, 2 TD

S Javier Kane (R-Jr): 17 tackles, TFL
LB Josh Cahill (R-Soph): 14 tackles, 3 TFL
S Mike Thomas (R-Soph): 9 tackles, TFL
LB Richard Caussin (R-Sr): 6 tackles, TFL, INT

[redsox907]

one results I'm happy to lose. Had to take a shot at it to move up the rankings

What's Earl the Pearl's status for the Semis?

[Caesar]

But when I called these motherfuckers “these dudes” bro had something to say about that

Natty or bust fn

[The JZA]

Sapp was having flashbacks. My boy was not trying to relive that

[Soapy]

one results I'm happy to lose. Had to take a shot at it to move up the rankings

What's Earl the Pearl's status for the Semis?

he should be fine, article coming soon on that

But when I called these motherfuckers “these dudes” bro had something to say about that

Natty or bust fn

needed a generational performance from my running backs who struggled down the stretch

Sapp was having flashbacks. My boy was not trying to relive that

when Earl got hurt, ngl, i thought we were done

[Soapy]

Sports • Football
The Victory Lap: D.J. Sapp and Rashawn Crouse are the unlikely saviors of Stanford's season

Stanford quarterback D.J. Sapp throws a touchdown pass to Sam Bootle against Clemson. (Photo: James Sooner/DS Photos)
By Anthony Metcalf
Published Dec. 26, 2031, 08:41 a.m.

D.J. Sapp and Rashawn Crouse were both part of Stanford's 24-deep high school recruiting class two years ago amidst their transfer portal ban, which ranked sixth in the country. Crouse, the third highest ranked player in that class, rushed for 230 yards and a touchdown while Sapp, among the three quarterbacks that Stanford signed that class, came in relief for the injured Earl Nienhuis and guided the Cardinal to a 59-38 win over Clemson for their first playoff win.

Sapp made some clutch plays to keep pace with a Clemson offense that was starting to find its stride, including a third down conversion to Rodney Cookus which went for a touchdown and kept the pressure on Clemson.

Sapp credited the chance to play in multiple games this season, due to blowouts, as one of the reasons he was able to find success. Sapp played against Florida, LSU, and Hawaii as opposed to Tevita Luck last year who when he appeared against Ohio State in the playoffs, that was his first game that year.

Earl Nienhuis expected to be available
Stanford coach Bubba Mack was bullish on Nienhuis' availability for the CFP Semi Finals, saying that if they needed Nienhuis to play against Clemson, he was cleared to return but that the limited mobility due to the "upper body injury" ultimately led to the decision to sit him.

Nienhuis took a big shot on a completion to Cookus, which Mack said should have been flagged as he was crushed between two defenders. Nienhuis did have his helmet on during the second half against Clemson and was seen warming up a few times so a return next week does seem possible as they'll take on Ohio State in a rematch of an earlier matchup this season.

Richard Wiley and Brian Stewart not expected to take any interviews
Both offensive coordinator Richard Wiley and defensive coordinator Brian Stewart signed four year extensions last off-season and so far, none of them have taken interviews for other jobs and the expectation is for both coordinators to return.

Some thought that Wiley might be in consideration for the Fresno State head coach opening but there doesn't appear to be interest on Wiley's side. The two coordinators have been at the school since Mack's hiring and while there have been rumors of them potentially getting head coaching jobs with the team's success, the Cardinal will be bringing back the same staff next year.

[Soapy]

[Soapy]

[Soapy]

djp!