Crunch time after shortened camp
No one at Stanford has developed a time machine. It just feels like it. “It’s wild looking at it,” junior defensive back Justin Reid said of the digital countdown-to-kickoff clock in the Cardinal’s locker room. “I swear it was just last week that it had 60 days on it. I walked by it today, and now, it says 13.”
Stanford on Sunday completed its second week of a whirlwind training camp that has been truncated by the combination of new NCAA rules and playing a “Week Zero” game in Sydney.
The NCAA ruled this year to eliminate two-a-day practices during training camp, meaning most teams will have five weeks for 29 or 30 practices. But the Cardinal, who leave for Australia on Saturday and open the season against Rice on Aug. 26, don’t look like they’ll miss the five or six lost practice dates.
The first units appeared midseason sharp in front of an open-house crowd at the Dan Elliot Practice Field on Sunday, and the competition for playing time created game-like conditions throughout much of the scrimmage periods.
“That’s what I was commending them on,” head coach David Shaw said. “I was really nervous about being able to have the kind of training camp we need to prepare for the real grind, because the season is hard. … With fewer practices, our guys went out there, fought and scrapped.”
Stanford will have a bye week between its season opener and its conference opener (USC on Sept. 9). The game against the Trojans will start a span of 11 games in 12 weeks, a stretch that could extend to 12 games in 13 weeks if the Cardinal qualify for the Pac-12 championship game Dec. 1.
To compensate for the shortage of practice time, Stanford used more full-speed repetitions than usual during its first two weeks. It also spent more meeting time walking through formations and responsibilities. The players say they’ve taken on a new level of focus, too.
“You have to,” Reid said. “There’s no time to take a mental break. Every rep you take is now that much more important, because we don’t have those extra reps or extra time to get prepared. …
“We know that it’s crunch time, but I haven’t even packed my bags.”
Hey, he has 13 days for that. Captains chosen: Offensive lineman David Bright, quarterback Keller Chryst, linebacker Peter Kalambayi, defensive back Alameen Murphy, defensive lineman Harrison Phillips, tight end Dalton Schultz and defensive back Brandon Simmons were chosen by their teammates as captains for the season. Lasting impression: Sunday’s scrimmage ended on back-toback highlight plays by freshman Colby Parkinson. The 6-foot-7 tight end shed a tackler over the middle and raced 29 yards on the first reception, and he won a jump ball for a 26-yard touchdown on the second catch.