Stanford dealing with depleted run game

Stanford ran for 204 yards in its 41-23 victory at Vanderbilt on Saturday night. In this Saturday’s matchup against No. 24 UCLA at Stanford Stadium, the Cardinal will have to do without three running backs who provided 144 of those yards.

In his weekly Zoom news conference Tuesday, Stanford head coach David Shaw announced that starter Austin Jones (seven carries, 80 yards at Vandy) and key backups Casey Filkins (four carries, 38 yards) and E.J. Smith (five carries, 26 yards) will not play against the Bruins.

On defense, Shaw listed starting Noah Williams as out and starting cornerback Zahran Manley as “questionable leaning toward doubtful.”

Those absences didn’t lead Shaw to take a “woe is us” attitude.

“A couple of years ago, we were really thin, and injuries like that would have been really brutal for us,” Shaw said. “But right now, we have good depth, feel good about who we have.

“We are nowhere close to not being able to field a team. That’s not even in the conversation for us.”

Stanford, like many colleges, does not list specific injuries for players. Shaw did say he thought Jones, a Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland alum, and Filkins, one of the Cardinal’s punt returners, could return when Stanford hosts No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 2. Shaw said Smith, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, probably will be sidelined past the Oregon game.

Nathaniel Peat, Jones’ main backup, rises to the starting role. Peat had five carries for 51 yards and a touchdown at Vandy. He also bolted for an 87-yard TD run at USC on Sept. 11.

“He’s got some juice. He’s got explosion,” Shaw said of Peat. “So, obviously he’s going to carry a larger load. But, we have other options, too. We’re not going to play Nate every single play.”

Stanford lists sophomore Caleb Robinson as the lone backup to Peat for Saturday’s game. Robinson’s first carry Saturday will be the first of his college career.