STANFORD, Calif. – Freshman cornerback Malik Antoine had been at Stanford less than two months when a torrential August storm deposited more than two feet of rainfall and created massive flooding in his native Baton Rouge, and other parts of Louisiana.
On August 14, his mother's birthday, the storm dumped three times as much rain on the state -- 7.1 trillion gallons -- as Hurrican Katrina.
The water engulfed Antoine's house, rising nearly six feet. As the flooding receded, only the roofs of cars and the windows could be seen above the murky brown water. Boats replaced vehicles to search the neighborhood. Malik's family was safe and their cat, Maddy, was rescued. But the house, and just about everything the family owned, was destroyed.
Mold finished off anything that might be salvaged. The family had no flood insurance.
Antoine left for college, but now has no home to come back to. Federal emergency aid could help eventually, though it's realistically years away. Meanwhile, the family is learning how to cope with a new reality.
Malik's parents did not want to distract him at Stanford and withheld news about the destruction at first, though Malik, who had been following news of the storm, had an idea of the truth. When he returned home, in early September, he saw it for himself.
In the wake of the disaster, the Stanford compliance office worked with the Pac-12 compliance office in ensuring all NCAA rules were followed while helping Malik and his family to receive donations through a crowdfunding page. The money will be used for reconstruction of the house, as well as replacing appliances, cabinets, furniture, and clothes.
With a goal of $100,515, the entire sum had been raised in a matter of days, much from the Stanford community.
"It's a great feeling that even when things get their toughest that someone's always here to help," Antoine said. "This school's full of great people who are willing to help in tough times. It's amazing to feel like I'm not here alone, even though my family's back in Louisiana. I'm able to see how deep the Stanford family is."
David Shaw, Stanford's Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, said he's not surprised.
"It's been very indicative of our community here," Shaw said. "When you come to Stanford, the people here at Stanford want you to be successful. They want to take care of you. They want you to be able to thrive. In your darkest hour, they are going to help you."
The team was eager to rally around Antoine.
"We're trying our best to support him and his family," defensive end Solomon Thomas said. "He's one of our brothers. We're going to give all our love, our care and prayers to him. I'm happy we could be there for him. Malik's an amazing kid, a great young man. We're just praying for his family and hoping we can do the best for him."
Antoine has been overcome with gratitude for the support he and his family have received.
"So much good comes out of bad things," he said.
Christian McCaffrey, who missed the Notre Dame game because of injury, was considered "questionable" by Shaw for the Colorado contest, Saturday at noon at Stanford Stadium.
"He feels a lot better," Shaw said.
He'll continue to be tested during the week.
Colorado's improvement to a Pac-12 contender -- especially after going 4-9 overall and 1-8 in the conference last year -- may be surprising, but not for Shaw.
"A year ago, it wasn't just me, there were a few of us who talked about the job that (now fourth-year coach) Mike MacIntyre had done last year," Shaw said. "It was just under the radar. They took multiple teams to the fourth quarter and just couldn't finish the game.
"This year, you see them playing with confidence, you see them making those plays to finish games, and making those plays to win games. They're playing with a confidence that a winning team plays with. That's what many of us know about Coach Mac, we saw it at San Jose State and we knew it was a matter of time."
At 5-2, the Buffs have won more games than any year since going 5-7 in 2010 and are closing in on their first winning season since 2005. Colorado has had only one winning conference record since 2002, yet stands at 3-1 and in control of its own destiny in the race for the Pac-12 South Division title.
Stanford's winning touchdown in a 17-10 victory at Notre Dame last week was credited to three different people, until Bryce Love finally was credited with the touchdown he deserved all along.
His 7-yard run was ruled a fumble on the field -- Love reached the ball across the plane and it came loose when he hit the ground -- and recovered by a teammate in the end zone. The recovery was initially awarded to center Jesse Burkett.
After a replay review, the official confirmed that it was a touchdown, with the assumption that the ruling of a fumble was upheld and the postgame stats reflected that, though players revealed that wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside came up with the ball under the pile in the back of the end zone.
However, the Pac-12 later clarified that the replay review had identified Love as the scorer all along.
Love, a sophomore, got to show his ability to a national audience, though teammates and Cardinal fans certainly have known what he's capable of.
"I have total confidence in Bryce," fullback Chris Harrell said. "I play with him every day, I see how hard he works, I see how hard he runs. For a guy his size, he's one of the greatest runners of his size that I've seen in a long time.
"He's got the explosive capability, too. I'm totally confident having him in the backfield, getting these touches, and I like blocking for him as much as I like blocking for Christian. Bryce and Christian both do an amazing job of hitting the hole with speed. If you give him a small crease, they're going to hit it.
"Go out there and attack your blocks the same way -- with a full head of steam and go out there and no one's going to be able to stop you. Coach says it all the time, 'You've got to take it personally when you go out there. Your guy's not going to make the play.' That's how I go out there and treat it."
Stanford's defense has scored three touchdowns in the past three games (the offense has scored four touchdowns in that span). It also has recorded two safeties this season. Taking the defense's impact a step further, it was Quenton Meeks' 50-yard interception return for a score early in the third quarter that ignited the Cardinal when it trailed 10-0.
"It's been an edict from (defensive coordinator) Lance Anderson, starting at the end of last year," Shaw said, of the defensive touchdowns. "No. 1, we hadn't got enough turnovers. No. 2, we've got to score on defense, because all the good defenses do."
Solomon Thomas, who scored against UCLA Sept. 24 on a last-second fumble return, said, "We always want to score, we always want to get takeaways. We harp on it all the time, it's a huge focus."
Thomas racked up 12 tackles against Notre Dame, including 10 solo, and had 1.5 sacks -- totals unheard of for a defensive lineman, and was awarded with a Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honor.
"I was able to read my blocks really fast," Thomas said. "My film study and preparation throughout the week, gave me an advantage of what was going to happen pre-play. Just take advantage of that and play with fanatical effort and hustle to the ball."
Thomas, a junior, has played only 20 games in two seasons after sitting out as a freshman. But he already has 16.5 tackles for losses, two fumble returns for touchdowns, and has incited numerous false-start penalties, including two by the Irish last week.
"His athletic ability, his explosion, his quickness, his determination, his strength … He has pretty much everything you're looking for," Shaw said. "Solomon is that rare combination of athletic ability, speed, mentality, and technique. He's great with his hands.
"His explosive get-off causes problems. And the fact that he can slant in and jump out very quickly causes issues with offensive linemen. He's determined every single play to make a play. He's one of those guys who doesn't stay blocked.
"And he's just scratching the surface. He's played 20 games. Wait until we get to 26, 28, 30. I'm excited to see where his career leads. He's only going to get better."
Strange stat of the week: In Stanford's next home game after playing Notre Dame, the Cardinal is 9-0 since 2007.
With McCaffrey out, Love responded to his first start with 129 yards on 23 carries. Harrell, subbing for the injured Daniel Marx, was vital in helping spring Love.
"Chris filled in for Daniel last year during a critical stretch of the season and played really well, all the way through the Rose Bowl," Shaw said. "Chris has really saved us now two years in a row."
Harrell began his Stanford career as a tight end, but has adjusted to fullback nicely.
"I ran the spread offense in high school -- I played left tackle -- so I didn't know anything," Harrell said. "Blocking was always something I was good at. I guess you could say I have a very specific skill set. The transition to fullback was natural after my sophomore season. Blocking was always what I was good at. It was easier for me to learn to play fullback than to play tight end."
Thomas plays with a passion and it shows in his play.
"Honestly, I just love football," Thomas said. "I just love the game. It's such a blessing to be able to play this game, honestly. A lot of people want to do it, a lot of people can't do it. We're playing college football at Stanford University, it's such a blessing.
"You just want to take advantage of every single moment you have and not take any of it for granted. That's what I do, and that's why I play with this passion, that's why I love this game. I get to play with my brothers, I get to play with people I call my family. It means the world to me."
