Notebook: UtahNotebook: Utah
Bob Drebin / isiphotos.com
Football

Notebook: Utah

STANFORD, Calif. – Brandon Fanaika and Sean Barton will play for Stanford on Saturday night, but could be lining up for visiting Utah.

Both hail from the state, have close family ties, and would likely be wearing Ute uniforms had they not come to The Farm.

Fanaika, a fifth-year offensive guard, has seven siblings. His older brother, Jason, played at Utah and for the San Francisco 49ers.

Barton, a senior inside linebacker, didn't miss a Utah football game until high school. His parents and grandparents attended the university.

"It's a family affair," Barton said. "I grew up a huge Utah fan."

One grandfather taught as a University of Utah professor for 50 years, while another grandfather played football at Utah.

Fanaika and Barton served two-year church missions before enrolling at Stanford. The Cardinal program has a strong connection with Utah, with six current players coming from the state.

Fanaika grew up with Ute senior linebacker Chase Hansen, who introduced him to his wife, Hannah. Fanaika and Hansen were teammates on youth football and baseball teams but attended different high schools. Fanaika went to Pleasant Grove and Hansen prepped at Lone Peak, where he starred at quarterback, safety and linebacker.

"He was an amazing athlete," said Fanaika. "We were in the same league and played against each other every year. Unfortunately, we didn't do as well as we wanted. They went to the state (playoffs) almost every year."

Hannah also attended Pleasant Grove and played soccer at Utah. Through Hansen, she met her future husband at a volleyball game and they reconnected after his mission.
 
The top recruit in Utah by Rivals in 2011, Fanaika started five games at left guard last year and the past two against Oregon and Notre Dame. He remains close to Hansen, who switched from safety to linebacker in 2016 and leads the Utes with 34 stops, including eight tackles for loss, fifth-most in the Pac-12.

There will be no communication until Saturday.

"The same thing happened last year," said Fanaika. "We saw each other during warmups and exchanged a few words and wished each other the best of luck. That was it until after."

Barton has added motivation after missing last year's game in Salt Lake City due to injury.
 


Day-to-day: The playing status of Cardinal running back Bryce Love will be determined later in the week. He left the Notre Dame game in the fourth quarter with an injury.
"It's not as severe as last year," said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football.

 Always tough: No. 14 Stanford (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) has won 11 consecutive home games, tied with Clemson and Washington for the third-longest streak in the country. That mark will be tested against Utah, who has beaten the Cardinal three straight times (1989, 1996 and 2014) at Stanford Stadium.

The Cardinal should receive added support from its student section (Red Zone). Fall classes began last Monday.

Notre Dame rewind: After watching film, Shaw said Notre Dame could be a top-five team and fielded the best defense Stanford has faced this season. While the Cardinal hurt itself with mistakes in the 38-17 road setback, he found no fault with the effort of his players.

"One of the things I'm proud of is the fight of the football team," he said. "There was no backing down."

Shaw singled out the play of linebackers Barton, Joey Alfieri, Bobby Okereke, Mustafa Branch and wide receiver Trenton Irwin.
 


Bounce back: Stanford returned to the practice field on Monday and Shaw was pleased with the energy of his players.

"Our guys came back and got to work," he said. "It was good to see. A good job by our older guys setting the level of intensity and emotion."

Mutual respect: Shaw (eighth season) and Kyle Whittingham of Utah (14th) are the longest-tenured head coaches in the Pac-12. They have similar philosophies centered on hard-nosed, physical football, and place a heavy emphasis on special teams.

"We're both the sons of football coaches and have been around this thing our entire lives," said Shaw. "We are both steady in what we believe and how the game should be played."

Utah (2-2, 0-2) held Washington State to zero yards rushing last week and ranks in the top-five nationally in total defense, rushing defense, red zone defense, and first down defense. The Utes lead the conference in pass efficiency defense and rank No. 14 in the country in scoring defense (16.3).

As usual, they are big, strong and mobile up front.

"It's still going to be a line of scrimmage football game," said Shaw.

Fanaika knows what to expect and will try to help ignite the running game, with or without Love.

"You have to match that intensity and bring more," he said. "As frustrating as it is, we've got some fighters on this team."
 


Protecting the pigskin: Stanford is one of only four teams in the nation that has not lost a fumble this season.

Air tight: Sophomore cornerback Paulson Adebo ranks No. 1 in the country with 12 passes defensed. He averages 2.4 per game, No. 2 nationally.

Set the Expectation: Stanford will host its second Set the Expectation game on Saturday. The game is meant to raise awareness for sexual and relationship violence. Last year, the program was the first in the country to sign the Set the Expectation pledge, inspired by Brenda Tracy. She addressed the squad in the spring of 2017 and attended the inaugural Set the Expectation game against Arizona State.

Cardinal coaches and players will wear ribbons – half purple and half teal – on their helmets. Teal represents sexual violence prevention and purple represents the prevention of relationship and domestic violence. The ribbon is branded in Stanford's team auditorium.

"Not only does it apply to the team, but so many other people around the world," said Fanaika. "Setting a good example is so important."

The first 5,000 fans through the gates will receive a complimentary Set the Expectation t-shirt, one per-person with a valid ticket. Additional shirts will be distributed in the student sections.

Added attractions: The Leap Frogs U.S. Navy Parachute Team will drop in prior to the opening kickoff.

Student-athletes from Stanford's men's and women's teams will represent their sports on the field to receive Capital One Cups for claiming the best overall programs in the country in 2017-18, a program first. Additionally, the 2018 NCAA champion women's swimming and diving team will be honored.
 
WildCaff returns: The first 10,000 spectators who enter stadium for the Oregon State game on November 10 will receive a special edition Christian McCaffrey bobblehead (limit one per fan with a valid ticket). The AP Player of the Year in 2015, McCaffrey is now a standout with the Carolina Panthers.
 


Fun fact: Sophomore wide receiver Osiris St. Brown plays the piano and speaks French and German.

Extra points … Stanford ranks 22nd nationally in scoring defense, allowing 18.4 points per game … Senior JJ Arcega-Whiteside ranks first in the Pac-12 and second in the nation with eight receiving touchdowns … The Cardinal has converted 239 consecutive extra points, the second-longest streak in the country … Former Stanford defensive back Rod Gilmore will work the game as an analyst for ESPN.

Quotable
"We've been a really good October and November football team." -David Shaw