UCLA Notebook: Leadership, Resilience Paying OffUCLA Notebook: Leadership, Resilience Paying Off
Bob Drebin / isiphotos.com
Football

UCLA Notebook: Leadership, Resilience Paying Off

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STANFORD, Calif. – Halfway through the regular season, the Stanford football team has absorbed a lot of punches and is still standing tall.
 
Despite starting with the toughest six-game stretch in college football and losing 10 key contributors from its two-deep depth chart – five for the season – the Cardinal (3-3, 2-2 Pac-12) has remained resilient and played its best game of the year last week by upsetting No. 15 Washington.
 
"This offseason, something that we trained for is reacting to adversity," said junior outside linebacker Gabe Reid, who secured six tackles and a sack in his first career start. "From weightlifting to conditioning is something that the strength and conditioning staff really drills into our head. Whatever happens, you have to react. It's not about the past but just moving forward and being able to react to tough situations."
 
Each Monday, the team captains – senior free safety Malik Antoine, senior quarterback K.J. Costello, junior tight end Colby Parkinson, fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett and fifth-year senior outside linebacker Casey Toohill – conduct a players-only meeting to review the previous game and prepare for the next opponent.
 
"I think that's really helped our team grow together," said sophomore wide receiver Simi Fehoko, who caught his first touchdown as a Cardinal against Washington. "Everybody on the team has a voice. It's really helped us grow closer and I feel like it's helped our chemistry."
 
After emerging with a hard-fought victory at Oregon State two weeks ago, coaches and players agreed the squad needed to increase its toughness and intensity.
 


"We talked about the entire team playing with an edge," Fehoko said. "We need to be the aggressor and attack the guy across the ball from us. We kind of took that to heart."
 
Stanford set the tempo against the Huskies and never let up in the 23-13 triumph. After going 5-of-5 for 56 yards and a touchdown on the first drive, Husky quarterback Jacob Eason was just 11-of-31 for 150 yards in the last 49:31. Washington ran 18 times for only 77 yards after its first series and was 1-for-11 on third down conversions.
 
"Winning last week was very big for our confidence and building momentum," said Reid. "We pride ourselves in how we play and felt like maybe the first quarter of the season didn't really reflect our true potential. We're looking forward to proving what a great defensive team we are."
 

 
Quarterback update: David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, is uncertain who will start at quarterback in next Thursday's 6 p.m. home game against UCLA. Costello, who has missed the last two games due to injury, is questionable and day-to-day, while junior Davis Mills, who has led Stanford to consecutive victories against Oregon State and Washington, is questionable.



Sophomore Jack West, who replaced Mills in the fourth quarter against the Huskies, is expected to take most of the snaps in practice this week and could earn his first career start against the Bruins.
 
"Jack West can do everything in this offense," said Shaw. "If he has to play against UCLA, he'll go out there and play well."
 

 
Players recognized: Junior cornerback Paulson Adebo, junior center Drew Dalman and Fehoko earned conference recognition this week for their performances against Washington. Adebo had five tackles and four pass breakups in what Shaw called his best showing of the season and was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week; Dalman anchored a unit that helped the Cardinal produce 482 total yards and grind out 23 first downs, and was selected Pac-12 Offensive Line Player of the Week; and Fehoko caught three passes for 91 yards, including a 42-yard scoring grab, and recovered a fumble, and was chosen Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
 
Fehoko, who served a two-year LDS mission in Seoul, South Korea, appeared in four games last season but retained his year of eligibility due to the new NCAA redshirt rule.
 
"I was kind of surprised for a second," he said after learning about his award. "I'm a 22-year-old freshman. I was super-excited and honored."


 
Injury front: Stanford is down to seven healthy offensive linemen after losing guard Henry Hattis to a season-ending injury against Washington. As it stands, juniors Dalman and Foster Sarell will start at center and right tackle, respectively, against the Bruins. They will likely be joined by true freshman Walter Rouse, who has started the last five games at left tackle; true freshman Barrett Miller, who made his first start at left guard against Washington; and true freshman Jake Hornibrook, who stepped in for Hattis and played well in his first college game.
 
"It changes practice significantly," said Shaw. "We have to be more intentional about every single rep." 
Shaw and his staff have several contingency plans if someone else goes down.
 
"We've had conservations every week," he said. "It's just where we are."
 
Shaw is optimistic senior tackle/guard Devery Hamilton will return at some point.
While he didn't expect his young linemen to play such big roles this season, Shaw has been impressed by their work ethic and steady improvement.
 
"It's been fun to watch," he said. "We thought we were going to watch it happen in practice; we just happen to be watching it during games. Every day is a new learning experience."
 


Fisk inspires: Junior tight end Tucker Fisk made his second reception of the season against the Huskies, nearly scoring on a 16-yard throw from Mills. Shaw praised Fisk's toughness and versatility.
 
"There's a reason why that sideline was excited when he caught that ball and broke a couple tackles," Shaw said. "Most of the team has seen his high school highlights and that's all over his highlights. He's 270 pounds and an athlete, so when he catches the ball, he's hard to bring down."
 
Fisk played at Davis High in Davis, Calif., where he snared 92 career passes and collected 155 tackles. His father, Jason, was a standout defensive lineman at Stanford and played 12 seasons in the NFL.
 


Extra points … Shaw will reduce practices by 30 minutes this week to allow his players to heal and rest … UCLA (1-5, 1-2 Pac-12) also has a bye this week. The Bruins' lone win was a come-from-behind 67-63 upset at Washington State last month … ESPN will televise the Stanford-UCLA game … Junior wide receiver Connor Wedington ranks No. 1 in the conference in kickoff returns (28.1) and No. 7 in all-purpose yards (112.8) … Adebo ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 in passes defended (10) … Scarlett ranks No. 3 in the league in rushing (94.0) and No. 5 in all-purpose yards (117.0) … Toohill ranks second in the conference in sacks (4) and fourth in tackles for loss (6) … Stanford ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12 in kickoff coverage.
 
Quotable
"He's got a corner's mentality. If a guy catches the ball, you just forget about it and come back and be aggressive the next play." Shaw on the development of freshman Kyu Blu Kelly