Stanford will begin its 126th season of football on Saturday when the Cardinal takes on the Oregon Ducks. The seven-game, conference-only schedule kicks off at Autzen Stadium at 4:30 p.m. on ABC.
Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw is in his 10th season as Stanford’s head coach. His 86 wins make him the winningest coach in program history. In the 15 seasons prior to Shaw taking over as head coach, Stanford won just 82 games.
Under David Shaw, Stanford is 26-19 (.578) against AP Top-25 programs. Fifteen of those wins have come against Top-15 opponents, with another chance on Saturday night against No. 12 Oregon.
In this season unlike any other in memory, the Cardinal is not scheduled to play USC or UCLA for the first time since 1945 (WWII). The last full season that Stanford did not play UCLA was 1927 and USC was 1924. The Cardinal will also not play Notre Dame for the first time since 1996. Another scheduling quirk is that Stanford and Cal will square off in the 123rd Big Game on Friday, Nov. 27. It will be the first time in the storied rivalry’s history that the game will be played on a Friday.
Junior Simi Fehoko found his groove in the second half of the 2019 season, setting the school record for yards per reception at 23.58. He finished second nationally in that category and is the top leading receiver nationally in yards per reception. Fehoko, who served a two-year LDS Mission in Seoul, South Korea, from 2016-18, caught 22 passes for 529 yards and six touchdowns over the final seven games of the season.
Going into this season, a big emphasis was physical development along both the offensive and defensive lines, after several young guys were forced into early playing time last season. The seven returning offensive linemen who appear on the initial depth chart combined to add 147 total pounds this offseason, going from an average of 289 pounds last season to 310 on average in 2020. Of the five returning defensive linemen on the two-deep, they increased by 115 total pounds from an average of 282 pounds last year to 305 in 2020.
Thomas Booker has played an integral part in founding CardinalBLCK (Brilliance, Leadership, Community and Knowledge), designed to provide a safe space for Black student-athletes to connect, share, and foster a meaningful community that will support them long after their undergraduate experience is over. Fueled by the power of its collective voices, CardinalBLCK strives to empower Black student-athletes to use their influence in positive ways.
