During a weekend in which Stanford’s current football team wasn’t exactly highlight-reel-worthy, some alumni stepped up on Sunday to remind everyone that the Cardinal still have a heavy influence in pro football.
Week 4 of the NFL season featured a number of prominent performances by Stanford alumni, with a solid combination of rookies and seasoned veterans admirably representing The Farm.
In Atlanta, tight end Austin Hooper came up with his first career touchdown catch and helped the Falcons secure a 48-33 win over the Carolina Panthers. It was a big moment for the rookie, who now has 5 receptions for 140 yards and 1 touchdown through his first four games in the NFL.
Meanwhile, a late comeback mounted by the struggling Indianapolis Colts wouldn’t be enough to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterback Andrew Luck passed 234 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception but was sacked 6 times. Meanwhile, the Indianapolis defense featuring Stanford alums David Parry and Henry Anderson gave up 30 points to the Jaguar offense. In his second game back since tearing his ACL, Anderson recorded a pass defended. The Colts scored 21 points in the fourth quarter but still couldn’t walk away with the win as the team dropped to 1-3.
Former Indianapolis Colt Colby Fleener had a quiet week for his new team, the New Orleans Saints, but nonetheless the Saints edged out a 35-34 victory over the San Diego Chargers. After having 7 receptions for 109 yards and 1 touchdown in Week 3, Fleener recorded just 3 catches for 19 yards against the Chargers. But as a whole, the product of Tight End U has looked comfortable in the offense with Drew Brees at the helm, and he should be able to find success in his new role over the course of the year.
The Seattle Seahawks headed east to take on the New York Jets, and the former Cardinal played big roles in Seattle’s 27-17 win. Doug Baldwin turned in another solid performance, catching 4 passes for 54 yards, while Richard Sherman came up with 2 huge interceptions off of Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Sherman added 5 tackles as the Seahawks moved to 3-1.
In the Bay Area, the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Dallas Cowboys and fell to 1-3. Linebacker Shayne Skov recorded 1 tackle, while guard Joshua Garnett continued to find some playing time off the bench in his rookie season.
The Green Bay Packers were on bye in Week 4, so Stanford grads Ty Montgomery, Blake Martinez and Kyle Murphy did not see action.
Contact Sandip Srinivas at sandips ‘at’ stanford.edu.