From hauling in a toe-tap touchdown to gaining over 150 yards from scrimmage, Stanford football alumni made contributions to several different offenses throughout the NFL.
Even in a blowout loss for the Cleveland Browns, Austin Hooper ’16 was able to produce. Hooper caught this two yard touchdown in the first quarter to give the Browns an early lead over the Patriots. However, the Browns fell 45-7.
While Christian McCaffrey ’17 was not able to find the end zone like Hooper, he was able to lead the Panthers to an upset victory over the NFC-leading Arizona Cardinals. McCaffrey led the Panthers in both rushing and receiving yards. He gained 95 yards on the ground on 13 carries and brought in all 10 of his targets for 66 yards. His 161 yards were just eight less than the total yardage of the entire Cardinals offense.
A good portion of the Cardinals’ yards were produced by Zach Ertz ’13, who had four catches for 46 yards. Ertz has been able to make his presence as a receiver known the past two weeks, even with star quarterback Kyler Murray on the sideline with an ankle injury.
Another Cardinal tight end on the stats sheet this weekend was Dalton Schultz ’18. Schultz had a catch for 14 yards for the Cowboys en route to a 43-3 victory over the Falcons. After the Cowboys took an early lead, the game script favored the run, so Schultz was used more as a blocker than a pass catcher.
Another Stanford running back featured in Week 10 was Ty Montgomery ’15, who had a two-yard carry in the first quarter of the Saints’ 23-21 loss to the Titans.
Former Cardinal offensive linemen made their presence known when the Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Denver to take on the Broncos. After Eagles’ captain Jason Kelce went down with an injury, Nate Herbig ’19 stepped in and played the center position for a handful of snaps. Herbig’s brief protection of quarterback Jalen Hurts helped the Eagles defeat the Broncos 30-13. On the opposing offensive line, Cameron Fleming ’14 started and played every snap for Denver in the loss.
Bobby Okereke ’19 once again led the former Stanford defensive players. The linebacker had a team-leading eight total tackles, five of which were solo, as the Colts took down the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17. Other Stanford linebacker contributions included James Vaughters ’15 and rookie Curtis Robinson ’21, who each recorded a quarterback hit for the Falcons and Broncos in their respective games. Robinson also had two tackles, while Vaughters had one.
On the defensive line, both Harrison Philipps ’18 and Solomon Thomas ’17 recorded three tackles for the Bills and Raiders, respectively. Casey Toohill ’20 had four tackles for the Washington Football Team in their win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Toohill could see an increased role for the remainder of the year, as Washington’s star defensive end Chase Young suffered a torn ACL that will end his season. Toohill’s presence on the line will be pivotal to Washington’s defense, as the team fights for a spot in the playoffs.
Rookie Paulson Adebo ’21 highlighted the secondary for Stanford alumni, with three tackles — one of which was for a loss as the Saints lost to the Titans 23-21.
Jake Bailey ’19 only punted once, but it was for 66 yards.