Wednesday Report: Garbers and Brown Practiced

Baby steps. Chase Garbers and Chris Brown practiced on Wednesday, but neither one have been cleared to play, according to Head Coach Justin Wilcox.

“He’s (Garbers) not been cleared but he was able to practice today,” Wilcox said. “Both he and Chris Brown were able to do some practice work and although they’re not cleared to play, they got some work in today and will get some work in tomorrow and it’s a day-to-day process for them.”

That’s the good news. The bad news is senior safety Ashtyn Davis did not practice on Wednesday.

If Davis is not cleared by game-time, Defensive Coordinator Tim DeRuyter is ready to go with Trey Turner. 

“I’ll tell ya, all season long Trey’s been at the ready and he’s looked good this week,” DeRuyter said. “He’s a guy that in a lot of places would be starting. He’s been a role player for us because of Ashtyn and his talent you never want to take off the field. But I feel good when Trey’s in there and he may have to go. We’re hoping to get Ashtyn back, obviously, but if Trey has to go, I don’t think we’ll take a step back.”

While Garbers has been cleared to practice, it still seems limited.

“He threw the ball,” Wilcox said. “He took some team reps.”

https://youtu.be/CkIcgXqn_BE

Either way, the Big Game looms. And while Stanford lost the last two games it’s played, the Cardinal are still playing at home.

“They’re always going to be really well-coached — that’s every year with them,” Wilcox said. “And they’re always going to utilize their best players. They’ve got some really good weapons, you know. The running back’s a really good player. The quarterbacks are playing at a high level.”

DeRuyter and crew are ready for a defensive turnaround after giving up a season-high 41 points last Saturday against USC.

“Another crisp practice. The guys are anxious for another opportunity,” DeRuyter said. “Big game this week, obviously. Really talented offense. They present unique problems with the length of the receivers and a quarterback that can really whip it. And they’ve got a back who’s a really strong running back. A big challenge but our guys are up for it but looking forward to the Big Game and hopefully getting the axe back.”

DeRuyter noted that the Cardinal are not as “dynamic” as USC, but it’s still a challenge for the defense.

“Our hands will be full and hopefully we’ll do a much better job than we did last weekend.”