Steele Postseason Honors
STANFORD, Calif. – Two Stanford student-athletes earned All-America honors and 10 earned All-Pac-12 honors from Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, as announced Thursday.
Andrus Peat was named to Phil Steele’s All-America third team at offensive line while Jordan Richards earned a nod on the All-America fourth team. Both players earned first team All-Pac-12 honors where they were joined by Henry Anderson (DL). Named to the Pac-12 second team were Kyle Murphy (OL), Austin Hooper (TE), A.J. Tarpley (LB) and Ty Montgomery (PR).
Montgomery also earned third-team accolades at wide receiver and was joined on the unit by Blake Martinez (LB) and Alex Carter (CB).
Peat, a junior psychology major, anchored the Cardinal's offensive line at left tackle in 2014 and has been named to six All-America teams.
Peat was the only returning starter from last season's team on the line, teaming with four classmates in Stanford's 2012 recruiting class for an all-junior unit that helped the Cardinal average 154.8 yards/game on the ground.
With Peat at left tackle, Stanford allowed only 22 sacks this season, 18 fewer than the Cardinal recorded on defense.
Peat was an Outland Trophy quarterfinalist, member of the All-Pac-12 first team and was on the USA Today, SI.com and Athlon's preseason All-America first teams.
Peat has started 26 consecutive games since taking over the starting left tackle job for the 2013 season opener against San Jose State.
Richards, a senior strong safety, hails from Folsom, Calif., and is majoring in public policy.
As a team captain in 2014, Richards earned a place on the All-Pac-12 first team with 76 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. An accomplished student-athlete, Richards received the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award in 2014 for his efforts on and off the field and was this year’s Pop Warner Award winner.
With Richards anchoring the secondary, Stanford’s defense had another successful season in 2014. The Cardinal limited opponents to 16.0 points/game, second in the nation behind Ole Miss. Stanford also held all 12 of its opponents below their season averages in passing yards and total offense.
Montgomery, a political science major from Dallas, Texas, led the Cardinal with 61 catches and 604 receiving yards in 2014. Montgomery averaged 128.6 all-purpose yards/game, bolstered by 21.6 punt return yards/game. On 12 punt returns, Montgomery averaged 19.8 yards/return with two touchdowns.
The Cardinal is 13-2 overall and 10-1 since 2013 when Montgomery scores at least one touchdown. Montgomery has scored four rushing touchdowns, 15 receiving touchdowns, two punt return touchdowns and three kickoff return touchdown in his Stanford career, adding up to 24 all-purpose scores.
Anderson, a political science major, has been an integral cog on the Cardinal defensive line.
Anderson has started 18 consecutive games and 34 games overall at defensive end for Stanford, and he leads the team with 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 2014. Anderson’s 62 tackles rank fourth on the team and are tops among Cardinal defensive linemen.
Anderson missed six games in 2013 after suffering a knee injury at Army, but he fought his way back onto the field against Oregon and contributed five tackles as Stanford’s defense blanked the Ducks out for three quarters and came away with a victory.
In 2012, Anderson played in every game, finishing with 50 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. With Anderson’s help, Stanford led the nation in sacks in 2012 and 2013.
Tarpley, a fifth-year senior majoring in science, technology and society, has started 36 consecutive games at inside linebacker for the Cardinal. Tarpley, who became a starter midway through Stanford’s 2011 campaign that saw the Cardinal finish 11-2, has recorded 170 total tackles over the past two seasons, finishing second on the team in tackles over each of the past two years.
Under Tarpley’s leadership, Stanford’s defense has been near the top of the FBS in every major defensive statistic. The Cardinal finished second in scoring defense (16.0), 11th in rushing defense (111.8), seventh in passing defense (175.7) and fifth in total defense (287.4).
Tarpley has built a reputation for coming up with some of his biggest plays at key moments. Tarpley had an interception and recovered a game-clinching fumble in the endzone to seal Stanford’s 56-48, triple-overtime win at USC in 2011. Tarpley intercepted Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota during the Cardinal’s 17-14 overtime win at Autzen Stadium in 2012. And in 2013, Tarpley intercepted Washington quarterback Keith Price to help preserve a 31-28 Cardinal win at Stanford Stadium.
Hooper, a sophomore from San Ramon, Calif., was named to Scout.com’s Freshman All-America first team and is a second team All-Pac-12 Conference honoree. He was second on the team with 35 receptions for 428 yards (12.2 yards/catch) and two touchdowns.
Murphy, a junior majoring in science, technology and society, has anchored the Cardinal’s right tackle position while also earning playing time at left tackle in the Washington game when Peat left due to injury. Murphy earned All-Pac-12 second team honors form the coaches.
Martinez, a junior majoring in management science and engineering, started all 12 games at inside linebacker in 2014, replacing stalwart Shayne Skov in the starting lineup. With Martinez and Tarpley running the middle of the defense, Stanford held opponents to 16.0 points/game, second in the nation behind Ole Miss. The Cardinal finished 11th in the nation in rushing defense and fifth in the country in total defense.
Martinez recorded double-digit tackles in four games this season, including a career-high 14 tackles at Oregon on Nov. 1. Martinez led the Cardinal with 96 total tackles this season, 19 more than second-place, and he added six tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Three of Martinez's forced turnovers came in Stanford’s 38-17 win at Cal. With two interceptions and a forced fumble, Martinez became the first Stanford player with two interceptions in a Big Game since Brian Taylor in 2000.
Carter, a junior majoring in psychology, has started 32 games in his three seasons with the Cardinal, including the last 11 games of 2014. With Carter locking down one side of the field, Stanford ranks second in scoring defense (16.0, seventh in passing defense (175.7) and fifth in total defense (287.4). The Cardinal held all 12 of its opponents below their season averages in passing and total offense.
Known for his physicality at the cornerback position, Carter has forced five fumbles in three seasons for the Cardinal, including three as a true freshman in 2012. In addition, 105 of Carter’s 144 career tackles have been solo tackles. Carter has recorded two interceptions in his collegiate career, including an interception of Marcus Mariota at Oregon on Nov. 1.