Pac-12 title game: Stanford's starting punter, nose tackle may miss Friday

Stanford will most likely be without its starting nose tackle and punter for Friday's Pac-12 Championship Game.

By John Breech

Nov 28, 2012 at 5:58 pm ET • 2 min read

Here are some news and notes from around the Pac-12 Championship Game:

Stanford starting nose tackle Terrence Stephens missed the Cardinal's season finale against UCLA because of an unspecified personal problem. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Stephens could miss Friday's rematch with the Bruins in the Pac-12 Championship game.

If Stephens doesn't play, that will open the door up for junior walk-on David Parry to receive more playing time. With Stephens out last week, Parry saw extensive action against UCLA and ended the game as the team's second-leading tackler (five), while also recording a sack. Parry has only been on scholarship since last season.
Stanford P Daniel Zychlinski (shoulder/arm) will not play against UCLA. The junior punter was injured against the Bruins on Saturday when he fumbled the ball after a bad snap. Sophomore punter Ben Rhyne is expected to get the first start of his career and will also be holding on field goals for the first time in his career, according to the Stanford Daily. "I came into [Stanford] as a kicker and hadn't held before," Rhyne said. "But (Zychlinski) taught me how to hold and it's been a project we've worked on over the last three years and I'm very comfortable with it.
A backstory to the Pac-12 Title game brought to light by the Los Angeles Times involves both coaches. Stanford coach David Shaw was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year on Monday, but a few UCLA players think that their coach, Jim Mora, should have won the award. "I was really upset," WR Jerry Johnson said about Mora's snub. "Our whole coaching staff should have got Coach of the Year. They have turned this team around. They should be recognized for that."
The Los Angeles Times also reported that WR Devin Lucien, who broke his collarbone in Week 5, could be cleared to practice this week. While Lucien probably wouldn't play in the Pac-12 title game, he'd almost certainly be ready to play in UCLA's bowl game. The freshman had totaled 10 catches for 188 yards on the season before being injured.

Other Pac-12 News:

The American Football Coaches Association released its 2012 All-American team on Wednesday and several Pac-12 players were named. USC WR Marqise Lee, Oregon RB Kenjon Barner, Stanford TE Zach Ertz and teammate OL David Yankey were all named to the first-team offense. Arizona State DL Will Sutton and Oregon State CB Jordan Poyer were both named to the first-team defense. For the complete list, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on Football Blog here.
The Bay Area News Group reported that Cal could be looking at Utah State's Gary Anderson or San Jose State's Mike MacIntyre, but that's only if the Bears can't lure Chris Petersen away from Boise State. Jim Sochor, who coached Petersen at UC Davis, said that Petersen coming to the Bay Area may not be such a long shot. "A lot of changes have taken place [at Boise]. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he's had maybe some change of heart," Sochor said.
Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn doesn't have a great track record with hiring football coaches, reported the Associated Press. Bohn's last two hires at Colorado -- Dan Hawkins and Jon Embree -- went a combined 23-60 in seven seasons. "I recognize the pressure [of hiring a football coach]. The pressure's immense," Bohn said.