Tuesday morning, Stanford head coach David Shaw provided a rundown of some of the key injuries the Cardinal face this week as the team begins preparing for its BCS battle with the Oregon Ducks (Jon Wilner tweets is all out). While Stanford continues to win, they are dealing with numerous injuries to their high powered offense and it will be a stiff test to overcome this Saturday.
As expected, Chris Owusu is not going to play this week as he overcomes yet another head injury. He suffered this injury against Oregon State, a week after suffering what the team claims is a shoulder injury against USC. It was a big hit, but even though they say it was not a head injury, it continues an injury prone career for Owusu. His status moving forward beyond this week is questionable.
Stanford has built much of its offense around the tight ends and they are a banged-up unit as well. Zach Ertz has been out with a leg injury and is listed as doubtful for Sunday. Fellow tight end Levine Toilolo took a leg shot to the head last Saturday and sat out the remainder of the game, but he is reportedly good to go for Sunday. This would give them two-thirds of their vaunted tight ends.
The two other significant injuries of note are offensive tackle Cameron Fleming and strong safety Delano Howell. Fleming is dealing with a lower leg injury and is listed as questionable. Howell has been recovering from a hand injury and is expected to play. Howell's return would be significant as the Cardinal prepare for the athletic Ducks offense.