Stanford WR Owusu Will Sign w/ 49ers

Stanford wide receiver Chris Owusu will sign with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent, his agent confirmed tonight.

Projected as at least a mid-round pick before his senior season, Owusu went undrafted due to concerns about his injury history. He had three concussions in a 13-month span during the latter part of his college career. Owusu had two concussions in three weeks during his senior season and missed Stanford’s final four games.

At the NFL combine, Owusu’s 40-yard dash time (4.36 seconds) matched the fastest by a wide receiver. His broad jump (10 feet, 9 inches) ranked second among wideouts, and his vertical jump (40.5 inches) was third.

Limited to 10 starts in his final two seasons, Owusu had 60 catches for 772 yards and five touchdowns as a junior and senior. He could also have value as a returner. As a sophomore, he tied a record in what was then the Pac-10 by returning three kickoffs for touchdowns. He had six kickoff returns of 50-plus yards in his career.

* Stanford defensive lineman Matt Masifilo just stopped by the media trailer after signing with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent. Masifilo said Stanford safety Michael Thomas will also sign with the team and reunite with Jim Harbaugh.

Masifilo became the first undrafted rookie to sign a free-agent contract, driving over to Santa Clara from Palo Alto.

“Coach Harbaugh likes to cut drag,” Masifilo said. “He said it’s a competition to get down here as fast you can.”

Masifilo beat Owusu to the 49ers headquarters. Owusu is at home in Southern California.

“That’s probably … the last race I’ll ever beat Chris in,” the 6-3, 300-pound Masifilo said.

(Chris Owusu 2012 NFL Combine Workout Video Link)

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Former QB Pritchard Absorbing, Spreading Knowledge as Stanford Assistant Coach

Former Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard (2006-09) has lots of stories he can tell the younger players on Stanford's football team.

Pick a story, any story.

How about the one where the Cardinal went 1-11 in 2006, achieving the worst record in school history?

That's more of a nightmare, but Pritchard would prefer to talk fairytales.

How about the time he engineered "The Greatest Upset Ever" on Oct. 6, 2007?

The Cardinal trekked to USC as a 41-point underdog, then proceeded to pull off a miraculous 24-23 victory. Pritchard was making his first collegiate start in place of starter T.C. Ostrander, who had suffered a seizure at a restaurant earlier in the week. Pritchard connected with Richard Sherman on a must-have fourth-and-20 play on a final desperation drive. With less than a minute to play, Pritchard hit Mark Bradford for a touchdown to tie the score. Derek Belch's extra point was the game-winner. Pritchard, who threw for 2,865 yards and 15 touchdowns at Stanford, is now a defensive staff assistant after serving as a volunteer coach last season.

"Still being around the Stanford community, a lot of people bring that USC game up," Pritchard said. "It's a good memory. It's one of the signature wins that people look back to. It's fun to think back on the players and the teams we forged. We think of that rebuilding stage, in general."

***

Pritchard seemed destined to be a coach. His father, David, was an offensive coordinator at Clover High in Washington, where Pritchard starred under dad's tutelage. Tavita Pritchard was a 7-year-old ball boy when David was offensive coordinator at nearby Centralia High. Tavita chose quarterback because his uncle, Jack Thompson -- known as "The Throwin' Samoan" -- was an All-American quarterback at Washington State.

"I learned tons of football from my dad," Tavita said. "My passion for football comes from my dad. I can remember the days when I was a little guy running around with my jersey hanging down to my knees when I was a ball boy. That's where I gained my passion and it blossomed from there."

While coaching is, obviously, in Pritchard's blood, he's coaching for other reasons.

"It's everything I loved about being a player," Pritchard said. "It's the camaraderie, it's the unity, the one mind trying to accomplish a single goal. I love the strategy behind it. I'm like a little kid up in the office just listening to the coaches talk. I love hearing about football and how all the philosophies come together."

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Ton of Tackles, Little Else For Te'o

Manti Te’o talked about his love of the game Saturday night, all the while trying to hide how much his heart was breaking.

The sophomore from Laie, Hawaii, had just recorded a career-high 21 tackles in a 37-14 deflating courtesy of No. 16 Stanford, Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.

It was the most tackles by an Irish player since safety Chinedum Ndukwe collected 22 in a win at Air Force four seasons ago. Clearly, Te’o took no solace in his personal quantum leap forward.

“It doesn’t matter if you have 100 tackles,” Te’o said. “If you don’t win the game, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Notre Dame’s defense held the nation’s No. 3 scoring offense to 19 points until midway through the fourth quarter, and Te’o was a big reason.

“He played with a will today,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said of his 6-foot-2, 245-pound middle linebacker.

“He had a look on his face, a toughness to him that he hasn't displayed since he's been a player here at Notre Dame. Today is one of those watershed moments for a defensive player that we can model.”

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Pac-10 Spring Breakout Players

Every spring, a handful of players make names for themselves. Here are some Poly's making names for themselves this spring in the Pac-10.

Arizona

FB Taimi Tutogi: 

The sophomore can play fullback, tailback or tight end. At 6-foot-2, 258 pounds, he packs a punch. “He’s very physical,” Littrell said. “That’s one of the things we had to work on last year when he first got here, being more physical. He’s really taken on that role and he’s taking the coaching well.” Tutogi has electrified the mood of the offense — as well as fans during the spring game.

DT Sione Tuihalamaka: 

Not a lot has been written about the redshirt freshman, but he had a great spring and will enter fall camp as the starter at defensive tackle. Tuihalamaka has put on a ton of muscle since arriving in Tucson and at the very least will be in the mix for reps on the interior defensive line. His move up the depth chart "pleasantly surprised" Kish, but the hulking defensive tackle has the size and ability to play right away. The younger brother of defensive end Apaiata Tuihalamaka and cousin of former UA linebacker Vuna Tuihalamaka impressed coaches with his quick hands and footwork.

California

RB Isi Sofele: 

 

Cal running back Isi Sofele impressed during Saturday's scrimmage by rushing for 51 yards on eight carries.  He flashed his explosiveness with a long punt return for a touchdown but it was called back by a penalty. The diminutive sophomore (5-foot-7) is still in the running for the backup running back spot for the Bears.  He played in all 13 games last year and had 12 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown.  While he isn't the big name of some of the others in the running, he might just edge them out for the reps behind Shane Vereen.

Stanford

TE Levine Toilolo: 

The 6-foot-8, 244-pound redshirt freshman showed good speed and good hands during the spring, and he is difficult to cover. Expect his playing time to increase as the 2010 season wears on." Toilolo has really separated himself from the rest," coach Harbaugh said.

A Start to Remember For Stanford's Tavita Pritchard

Last summer, David Pritchard had a message for his family about the Stanford quarterback situation. He informed them that redshirt freshman Andrew Luck would supplant Tavita Pritchard as the starter.

"We're going to be positive," the father told Tavita's seven brothers and sisters.

"We're going to be supportive of the program and of Andrew."

After starting 19 games for the Cardinal, Tavita also embraced the message.

He became a dutiful backup by helping Luck make a smooth transition to college football.

Along the way Pritchard, 22, gained respect and admiration from teammates and coaches. But now the fifth-year senior gets what he really wanted: One more chance to start.

Pritchard will line up behind center in his final college game Thursday when Stanford plays Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. He has been called into service because Luck broke the index finger on his throwing hand last month against Notre Dame.

"The fact he gets to end his career with a start is a little blessing," David said just before driving a van filled with 10 family members from Palo Alto to El Paso.

Pritchard might have lost his spot on the field as Stanford reached its first bowl since 2001, but he never lost teammates' confidence in him, because he didn't let personal disappointments spill into the locker room.

"No matter how this season has gone, or how my career here has gone, I wouldn't trade this experience for the world," Pritchard said.
Coach Jim Harbaugh, an NFL quarterback for 15 seasons, understood how the backup felt.

"Every quarterback worth their salt wants to play, but there's only one ball," he said.

Stanford players showed their appreciation for his positive attitude by giving Pritchard a standing ovation at the team's end-of-the-year banquet this month. Now they're solidly behind him.

"He stepped in the first day of bowl practice, and it was like nothing had changed," center Chase Beeler said of the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Pritchard.

"Tavita just filled the quarterback and leadership role so well."

It has been that way since his famous debut as a sophomore two years ago.

Pritchard's first start came against No. 2 USC after T.C. Ostrander suffered a seizure. He led his team to one of the most stunning upsets in college football, a 24-23 victory over the 40-point favorite. Pritchard's 10-yard touchdown pass with 49 seconds left helped end the Trojans' 35-game winning streak at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The performance has been heralded as one of Stanford's greatest football moments. But it was too much to ask the quarterback to perform weekly miracles. Pritchard and Stanford won only two of the final seven games of the '07 season. Last season, he threw 13 interceptions and 10 touchdown passes as the Cardinal went 5-7.

That led to the quarterback change. Luck took over in the spring and won the starting job in fall camp. He hasn't proven his coaches wrong, forcing defenses to focus on the pass as much the run behind Heisman Trophy runner-up Toby Gerhart.

Luck completed 56.3 percent of his passes and threw 13 touchdown passes and four interceptions. Pritchard, on the other hand, threw three passes in four games this season.

It has been the way Pritchard handled his frustrating circumstances that made his parents most proud. He never complained or showed signs of self pity. Pritchard just kept preparing to play, if needed.

"There's certainly a part of him that was disappointed, discouraged at times, wishing it was different," said his father, who was a center for Washington State.

As a former high school football coach in Lakewood, Wash., David preaches sportsmanship over winning to his eight children, including three boys who all play quarterback. But the Stanford situation this fall tested the family's values.

"We often as parents talk a good talk about the things that are most important in life," the father said. "Really for us, it was time to ask, 'What do we really believe?' Tavita did what he should have done. I'm glad he did the right thing."

Now Pritchard will have a chance to contribute much more.

"We're looking at this game like a playoff game," he said. "We didn't make it this far to go out and lose to Oklahoma."

Pritchard also has the chance to rediscover the magic of his debut two years ago.

"He's already made his name in history once," Gerhart said. "He can do it again.

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Speed Runs in Owusu's Family

The bar is set pretty high in the Owusu household.

All five of the kids are A students who play multiple sports. If one of them came home with, say, a B-plus on a report card? "I would take them out of sports," said their father, Francis Owusu.

There's something else that all five kids have in common: They're very quiet.

The eldest, Chris, Stanford's 6-foot-2, 201-pound sophomore wide receiver and kickoff return man extraordinaire, carries it to the extreme, his dad said.

"He's way too quiet," he said. "He keeps things to himself."

On Sunday, a day after Chris returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the third time this season, tying the Pac-10 single-season record, he talked on the phone with his mother, Luaiva. And didn't mention the touchdown.

The NCAA single-season record is five (Tulsa's Ashlan Davis) and the career record is six (Davis and USC's Anthony Davis).

"You've got to decide if you're going to kick it to him," said UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel, who won't say which way he's leaning for Saturday's 12:30 p.m. game at Stanford. "It's like Barry Bonds when he was hitting all those home runs. You didn't have to pitch to him."

Francis Owusu had made the Ghanaian Olympic team in the 400 meters, but didn't compete because most of Africa boycotted the 1976 Games in Montreal over Olympic officials' refusal to ban New Zealand. There was an uproar over the New Zealand rugby team's tour of South Africa, which had been banned because of its apartheid policies.

He came to the United States in 1978 to attend Utah State on a track scholarship, met his Samoa-born wife and started a highly religious family. All five of their children are excellent athletes - Brian is a freshman defensive back at Harvard - but academics came first.

Chris, the oldest, plans to go to medical school. He had a 4.2 grade point average at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, a 35-mile drive from their home in Oxnard (Ventura County). When Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh came for a visit, he was given a combination of Samoan and Ghanaian food, including fried plantain. "Oh my goodness, he ate and ate," Francis Owusu said.

At Oaks Christian, Chris was one of the main targets for quarterback Jimmy Clausen, now at Notre Dame. But he didn't return kickoffs, despite his exceptional speed.

"That shows you how good a coach I was," said Oaks Christian's Bill Redell, whose teams have gone 111-11-1 over 10 years. "I was afraid of him fumbling because he had done that a little bit in practice. If I had let him run back kickoffs, we probably would have been 114-8."

As a college freshman, Owusu returned kickoffs in five games after returning from a knee injury he sustained in a preseason scrimmage. His longest return was a 54-yarder. Now he's practically a touchdown machine, showing why he was one of the state's top prep sprinters until he pulled a hamstring as a senior.

"Honestly, it doesn't surprise me at all," said Georgetown quarterback Isaiah Kempf, a longtime pal. "I knew he was an extraordinary athlete. When he got hurt last year, I knew it was just a matter of time before people saw what he could do."

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Adapting an Offense for Masoli a Tall Order

Oregon coaches describe quarterback Jeremiah Masoli as a work in progress. And coaching Jeremiah Masoli? That's a work in progress, too.

Ducks coach Mike Bellotti and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly know that "coaching up" Masoli won't make him taller; so, they are continually searching for X's and O's that make a shorter quarterback more effective.

"It's the same thing as if you have a quarterback who doesn't run as well -- you change your protection up," Kelly said. "You've got to try to compensate a little bit."

Masoli, a dangerous runner who has struggled with the passing game in his first year at Oregon, is listed as 5-foot-11, and probably isn't that tall. One of Masoli's issues is vision -- he simply can't see over the taller linemen in front of him.

"It's tough, man," said 6-5 center Max Unger. "I think I might be the shortest one out there. There are some big bodies flying around out there."

Kelly likes to quote former coach Lou Holtz, who, when asked how tall his quarterback has to be, said: "Tall enough so his feet touch the ground."

Kelly put together a highly effective game plan for 6-6 Justin Roper in last year's Sun Bowl, where Roper threw for four touchdowns in a 56-21 win over South Florida.

In the offseason, the coaching staff began searching for ways to best use a much-shorter quarterback. They were thinking of Nate Costa, the 6-1 sophomore who would suffer a season-ending knee injury in fall camp. Masoli fit that thinking, too.

A sophomore who came to Eugene after one season at City College of San Francisco, Masoli arrived at a good time for a shorter quarterback. Chase Daniel, a 6-foot native Texan who went basically unrecruited by Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, was making a run at the Heisman Trophy at Missouri. Todd Reesing (5-11) was doing the same thing at Kansas.

So the Oregon coaches' search led them to Columbia, Mo., where the Tigers have turned Daniel into a towering offensive weapon. Like the Ducks, Missouri uses the no-huddle spread offense. The Tigers rank fourth in the nation in passing (352 yards per game) and scoring (45 points per game).

But the talks with Missouri's coaches didn't accomplish much. To use Masoli as Missouri uses Daniel would have required a revamping of the running game -- the Ducks' strength (they rank fifth in the nation at 274 yards per game).

"They put (Daniel) at a different depth," Bellotti said. "They deep drop him. They separate him from the line of scrimmage, but they don't have the running game we do. It changes the mesh point for a lot of the run stuff. It also puts a lot more stress on your tackles. They do a lot more two-tight end stuff, too, for that exact reason -- to eliminate the tackle being one-on-one with a defensive end.

"Are you going to change that and change your running game to match it? Because right now, the depth of our quarterback and our two open edges give us two areas to attack and we can spread people. If you bring them back in, you create more opportunities for the defense to run their stunts and blitzes and that type of thing."

Bellotti said to expect some new wrinkles in the bowl game. In the offseason, Kelly will hit the road again, doing research and development. It's all part of the job for Kelly, who is also UO's quarterbacks coach: To go where ideas are working, and then "borrow" them.

"Show me a coach who isn't stealing from somebody else -- they're lying," Kelly said. "If you weren't in a room with Amos Alonzo Stagg and Knute Rockne, then you got it from somebody else."

So what would make Masoli more effective? Experience. Beyond that, opinions differ.

Tight end Ed Dickson, whose production has suffered along with the passing game's struggles (one catch for four yards in the past four games), said he'd like to see Masoli roll out more -- to his side, of course.

"In my opinion, we need to get him out of the pocket a little bit more," Dickson said. "He's a great scrambler, and he's great rolling and throwing.

"We think we got our guy, we just have to find a system that works for him. That's where the offseason comes in handy. If he's our guy, we're going to find something that fits him. We're going to make it work, basically."

In the Civil War, Masoli's counterpart will be 5-11 Lyle Moevao. The quarterback who was most effective against the Ducks this season was Boise State's Kellen Moore, a 6-footer.

"I'm not the only quarterback who's not 6-6," Masoli said. "It's just passing lanes. It's not really seeing over the line as much as through the line."

The Ducks are a run-oriented team, but they spread things out to do it. And that spread formation, with bigger gaps between the linemen, helps create passing lanes. When the offense is clicking -- even if it's Roper doing the throwing -- the passes are thrown through the lanes.

So it's a matter of getting Masoli to see through those lanes. And if Kelly has to fly a few thousand miles to help complete a 10-yard pass, then so be it. You can only do so much on the ground.

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Stanford's Chris Owusu Returns Opening Kickoff for Touchdown

When the Washington Huskies opened the season against Louisiana State and its dangerous returner, Trindon Holliday, UW coaches played it safe, kicking the ball away from him.

But the Huskies gambled Saturday at Stanford, deciding to kick it deep to the Cardinal's Chris Owusu, who already had two returns for touchdowns this season and came in leading the nation in kickoff return average at 52.8.

The move backfired on the Huskies as Owusu took the kick at his own 9-yard line, found a seam, and quickly darted through the middle of the field essentially untouched for a touchdown to put Stanford up 7-0 just 10 seconds in.

Owusu's third return for a touchdown tied him for the Pac-10 season record with USC's Anthony Davis in 1974 and UCLA's Matthew Slater in 2007.

It also meant that Stanford had scored a TD on its opening possession in all four games this season.

It was also the second straight game that UW won the toss and elected to defer and then saw the opponent score. Last week, USC drove for a TD on its first drive.

The Huskies learned their lesson from there as they kicked it short on their following kickoffs of the first half, not allowing Owusu to get the ball.

Owusu is a sophomore from Oaks Christian High in Southern California, the same school as heralded UW commit Nick Montana, a quarterback who has said he will sign with the Huskies as part of the Class of 2010.

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