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Stanford Cardinal lose star running back E.J. Smith to season-ending injury

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A promising season for Stanford Cardinal running back E.J. Smth that started with an 87-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage is over.

Stanford coach David Shaw announced Tuesday that Smith will miss the rest of the season. Shaw said the reason is injury related, but wouldn’t go into any detail, including whether Smith will require surgery.

“There’s a medical situation that it’s unwise for him, and I don’t think it’s even an option for him, to continue,” Shaw said. “He’s got to get his body taken care of. Trust me, he wishes it was not this way. He was gearing up – he told me last week, ‘I can’t wait to play against Oregon. I need to get back in there.’ But the doctors are right. It’s wise for him, both now and for his future, to get this taken care of and come back in ‘23 bigger, faster, stronger.”

Smith, the son of Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, moved into the starting lineup after the offseason transfers of Austin Jones (USC) and Nathaniel Peat (Missouri). The redshirt sophomore had 30 carries for 206 yards and three TDs in Stanford’s first two games of the season against Colgate and USC, along with eight catches for 63 yards and a TD. Smith was injured against USC in Week 3, Stanford’s Pac-12 opener, and missed last Saturday’s game against Washington.

“I think he’s a special young man, a special football player, and was just really coming into his own,” Shaw said. “The future’s bright. This is something that he needs to be taken care of now, and I still expect him to be the special football player that we envision, that he envisions, sooner than later. It’s just not going to happen this year.”

Redshirt sophomore Casey Filkins started in Smith’s place and ran for 100 yards on 20 carries against the Huskies. Filkins is now the only healthy Cardinal running back with any experience when Stanford (1-2, 0-2) visits No. 13 ranked Oregon (3-1, 1-0) on Saturday night (8 p.m. FS1).

Filkins has rushed 42 times for 197 yards and his first two career touchdowns this season, while adding six catches for 87 yards. The other running backs on the depth chart are junior Caleb Robinson and sophomore Brendon Barrow, who have a combined eight carries at Stanford.

Stanford’s offense has already been hit hard by injuries. Guard Branson Bragg, a two-year starter, retired before appearing in a game this season because of lingering effects from a concussion, and tackles Myles Hinton (who didn’t make the trip to Washington) and Walter Rouse are questionable for the Oregon game because of injuries.


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