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Football scrimmage ends well; QB to be named today  

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The Stanford offense and defense battled in a live 70-play scrimmage Sunday morning at the Elliott Football Practice Fields, open to the public and attended by 1,500-plus fans.

Senior quarterback Josh Nunes (7-of-10 passing, 49 yards, 1 TD) and junior quarterback Brett Nottingham (5-of-6 passing, 125 yards) each led the offense to a touchdown.

Nunes connected up top with senior tight end Levine Toilolo for a six-yard score, while junior running back Jackson Cummings scampered 34 yards for the other touchdown of the day.

Both of the first two defensive units made their share of stops. Sacks were recorded by three of the Cardinal's vaunted outside linebackers: fifth-year senior Chase Thomas, senior Trent Murphy and sophomore Kevin Anderson. Senior inside linebacker Jarek Lancaster also recovered a fumble.

"It was good," Stanford coach David Shaw said. "It's hard to tell when our offense doesn't make yards, if the defense is just so good or because we didn't do something right."

Shaw said he will name the starting quarterback before next Sunday, when practices to prepare for the August 31 season opener versus San Jose State will begin in earnest. The Cardinal has one week remaining of training camp.

Senior running back Stepfan Taylor was held out of the scrimmage, as was the case last spring for the Cardinal and White Spring Game in San Francisco, to protect the Cardinal's leading offensive weapon and Doak Walker Award candidate.

Junior Anthony Wilkerson was also used sparingly and had just two touches in the opening period before taking a seat. That afforded opportunities for less experienced backs to show themselves. In addition to Cummings' touchdown run, sophomore Remound Wright (90 total offensive yards) and freshman Barry Sanders (52 yards rushing) made highlight plays from the offensive backfield.

Sanders was not alone in representing the highly regarded Stanford freshman class, who last February were ranked No. 5 in the nation on Signing Day.

Wide receiver Kodi Whitfield hauled in a 33-yard reception and will play right away this season, according to Shaw. Cornerback Alex Carter laid a crowd-pleasing hit against a screen play.

Three freshmen saw significant time with the first unit offensive line Sunday: tackles Andrus Peat and Kyle Murphy and guard Joshua Garnett.

Sophomore wide receiver Ty Montgomery caught three passes for 27 yards, while junior Keanu Nelson picked up a big 25-yard gain on a 3rd & 19 pass over the middle.

After the 90-minute scrimmage and a team BBQ lunch, players headed to Stanford Stadium in their jerseys to participate in a team-wide autograph session as part of the day's Open House for the Bay Area public. Fans also enjoyed stadium locker room tours, photo opportunities, on-field football skills stations and a Select-Your-Seat sales event.

The Cardinal kick off the 2012 season in less than two weeks on Aug. 31 vs. San Jose State in the annual Bill Walsh Legacy Game at Stanford Stadium. The 7 p.m. (PT) contest will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

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