After it was first thought Stanford would be without its top offensive threat for the first half of the first month of the season -- at least -- said threat should be back for the first half of the first game.
Cardinal head coach David Shaw said Tuesday that Ty Montgomery has been medically cleared by team doctors and will play in the opener against UC-Davis. Not only that, but the wide receiver was cleared with no limitations and is expected to start against the FCS team.
Montgomery underwent offseason shoulder surgery and missed spring practice. It was initially feared that he would miss both the opener as well as the USC game, with the speculation being his absence could stretch deeper into the month of September and possibly bleed on into October.
However, in late July, it was reported that Montgomery was ahead of schedule in his rehab.
“It’s what he’s been waiting for, it’s what he’s been training for,” Shaw said. “He’s just attacked the rehab in such a way that it’s gotten him back a little earlier than we anticipated, and he’s ready to go.”
Having Montgomery from the get-go, even if it’s against a cupcake opponent, is significant.
Montgomery was easily the Cardinal’s top pass-catcher in 2013, leading the team with 61 catches for 968 yards and 10 touchdowns. The next closest was Devon Cajuste‘s 28-642-5.
For good measure, Montgomery was third in the nation in kick return average (30.3) and was one of just seven players to return more than one kickoff for a touchdown (New Mexico’s Carlos Wiggins returned three for scores).