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Jarek Lancaster and A.J. Tarpley will pay tribute to injured teammate Shayne Skov the rest of the season by spreading his signature eye black across their faces a little more liberally.
Just don't expect them to mimic his Mohawk, too.
''I don't think either one of us could possibly pull the look off like Shayne could,'' Lancaster said after practice Tuesday. ''Maybe a little eye black in honor of him. But definitely not the Mohawk.''
With Skov's torn left knee keeping him out for the season, No. 5 Stanford will rely on the two talented but untested linebackers to fill the void left by the absence of the team's leading tackler. Not an easy task for anybody.
The defense has grown into one of the best in the nation behind Skov, a vocal and emotional leader who might have been the team's most important player outside of Heisman Trophy hopeful Andrew Luck. The Cardinal (3-0) have allowed only nine points per game this year, good for seventh best in the country.
Skov injured his knee in Stanford's 37-10 victory at Arizona on Saturday night when receiver Juron Criner was tackled and knocked into the middle linebacker. Skov lay on the ground, writhing in pain before going to the sideline and leaving to the locker room on a cart.
After an otherwise perfect start this year, Stanford suddenly has a major hurdle to clear.
''It's going to be hard. Kid's a stud. We're all pretty shook up about it,'' starting outside linebacker Chase Thomas said. ''At the same time, we have to try and move on.''
Stanford is counting on the depth it has built with strong recruiting classes the past few seasons.
Lancaster, a 6-foot-1, 221-pound junior, has 12 tackles and is expected to get the bulk of Skov's minutes. He was originally recruited as a safety out of Helotes, Texas, but coaches realized by the second day of training camp his freshman year that his athletic ability fit better at linebacker.
Tarpley, a 6-foot-2, 221-pound sophomore, has registered 13 tackles and appeared to have the edge earlier in camp. Most of his time has come behind Max Bergen, although he figures to split time at both the inside linebacker spots now that the defense is short-handed.
Already, Skov has been trying to prepare both for the transition.
''He realizes it's obviously not what we wanted, but he's also talked to us, just trying to help us,'' Tarpley said. ''Because he knows he needs us to fill his role kind of as a committee, just to fill his shoes altogether, because not one of us could do his job alone. So he just wants to make sure we all know what we're doing. He's one of those guys, even when he wasn't hurt, he was teaching us, trying to make us better.''
Leave it to Skov to push his teammates forward.
Even though he is injured and likely to have surgery in the coming days, Skov already is thinking about the team's mood. He plans to stay involved in meetings, practices and be on the sidelines for games.
Stanford coach David Shaw indicated that Skov, who hasn't spoken publicly since the injury, is also likely to hold off on the NFL draft in April and return for his senior season. Skov's brother, Patrick, is a freshman fullback on the team and might also move to linebacker next year.
For now, it appears older brother isn't ready to give up on this year.
Before heading to a doctor's appointment Tuesday, Skov called Shaw to relay a message to the team - not to use his injury as an excuse, that a Pac-12 title and national championship are still within reach. And he wanted teammates to know he'll be around to make sure they follow through.
''He said coach, `I'm going to be there. I'm going to be in the meetings. I'm going to make sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. I'm going to be that extra coach and that extra motivator,''' Shaw said. ''And those guys know. They don't want to let him down. If they're going to go in there and take his spot, they better play at a high level.''
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Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP
