One of the key players in Stanford's bid to return to the BCS has been reinstated after his February arrest on DUI charges.
Per CBSSports.com's Kyle Bonagura, the Cardinal announced Friday that senior linebacker Shayne Skov will be suspended one game but has otherwise been reinstated to the team. Skov will miss the Cardinal's opener against San Jose State but is free to return for its Week 2 matchup with Duke -- and, more important, its Week 3 date with USC.
Skov was arrested and jailed Feb. 5 after allegedly driving under the influence on the Stanford campus. In the wake of the arrest, Cardinal coach David Shaw said that Skov "will be responsible to adhere to any legal responsibilities regarding this event along with ramifications which will be determined by the program."
Skov led the Cardinal with 84 tackles and collected 7.5 sacks in a breakout sophomore season in 2011, earning Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 honors. But he only appeared in three games his junior season, tearing his ACL against Arizona.
In the Cardinal statement, Shaw also said that Skov is "close to being at 100 percent" from the injury and that his rehab is on schedule.
Having a healthy (and non-suspended) Skov should be a boon for a Stanford defense that will need to take up some of the slack for a newly Andrew Luck-less, David DeCastro-less, Coby Fleener-less Cardinal offense. Those tables were turned the other way last year, as a clock-chewing offense enabled the Cardinal defense -- 28th in total defense, but only 59th in yards-per-play allowed -- to look better than it was.
But with six members of the Cardinal front seven back, Skov included, the pressure will be on for that unit to do its offense a favor or two in 2012.
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