Stanford senior Ty Montgomery, the only Cardinal wide receiver with more than 30 catches, will miss Tuesday's Foster Farms Bowl against Maryland with a shoulder injury.
"If the game was in a week, he'd be full-go," coach David Shaw told the San Jose Mercury News about Montgomery, who was injured in the Nov. 22 win over California.
Montgomery has 61 receptions, more than double the number of the team's second-leading receiver, Devon Cajuste, who has 30. Montgomery also is a dangerous return man, averaging 19.8 yards on punt returns and 25.2 on kickoff returns.
Cajuste and tight end Austin Hooper, second on the team with 35 receptions, seem likely to share the go-to role against the Terps.
Montgomery (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) went into the season as one of the nation's most acclaimed wide receivers, but he had a disappointing season. While he led the ground-heavy Cardinal with the 61 receptions, he averaged just 9.9 yards per catch -- numbers befitting a possession receiver more than the deep threat Montgomery is supposed to be. He also had just three TD receptions -- all in September.
Presumably, Montgomery will be ready to go for the Reese's Senior Bowl; practice for the event starts Jan. 20. His performance there will be closely monitored by scouts. One AFC scout told NFL Media analysts in late November that Montgomery "looks better on paper than he does on grass."
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
