Stanford's David Shaw Blasts Washington's Steve Sarkisian over Faking Injuries

Only days after Stanford and Washington battled in a thrilling Pac-12 showdown, the head coaches of both teams have taken to the media to duke it out themselves.

Following his team’s 31-28 loss, Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian accused the Cardinal of faking injuries to slow down his team’s offense, via The Seattle Times’ Adam Jude.

Stanford head coach David Shaw obviously didn’t take too kindly to that remark, addressing those remarks right off the bat during his Tuesday presser:

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David Shaw opened Pac-12 conf. call with a statement at his request. Unleashed without prompting.

— AZ Desert Swarm (@azdesertswarm) October 8, 2013 

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David Shaw opens on faking injuries: "I don't care what Sarkisian thinks he saw ... the only assistant that fakes injuries works at UW"

— Jacob Thorpe (@JacobThorpeSR) October 8, 2013 

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Shots fired.

Shaw did manage to add in this before he wrapped up:

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Shaw: "I'm not even angry at Steve. Just think he crossed the line. Could see him tomorrow and say hi. But I'm going to defend what we do."

— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) October 8, 2013 

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But whenever someone starts by saying "I'm not even angry", it's usually a good sign that they are in fact very angry. 

As for the assistant Shaw referred to, he is likely speaking about Tosh Lupoi—the former Cal defensive line coach who was suspended in 2010 for ordering his players to dive frequently.

One such incident can be seen here:

This is a sad conclusion to what proved to be an extraordinary contest between two teams that epitomize the class of Pac-12 football. It pitted one of the top defenses in the nation against one of the best offenses.

With that said, there could be some credence to the allegations, as Washington seemed to move the ball with ease in the second half, racking a total of 489 yards—the most the Cardinal have conceded all year.

However, two of the accused divers took to Twitter to clear their names:

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We got the dub, UW is a hell of a team period. If I'm having docs look at me on the sideline I'm not faking it. Grow up, n watch the replay

— Shayne Skov (@ShayneSkov11) October 6, 2013 

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Skov didn't take a dive, I didn't take a dive. Never have never will. Stay classy Washington

— Ben Gardner (@BennyG49) October 6, 2013 

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While it may prove difficult to uncover the truth in situations like this, at least one thing has become abundantly clear: This is one of those rivalries to keep a close eye on over the next couple of years.

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