Stanford cornerback Malik Antoine sat in his Baton Rouge, Louisiana, backyard during the Cardinal's September bye week, confused and crushed.
Devastation surrounded the dazed freshman: The waters of a massive August flood had receded, but Antoine's childhood home sat ruined -- molded, muddy, and dilapidated from the 5 1/2 feet of water that had invaded just a few weeks earlier.
"That backyard is where I developed all my football skills," Antoine said. "My dad and grandpa coached me there. My little brother filmed me there. I remembered all the lateral drills and jump ropes I did from sunup to sundown in that backyard.