Tag: Cardinal

Sep 10, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Tahj Washington (16) and running back Travis Dye (26) celebrate during the second quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Strong first half propels No. 10 USC to win over Stanford

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Tenth-ranked Southern Cal capitalized on four turnovers and built a 27-point cushion, which was enough to endure a sluggish second half in a 41-28 win over host Stanford on Saturday.

The Trojans (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12 Conference) scored touchdowns on all five of their first-half possessions, four coming on Caleb Williams passes. Williams hooked up with Jordan Addison for two of those scores, including a 75-yarder.

Williams finished 20-of-27 passing for 341 yards in the league opener for both teams.

Addison hauled in seven receptions for 172 yards to lead USC, while Mario Williams added four catches for 74 yards and a 15-yard scoring reception. Tight end Lake McRee got the Trojans’ early scoring deluge started with a five-yard touchdown catch.

USC took advantage as three of Stanford’s first four possession ended with turnovers. Max Williams intercepted Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee, Max Williams also forced an E.J. Smith fumble at the goal line, and Mekhi Blackmon picked off a pass in the end zone.

USC led 35-14 at the half.

The Cardinal (1-1, 0-1) never recovered from their three unsuccessful trips into the red zone and fell behind 41-14 late in the third quarter.

Stanford shut down the USC offense after intermission, however, allowing only two Denis Lynch field goals in the second half.

Stanford gained 441 yards of offense with an almost 50-50 split of 220 McKee passing yards and 221 rushing yards, paced by Smith’s 88. Smith rushed for a touchdown and Casey Filkins, who carried for 77 yards, added another.

McKee rushed for one touchdown and passed for another to Smith. Stanford converted 33 first downs to USC’s 24, but the Trojans outgained the Cardinal, with 505 yards.

Travis Dye rushed for 105 yards and scored a touchdown for USC. Stanford transfer Austin Jones added 38 yards on eight carries.

–Field Level Media

Nov 6, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly leads players onto the field before the game against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

No. 6 Notre Dame cautious of upset potential vs. rival Stanford

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Stanford will attempt to end its season by denying No. 6 Notre Dame an opportunity to reach the College Football Playoff when the host Cardinal bid to upset the Fighting Irish on Saturday night.

Coming off a 41-11 drubbing at home in its annual Big Game against rival California, the Cardinal (3-8) will be seeking a seventh win over a ranked Notre Dame team in the 35th edition of the rivalry.

Stanford was in a similar situation, albeit it as the 13th-ranked team in the country, when it knocked the fourth-ranked Fighting Irish out of the national championship picture with a 38-36 win on the Cardinal’s field in 2015.

Surely, a Stanford upset would be a much more surprising outcome six years later, with Notre Dame (10-1) possibly a win away from landing one of the four coveted spots in the playoff.

Notre Dame’s chances of moving up from sixth are equally dependent upon at least two teams ahead of it losing, and that’s assured before season’s end.

No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Michigan also duel on Saturday eight hours before Notre Dame-Stanford. Then, next week, No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Alabama are set to meet in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

The Notre Dame game plan remains the same — win convincingly and let the chips fall where they may.

Senior cornerback TaRiq Bracy, who grew up just east of Stanford in Milpitas, Calif., is fully aware of the Cardinal’s history against Notre Dame and the significance of what a season-ending headline-grabber would mean to the Stanford program.

“I’ve got a bunch of family and friends texting me excited,” Bracy said. “You have to take each week as a new opponent and a new challenge. You know I have the utmost respect for Stanford and I’m just getting ready to play.”

Notre Dame has solidified its position in the playoff chase with six straight wins, the last three by 34-6, 28-3 and 55-0 counts.

Stanford, on the other hand, has lost six straight and been on the wrong end of similar scores in its last three outings — losing 52-7, 35-14 and 41-11.

Cardinal coach David Shaw believes Notre Dame is coming to town at just the right time for his team, which could use an injection of energy at the end of a losing season.

“Hopefully the Golden Domers bring out the best in our football team, and for the first time in over a month we see the best of Stanford football,” he noted. “Notre Dame is a rival, and we’ve fared well against them over the last decade-plus. I don’t need to have any rah-rah speeches this week.”

Stanford returned quarterback Tanner McKee from injury last week, and while his 239 yards on 26-for-44 might have looked impressive, it was outweighed by a 2-to-0 interception-to-touchdown ratio.

The Cardinal are already assured of a third consecutive season without a bowl. They had gotten invitations in each of the previous 10 years under Shaw and Jim Harbaugh, winning six of those games.

–Field Level Media

November 27, 2020; Berkeley, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal players celebrate with The Stanford Axe after the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Big Game arrives amid bad seasons for Cal, Stanford

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Quarterback Chase Garbers looks for a second career win over rival Stanford when he leads visiting California into the annual Big Game among the San Francisco Bay Area’s two Pac-12 Conference football programs on Saturday afternoon.

The schools, separated by a bridge and just 35 miles, have alternated wins and losses the last three seasons. Stanford held on for a 24-23 victory at Cal last November when the Golden Bears missed a PAT after a touchdown with 58 seconds remaining.

That game pitted Garbers against Stanford’s Davis Mills, who has since graduated to the NFL’s Houston Texans.

The Cardinal’s quarterback situation has become a mess in the 10 games since, with opening-day backup Tanner McKee having quickly seized the starting job, only to come away with an undisclosed injury to his left leg in a home loss to Washington last month.

Jack West, Ari Patu and Dylan Plautz have shared the duties in the last two contests, in which Stanford (3-7, 2-6 Pac-12) was blown out by Utah and Oregon State.

The Cardinal totaled just 94 passing yards with two interceptions in last week’s 35-14 loss at Oregon State.

The good news for Stanford, which enters the Big Game on a five-game losing streak, is that McKee appears ready to return from his two-game absence.

“Having some guys back I think will help a lot this week,” Stanford coach David Shaw said, adding cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly and linebacker Ricky Miezan to the list of potential key returners headed by McKee.

“Right now it’s not about any of the previous games. It’s not about next week. It’s about rivalry week and that’s what these guys are focused on, trying to keep the Axe.”

Cal (3-6, 2-4 Pac-12) has had no such problems at the quarterback position, with Garbers ranking sixth in the Pac-12 in passing yards despite having played one or two fewer games than the five guys ahead of him on the list.

Cal’s contest last week against Southern California had to be rescheduled because of COVID issues among the Golden Bears. Cal was seriously undermanned, including the absence of Garbers, when it lost 10-3 the previous week at Arizona.

Cal offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave expects a big performance from Garbers this week despite the fact he hasn’t played since Oct. 30, when he threw for a season-best three touchdowns and rushed for a fourth in a win over Oregon State.

“I feel like we’re getting better as a coaching staff,” Musgrave said of a relationship he believes has kept his quarterback on an upward trajectory this season. “We’re game-planning better and putting him in better position — everybody, all 11 guys — to be successful.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 6, 2021; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Oregon State Beavers quarterback Chance Nolan (10) passes the ball in overtime against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Stanford, Oregon State aim to snap skids

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Stanford and Oregon State will seek to end losing streaks when Beavers standout back B.J. Baylor gets a shot at the Cardinal’s porous run defense in a Pacific-12 Conference game Saturday in Corvallis, Ore.

Both teams appeared primed to take a shot at the Pac-12 North title after early success, with Stanford beating Southern Cal and Oregon en route to a 2-1 conference start, while Oregon State had a stunning victory over Utah to improve to 3-1.

But things have gone south in a hurry for both teams. Stanford (3-6, 2-5) has lost four in a row, including 52-7 at home against Utah last week, while Oregon State (5-4, 3-3) has dropped two straight.

Technically, the Beavers remain in the Pac-12 North race, but they need help. Wins over Stanford, Arizona State and Oregon would allow them to finish 6-3, creating the possibility they could tie Oregon atop the standings and win a head-to-head tie-breaker.

If Oregon State goes on a late run, it will do so with a new defensive coordinator. The school fired Tim Tibesar on Sunday, replacing him on an interim basis with inside linebackers coach Trent Bray, in the wake of poor defensive efforts in losses to California and Colorado, games in which the Beavers allowed a total of 76 points and 909 yards.

“I felt it was the right time to make a change in our football program,” Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith said in an announcement made by the school on Sunday night.

Oregon State has had no such problems offensively of late, especially in the passing game, where Chance Nolan went a combined 35-of-64 for 498 yards and three touchdowns against Cal and Colorado.

The Beavers were at their best earlier when Baylor was running well. He had four straight 100-yard games during Oregon State’s 3-1 conference start, before totaling just 140 yards on 35 carries the past two weeks.

Stanford got run over by Utah’s Tavion Thomas for 177 yards and four TDs in last week’s blowout. The Cardinal gave up 441 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns against the Utes.

“Got to have a lot of discussions on how to stop the run,” Stanford coach David Shaw insisted after the loss. “We missed a ton of tackles. It’s one thing to have gaps run through. But when you miss tackles, that’s why you give up the big, big plays. Inexcusable.”

Stanford played the Utah game without quarterback Tanner McKee, who was sidelined with an undisclosed injury. He remains questionable for the Oregon State game.

The Cardinal’s Jack West, Isaiah Sanders and Ari Patu combined for just 85 passing yards on 23 attempts against Utah.

–Field Level Media

Nov 5, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; Utah Utes running back Tavion Thomas (9) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Utah defense dominates Stanford in 52-7 rout

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Linebacker Devin Lloyd capped a brilliant defensive effort with an interception for a touchdown and Tavion Thomas rushed for four scores Friday night as Utah remained in the driver’s seat for a Pac-12 South title with a 52-7 shellacking of host Stanford.

Thomas finished with a career-best 177 yards on 20 carries for the Utes (6-3, 5-1 Pac-12), who now need just two wins in their final three games to earn a spot in the conference championship game.

Thomas scored on 10- and 5-yard runs in the first quarter, then added 58- and 11-yarders in the second as Utah built a 28-0 lead in the game’s first 23 1/2 minutes.

TJ Pledger sprinted 96 yards for a fifth Utah touchdown and Jadon Redding nailed a 29-yard field goal on the last play of the second quarter, sending the Utes into halftime with a 38-0 advantage.

Stanford (3-6, 2-5) played much more competitively in the second half, getting onto the scoreboard on the first drive of the third quarter with a 4-yard run by Isaiah Sanders.

Utah, which was coming off an impressive 44-24 win over UCLA, matched that point total when Lloyd jumped at the line of scrimmage, snatched a Jack West pass and fell into the end zone for a touchdown.

Earlier in the game, Lloyd made five tackles for losses.

Micah Bernard added a sixth rushing TD for the Utes from 11 yards out with 1:48 to play to complete the scoring.

The run pushed Bernard over the 100-yard mark with 110. Pledger finished with 107 on just four carries as Utah rolled up 441 rushing yards and 581 total yards.

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising went 13 of 22 for 140 yards without a touchdown or interception. The Utes lost one fumble but benefitted from two Cardinal turnovers.

Stanford’s West finished 12-for-18 for 59 yards with the one interception. En route to a fourth straight defeat, the Cardinal totaled 167 yards, with E.J. Smith producing a team-high 53 on the ground on seven carries.

–Field Level Media

Oct 30, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes running back Tavion Thomas (9) celebrates his touchdown with quarterback Cameron Rising (7) during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Utah, Stanford head in different directions entering Friday clash

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Two teams with vastly different levels of bowl games on their minds hook up Friday night when Pacific-12 Conference South-leading Utah visits the North’s last-place team, Stanford.

Utah (5-3, 4-1 Pac-12) took control of its division with a 44-24 home romp over UCLA last Saturday, with Tavion Thomas’ 160 rushing yards and four touchdowns leading the way.

Coupled with an Arizona State loss to Washington State, the Utes’ win gave them a one-game lead in the South, which in essence is a two-game advantage because they also own a head-to-head win over the Sun Devils.

Taking care of business against Stanford, as well as the bottom two teams in the South — Arizona and Colorado — would assure Utah a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game regardless of how it fares against the North leader, Oregon, on Nov. 20.

Despite Stanford’s three-game losing streak, Utes coach Kyle Whittingham has warned his team: Dealing with the Cardinal (3-5, 2-4) on the road won’t be easy for a Utah team that’s failed more often than it has experienced success away from home (1-3) this season.

And the Utes will be heading west one day earlier than usual.

“We’ve got a short week combined with a road trip,” Whittingham noted. “It’s what the schedule says, so we don’t worry or complain about that. We’ve just got to manage it. We’ve got a blueprint for it.”

That blueprint was last put into place when Utah faced Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game on a Friday night in December 2019. On a similarly short rest as they’ll get this week, the Utes were blown out in that game, 37-15.

Of course, they didn’t have Cameron Rising doing anything more than holding a clipboard that season as a redshirt transfer from Texas. After a season-opening shoulder injury, he has started the last five games, leading Utah to four wins while throwing 12 touchdown passes with just two interceptions.

Rising was a freshman at Texas the last time Utah visited Stanford. That went well for the Utes in a 40-21 victory over a Cardinal team that was ranked 14th at the time.

That said, the roles were reversed one year earlier, when Stanford went to Salt Lake City and upset the 20th-ranked Utes 23-20.

The Cardinal need three wins in their last four games to be eligible for a bottom-tier bowl game. They almost had one last week when they led Washington 13-12 before surrendering a 20-yard TD pass with 21 seconds left on their way to a 20-13 loss.

“Honestly (we) played defense good the entire game,” Stanford coach David Shaw observed. “But once again it comes down to two minutes, and we couldn’t get the stop to end the game. That’s how you lose.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 25, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal linebacker Levani Damuni (3) tackles UCLA Bruins running back Zach Charbonnet (24) during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

No. 24 UCLA pounds Stanford, 35-24

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Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Philips one play after Stanford had rallied into a fourth-quarter tie Saturday afternoon, helping the 24th-ranked UCLA Bruins hold off the Cardinal, 35-24.

Thompson-Robinson, who played through a right shoulder injury much of the game, also rushed for two scores. He threw a game-clinching, 5-yard TD pass to Philips with 2:30 remaining for UCLA (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12), which bounced back from a 40-37 home loss to Fresno State last week.

Tanner McKee threw three long touchdown passes for Stanford (2-2, 1-1), including a 46-yarder to Bryce Farrell to tie the score at 21-all with 13:06 remaining.

But Thompson-Robinson fired deep down the middle on UCLA’s next play, and the speedy Philips raced untouched into the end zone to give UCLA a lead it never relinquished.

Playing at home for the first time since Week 2 of last season, Stanford closed within 28-24 on a 48-yard field goal by Joshua Karty with 9:10 remaining. But the Bruins ran 6:40 off the clock with a run-dominated drive before Thompson-Robinson connected with Philips from the Cardinal 5-yard line on third-and-goal.

Thompson-Robinson left the game briefly during the final scoring drive to have his shoulder examined. He was able to return to the game, and on the next play threw his short TD pass to Philips.

The senior quarterback threw for 212 yards and the two scores, complementing his 1- and 2-yard TD runs.

Zach Charbonnet added a 5-yard TD run for UCLA, which outrushed Stanford 304-17. Charbonnet had 209 of the yards on 25 carries.

Philips finished with five catches for a game-high 111 yards.

UCLA, which outgained Stanford 516-179, led 21-7 at the break, but McKee caught fire after halftime, first connecting with Elijah Higgins for a 56-yard score before the game-tying dart to Farrell.

McKee, who finished 22-for-33 for 242 yards, also hit Brycen Tremayne for a 19-yard TD in the second quarter.

Higgins was Stanford’s primary pass-catcher with 78 yards on four receptions. Nathaniel Peat was the club’s leading rusher with 41 yards on 12 carries.

Neither team had a turnover.

–Field Level Media

Sep 4, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Tanner McKee (18) throws a pass in the second quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Stanford QB Tanner McKee draws start against No. 14 Southern California

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Stanford sophomore Tanner McKee will start at quarterback this Saturday against No. 14 Southern California, Cardinal coach David Shaw said Tuesday.

Jack West started the season-opening 24-7 loss to Kansas State with the plan also calling on McKee to see action. McKee completed 15 of 18 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown, while West was 8 of 12 for 76 yards and two interceptions.

“We will start Tanner McKee this week,” Shaw said during a press conference. “We will not rotate the quarterbacks.”

The 6-foot-6 McKee was a coveted recruit in the class of 2018 who went on a two-year Mormon mission in Brazil. He saw action against Oregon last season and was 3-of-7 passing for 62 yards.

“He has a lot of the traits that you’re looking for. That’s the reason he was so highly rated coming out of high school,” Shaw said. “He has a quick release, very accurate, very competitive, great leader, for a tall guy he’s pretty athletic and he can move. And he’s got a strong arm. He doesn’t need a lot of space to step into it and get the ball downfield.

“I told Tanner I just want him to play. He doesn’t have to take the world on his shoulders. He doesn’t have to do anything other than play quarterback. … Being able to run the ball I think will be able to take some pressure off him in his first start.”

West attempted just 56 passes in his first three seasons at Stanford. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his career.

–Field Level Media

Nov 7, 2020; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Tyler Shough (12) warms up before the start of a game against the Stanford Cardinals at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

No. 12 Oregon uses ground game to pound Stanford

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C.J. Verdell rushed for a game-high 105 yards and a touchdown Saturday as the 12th-ranked Oregon Ducks opened the post-Justin Herbert era with a ground-oriented, 35-14 victory over the visiting Stanford Cardinal on opening night of the Pacific-12 Conference football season.

Sophomore Tyler Slough threw for 227 yards and a score, and rushed for an additional 85 yards in his first collegiate start. Stanford, meanwhile, learned shortly before game time that three players — including starting quarterback Davis Mills — would be prevented from suiting up because of positive COVID-19 tests earlier in the day.

Slough completed 17 of his 26 passes with one interception.

Travis Dye chipped in with 78 yards on the ground and one touchdown for Oregon (1-0), which rushed 40 times for 269 yards and four scores.

Cyrus Habibi-Likio accounted for the Ducks’ fourth and final rushing TD, capping the scoring with a 4-yard run with 3:37 to play.

D.J. Johnson caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Slough in the second quarter to complete Oregon’s scoring. Johnson finished with a game-high five catches for 55 yards.

Jack West, who got the late call to replace Mills, went 13-for-19 for 154 yards without a touchdown or interception.

Austin Jones scored both Stanford touchdowns, complementing a 100-yard rushing night with 4- and 2-yard runs. Nathaniel Peat added 93 yards on just six carries for the Cardinal (0-1).

Jones’ first score opened the scoring at the 3:25 mark of the first quarter, but Oregon dominated the rest of the game, scoring the next 28 points, including a 14-0 run in the third period that turned a competitive 14-7 game at halftime into a 28-7 blowout.

Oregon outgained Stanford 496-413 in a game that featured five missed field goals, including four by Stanford’s Jet Toner.

–Field Level Media