By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Friday, September 25, 2015

Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey enjoyed a career night running the football Friday, gaining over 200 yards while the No. 21-ranked Cardinal defeated Oregon State 42-24 in a Pac-12 North game at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.

McCaffrey rushed for 206 yards on 30 attempts, but Barry Sanders and Ramound Wright each scored two rushing touchdowns. Sanders also gained 97 yards on seven carries for Stanford (3-1 overall, 2-0 Pac-12 North).

Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan, a pregame question mark due to an ankle sprain, had an efficient 9 of 14 passing for 163 yards and scoring passes to Austin Hooper and Michael Rector. Hogan was intercepted once.

Stanford opened the scoring at 10:30 in the first quarter when Wright plunged in from a yard out. The Beavers answered 7 ½ minutes later on a 1-yard run by Seth Collins. Hogan’s 42-yard scoring pass to Hooper gave the Cardinal a 14-7 lead after one quarter.

Oregon State (2-2 overall, 0-1 Pac-12 North) tied the game at 14-14 in the first minute of the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run by Ryan Nall. But the Cardinal surged ahead to stay when Wright’s 2-yard TD run put Stanford up 21-14 with 3:08 left in the quarter.

Garrett Owens booted a 24-yard field goal at :31, pulling the Beavers to within 21-17 at halftime, but that was as close as Oregon State would get. In the third quarter, Hogan’s 49-yard TD pass t Rector and Sanders’ 11-yard scoring run gave the Cardinal a 35-17 lead with 3:03 left in the period.

A 40-yard touchdown pass from Collins to Jordan Villamin pulled the Beavers to within 35-24 in the first minute of the fourth quarter. But 39 seconds later, Sanders broke free for a 65-yard TD run to put the game away.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, the Cardinal return home to host Arizona. Game time has yet to be announced.