By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, October 29, 2016

AP photo: Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey gets his second quarter rushing touchdown and is greeted by his teammates against the Arizona Wild Cats at Arizona Stadium in Tucson

The University of Arizona had slim hopes of qualifying for a bowl game going into Saturday’s game against Stanford, and the Cardinal dimmed those hopes even more with a 34-10 Pac-12 football win at Arizona Stadium in Tucson.

Christian McCaffrey scored three of the Stanford touchdowns, helping the Cardinal snap a three-game conference losing streak. McCaffrey gained 169 rushing yards, three shy of his personal best for the season. The 2015 Heisman runnerup had 100 rushing yards by halftime.

The 34 points represent a season-high for Stanford (5-3 overall, 3-3 Pac-12), while 10 points are a season-low for the Wildcats.

Arizona (2-6 overall, 0-5 Pac-12) is the last team looking for its first conference win. The Wildcats suffered their fifth straight loss and must run the table on their remaining four games to have a chance for even a lower-tier bowl game.

Emblematic of Arizona’s offensive woes was the performance of quarterback Brandon Dawkins, who finished 5 of 15 for 116 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also gained 65 rushing yards.

After a scoreless first quarter, McCaffrey put Stanford ahead with a 45-yard TD run just 39 seconds into the second quarter. McCaffrey’s second touchdown came on an 18-yard pass from Keller Chryst, who was making his first start for the Cardinal.

A 38-yard touchdown pass from Dawkins to Trey Griffey cut the Arizona deficit to 14-7. The Wildcats seemed to be building momentum when Dane Cruikshank picked off a Chryst pass, but on the return, a hit by Stanford lineman Nate Herbig forced a fumble. Chris Harrell recovered for the Cardinal, leading to a 45-yard field goal by , making it 17-7 at the half.

Stanford extended its lead to 20-7 on a field goal, and Mike Tyler’s fumble recovery at the Arizona 23-yard line set up McCaffrey’s third score to make it 27-7.

Chryst completed 14 of 30 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

Next week, the Cardinal return home to host Oregon State with a chance to become bowl eligible.