Paydirt: Bryce Love of the Stanford Cardinal scores a touchdown. Photo: AAP

by Jerry Feitelberg

Sydney, Australia

The Stanford Cardinal, coached by David Shaw who is now in his seventh year at the helm, overwhelmed the Rice Owls in the first game of the 2017 football season by a score of 62-7. Stanford dominated the game on offense, defense, and virtually every facet of the game as they were relentless in their offensive onslaught and just as dominant on defense. Rice could not do anything and scored their only touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter when all the Stanford starters were on the bench.

The Stanford Cardinal dominated the hapless Rice Owls in the first half of the game. The Cardinal took four plays to get on the board. The key play was Bryce Loves’s sixty-two-yard scamper on the first play from scrimmage. Keller Chryst completed a pass to tight end  Colby Parkinson in the end zone for the tally.

The Cardinal defense rattled the Owls the first time they had the ball. They started their first drive with a false start, delay of game, and another false start. Rice kicked to the Cardinal and Stanford took it down the field for another score. They went 43-yards on eight plays and used up 3minutes and twenty-three seconds. The Cardinal defense continued to dominate. The third time in the first quarter that the Cardinal touched the ball, the scored a touchdown. Bryce Love carried it in for the touchdown. Stanford is way ahead 21-0 after the first quarter.

It was more of the same in the second period. Stanford went 71-yards in four plays. Cameron Scarlett’s 29-yard run was the key play on the drive.  Stanford did not score on their fifth drive of the game. However, the next time they had the ball, they put more points on the board. The key play was a 55-yard pass and run to Cameron Scarlett. Ryan Burns came in for one play at quarterback, and he made a nice nine-yard run to the goal line. Scarlett scored the TD. The Cardinal’s defense had an answer for everything Rice tried to do. The Cardinal’s Jet Toner kicked a 48-yard field goal to end the first half. Stanford had an overwhelming advantage 38-0 with 30 minutes of play left in the second half.

In the second half, Stanford scored three touchdowns and a field goal to put 62 points on the board. Keller Chryst engineered the first score in the third quarter when Chryst hit Parkinson in the end zone to make it 45-0. With Ryan Burns at the helm, Ryan Burns hit Kaden Smith for his first passing touchdown, and the lead was extended to 52-0. Coach Shaw sent in K.J. Costello to play quarterback near the end of the quarter.

The Rice Owls scored their only TD of the game with just 6:19 to play. Costello scored the final touchdown of the night when he ran 25 yards for the TD. The Cardinal wins 62-7.

Game Notes- It was a banner night for the Cardinal quarterbacks. Chryst was 14-for-24 good for 253 yards and 2 TDs. Costello was 5-for-9 for 80 yards, and he has one rushing TD. Burns was 2-for-4 for 36 yards and one TD. Bryce love led the running game with 13 carries for 180 yards and a TD. His longest run was 62 yards. Cameron Scarlett had eight carries for 59 yards and 3 TDs. Connor Weddington led the receivers with six catches. Kaden Smith had four catches and a TD, and Colby Parkinson finished the night with 3 catches and 2 TDs.

The Cardinal amassed 656 total yards. They had 369 yards passing and 287 rushing. Total time of possession was 31 minutes and thirty-five seconds.

The Cardinal does not play next weekend as they have a long flight home from Sydney on Sunday. They will meet the University of Southern California Trojans on Saturday, September 9th in Los Angeles. The Trojans’ Sam Darnold will be running the show for USC. Darnold took over last year when the Trojans were 1-3 and took them to the Rose Bowl. This game could be one of the biggest of the year for Stanford.