Stanford drops heartbreaker to Washington State 41-38

Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By: Ana Kieu

The No. 24 Stanford Cardinal had hoped to build a two-game win streak when they returned to Stanford Stadium to welcome the No. 14 Washington State Cougars on Saturday. For the Cardinal, it was Homecoming Reunion weekend and a lot of folks were decked in red and white as they took in all the festivities.

Just moments after the Pac-12 action went underway, Stanford had a strong opening drive with a 1st and 10 on the WSU 22. Then, just like that, K.J. Costello threw a touchdown pass to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who scored an 18-yard touchdown for his 24th career touchdown of the season. Jet Toner kicked in the extra point for the Cardinal for a 7-0 lead at the 11:09 mark of the first quarter.

With the touchdown catch, Arcega-Whiteside moved into a tie with DeRonnie Pitts (1997-2000) for third-most in school history. He also moved past Mike Tolliver (1979-83) for 16th on Stanford’s all-time career receiving yards list (1,821). In addition, he became just the sixth Cardinal with 10 touchdown catches in a season–the most since Ty Montgomery in 2013.

It didn’t take long for the Cougars to tie the game 7-7 with 8:17 left in the first. James Williams ran for a 5-yard touchdown and Blake Mazza kicked in the extra, game-tying point for the Cougars.

The Cougars took a 14-7 lead on a Cardinal turnover just a little over three minutes later. Gardner Minshew II connected with Max Borghi for a four-year touchdown and Mazza kicked in the point for the Cougars.

The Cardinal tied the game 14-14 with just 1:22 left in the first. Cameron Scarlett ran for a 2-yard touchdown and Toner kicked in the extra, game-tying point for the Cardinal.

On the last drive, Bryce Love became the fifth Cardinal with 3,500 career rushing yards. As a result, Love surpassed Toby Gerhart for fourth on Stanford’s all-time career rushing list.

The Cardinal and Cougars were tied 14-14 at the end of the first. Stanford scored the most points (14) in the first this season. Stanford’s previous high was 7 points.

The Cardinal went ahead 21-14 with 9:25 left in the second quarter. Costello threw a touchdown pass to Kaden Smith, who scored a 10-yard touchdown. Toner kicked in the extra point for the Cardinal.

With the touchdown pass, Costello tied his career-high with his 14th touchdown pass of the season. He has 28 for his career. This was his eighth career game with multiple touchdown passes (four this season).

The Cougars, however, reduced the Cardinal’s lead 28-17 as the clock winded down. Mazza kicked a 23-yard field goal to cut the Cougars’ deficit.

The Cardinal doubled its lead 28-17 with 1:04 left in the second. Once again, Costello worked his magic, throwing a pass to Houston Heimuli, who scored a 1-yard touchdown. Toner kicked in the extra point for the Cardinal. With the touchdown reception, Heimuli notched his first career reception and touchdown.

The Cardinal brought a 28-17 halftime lead to the locker room. Stanford’s 28 points in the first half were the team’s most in the first 30 minutes since scoring 38 against Rice in Sydney, Australia on August 26, 2017. ost first half points against a conference opponent since putting up 38 at Oregon on November 12, 2016.

The Cougars struck first in the third quarter. Williams ran for a 3-yard touchdown and Mazza kicked in the extra point to pull within 4 at the 10:32 mark of the third.

The Cardinal responded quickly with a 40-yard field goal from Toner, who gave Stanford a 31-24 lead with 6:16 left in the third.

After running around and forcing 3 and outs, the Cardinal led the Cougars 31-24 at the end of the third. Don’t forget that Stanford has won 52 of its last 54 games when leading after three quarters, dating back to 2012. One of those two losses was at WSU last season.

The Cougars tied the game 31-31 at the 12:26 mark of the fourth quarter. Minshew II threw a touchdown pass to Davontavean Martin, who scored a 7-yard touchdown. Mazza kicked in the extra, game-tying point.

The Cougars snatched a 38-31 lead with 4:28 left in the fourth. Minshew II threw a touchdown pass to Renard Bell, who scored a 3-yard touchdown. Mazza kicked in the extra point.

The Cardinal tied the game 38-38 with 1:25 left in the fourth. Costello threw a touchdown pass to Arcega-Whiteside, who scored a 25-yard touchdown. Toner kicked in the extra, game-tying point.

The game would’ve gone into overtime, but the Cougars grabbed a 41-38 lead with just 19 seconds left in the fourth. Mazza kicked in a 42-yard field goal to seal the Cougars’ 41-38 win over the Cardinal.

Despite the tough loss, Costello became the first Stanford quarterback to record multiple four touchdown passing games in a season since Andrew Luck in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Notes
Senior inside linebacker Ryan Beecher was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma on December 21, 2017. His final chemotherapy session came on June 4, 2018, and he returned to action in the Cardinal’s season opener against San Diego State on August 31, 2018, a span of 253 days after his diagnosis.

Up Next
The No. 24 Stanford Cardinal head to Seattle to take on the No. 15 Washington Huskies next Saturday, November 3.

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Joey Friedman: Cardinal open up with new players and returning players against Sonoma State Tuesday

Photo credit: gostanford.com

On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Joey:

#1 The Cardinal will open their season October 30th against Sonoma State the time has come for the Cardinal to open the season with new faces and returning players.

#2 Stanford has a number of players that can be a difference maker, including Oscar DeSilva, who is a sophomore.

#3 Head coach Jerod Haase is looking forward to work with the younger talent

#4 Joey takes a look at who could be that one player that could fill the void for a Travis Reid as coach Haase shapes this 2018 team.

Joey Friedman does the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Wednesday night notes: Cardinal’s Top 25 matchup with WSU on Homecoming

Photo credit: bleacherreport.com

By: Ana Kieu

The #24 Stanford Cardinal has a top 25 matchup versus the #14 Washington State Cougars at Stanford Stadium on Saturday night. Not only that, it’ll be a Homecoming game for the home team, so that gives the coaches, players, media members and fans another reason to be excited to be at The Farm on Saturday.

If you haven’t already purchased your tickets for this matchup, you can do so by clicking on the tweet below.

Anyhow, let’s get to the fun stuff regarding Stanford football!

There has been nine clips of nine touchdowns by senior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside, including the clip in the tweet below.

Whiteside told Stanford football: “You know it’s coming. You can’t stop it.”

Wednesday was a good day for senior running back Bryce Love, who’s a Human Biology major, who was named one of ten finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. Love’s not only a team captain, but also an aspiring pediatrician. Love set the school record with 2,118 rushing yards in 2017 and recently surpassed 4,000 career all-purpose yards. Love’s an unanimous All-American and Pac-12 All-Academic honoree. Moreover, Love’s expected to graduate in December.

Enough about Love. How about senior wide receiver Trenton Irwin? Okay, Irwin may not be the flashiest player on the team nor does he possess blazing speed, but let’s not forget that he has caught at least one pass in 35 consecutive games for the eighth-longest streak in the country.

Last week, Irwin accomplished a few feats at Arizona State. Irwin matched his career-high with seven receptions and was selected Stanford’s Offensive Player of the Game.

Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw told Stanford Football: “I think Trent has been phenomenal … He’s been awesome on third downs, he’s made big plays downfield, he’s made game-changing plays, both with the fumble recovery against San Diego State and a key block in this last game. He’s given us everything he’s got.”

Fun Fact
Irwin likes to collect jerseys–mostly football ones–and has at least 120 of them.

Junior quarterback KJ Costello has been blossoming on the field. Costello has been refining his craft in more ways than one.

Shaw commented on Costello’s performance at Arizona State to Stanford Football: “It was one of his most efficient games … He took care of the football, scrambled for positive yards, checked down a couple times, and was seeing the defense very well. This was a big step for him from an efficiency standpoint and he still was able to make those big throws down the field.”

And, of course, we’ll go over this week’s NFL standouts who were Stanford alumni.

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz continued his stellar season with another standout performance in the Eagles’ 21-17 loss against the Carolina Panthers, leading the team in targets (11), receptions (9) and receiving yards (138). Ertz’s 57 catches are the seventh most in NFL history after seven games and, in 2018, lead all other tight ends by 19. He ranks fifth in the NFL in receiving yards (618) and third in targets (78), and is on pace for 130 catches and 1,413 yards, which would pass the previous all-time records set by Jason Witten (110 catches in 2012) and Rob Gronkowski (1,327 yards in 2011), respectively.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck continued his excellent season with a four-touchdown performance in the Colts’ 37-7 rout against the Buffalo Bills. Luck completed 17-of-23 passes for 156 yards and zero interceptions, upping his season total to 20, which ranks second in the NFL. Luck’s four-game run of tossing three or more touchdowns is the longest active streak in the NFL, while his 65 percent completion rate is a career-high.

Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle David Parry made three solo tackles on 34 percent of defensive snaps in the Vikings’ 37-17 win at the New York Jets. Parry added two quarterback hurries and two run stops while earning a 74.5 grade from Pro Football Focus, the fifth-highest of any Viking.

Houston Texans safety Justin Reid played all 68 defensive snaps of the Texans’ 20-7 win at the Jacksonville Jaguars, finishing with five solo tackles. Over the course of the Texans’ last three games, Reid has played 186 of 192 possible defensive snaps. On the season, Reid has surrendered just six catches for 74 yards with zero missed tackles.

NFL Season Preview

  • Henry Anderson registered two tackles, including one for loss, two run stops, two quarterback pressures and one pass deflection in the New York Jets’ 37-17 loss against Minnesota.
  • Johnson Bademosi appeared on 18 special teams snaps in Houston’s 20-7 win at Jacksonville.
  • Cameron Fleming was active but did not appear in Dallas’ 20-17 loss at Washington.
  • Joshua Garnett was inactive for San Francisco’s 39-10 loss against the Los Angeles Rams with a toe injury sustained in Week 1.
  • Ryan Hewitt appeared on 26 offensive snaps and 12 special teams snaps in Indianapolis’ 37-7 win against Buffalo.
  • Kevin Hogan was inactive for Denver’s 45-10 win at Arizona on Thursday night.
  • Austin Hooper caught three of four targets for 48 yards in Atlanta’s 23-20 win against the New York Giants.
  • Peter Kalambayi appeared on a team-high 21 special teams snaps in Houston’s 20-7 win at Jacksonville.
  • Josh Mauro made one tackle on 11 defensive snaps in the New York Giants’ 23-20 loss against Atlanta.
  • Quenton Meeks appeared on 18 special teams snaps in Jacksonville’s 20-17 loss against Houston.
  • Christian McCaffrey caught all six of his targets for 51 yards in Carolina’s 21-17 win at Philadelphia, also carrying the ball seven times for 29 yards on all 59 offensive snaps.
  • Trent Murphy recorded two pressures and one tackle in Buffalo’s 37-7 loss at Indianapolis.
  • Andrus Peat was inactive for New Orleans’ 24-23 win at Baltimore with a concussion.
  • Harrison Phillips registered two tackles in Buffalo’s 37-7 loss at Indianapolis.
  • Jordan Richards started and appeared on 24 defensive snaps in Atlanta’s 23-20 win against the New York Giants.
  • Brennan Scarlett made one special teams tackle on 18 special teams snaps in Houston’s 20-7 win at Jacksonville.
  • Dalton Schultz made his NFL debut in Dallas’ 20-17 loss at Washington, catching one of three targets for 12 yards on 19 offensive snaps.
  • Richard Sherman was inactive for San Francisco’s 39-10 loss against the Los Angeles Rams with a calf injury.
  • Michael Thomas made one tackle on 20 defensive snaps and a game-high 22 defensive snaps in the New York Giants’ 23-20 loss at Atlanta.
  • Solomon Thomas made five tackles, including three solo, with three run stops in San Francisco’s 39-10 loss against the Los Angeles Rams while playing 64 percent of defensive snaps.
  • Levine Toilolo appeared on 21 offensive snaps in Detroit’s 33-21 win at Miami.

Byes
Green Bay Packers (Blake Martinez, Ty Montgomery); Pittsburgh Steelers (David DeCastro); Seattle Seahawks (Doug Baldwin)

Cardinal hold off ASU’s late rally for 20-13 win

Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, October 18, 2018

A late Arizona State Sun Devils’ rally fell short on Thursday, as the Stanford Cardinal held on for a 20-13 Pac-12 football victory at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

Sun Devils quarterback Manny Wilkins drove the ASU offense into the red zone in the last two minutes and 20 seconds of the fourth quarter. But with no time outs available, ASU could not stop the clock. All of ASU’s losses this season have been by a touchdown.

After the Cardinal (5-2 overall, 3-1 Pac-12) built a 20-6 lead with a big third quarter, ASU (3-4, 1-3) bounced back with seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter when Wilkins capped a 64-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, cutting the Stanford lead to 20-13.

Stanford snapped a 6-6 deadlock with 7:55 left in the third quarter when quarterback K.J. Costello connected with JJ Arcega-Whiteside for a 28-yard score. Five minutes later, Cameron Scarlett’s one-yard plunge put the Cardinal up 20-6.

Costello completed 22 of 29 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Scarlett ran nine times for 54 yards and a touchdown. Bryce Love ran 11 times for 21 yards.

Arcega-Whiteside and Trenton Irwin each snared seven passes for the Cardinal. Arcega-Whiteside gained 91 reception yards and a touchdown; Irwin gained 79 reception yards. Jet Toner booted field goals of 21 and 31 yards in the first half.

Wilkins threw for 353 yards and a TD while completing 26 of 43 passes. Wilkins also led ASU in rushing with 41 yards on 11 carries. Eno Benjamin gained 38 yards on 11 attempts for the Devils.

Arizona State’s top pass catcher was K’Neal Harry with eight receptions for 91 yards.

The Cardinal return home on Saturday, October 27 for a 3:00 p.m. Pac-12 game against Washington State (5-1).

Stanford Cardinal Football podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Utes simply outplayed Cardinal in last game; Cardinal prepares for Thursday night in the desert with ASU

Photo credit: gostanford.com

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal took a tough home loss on October 6th to the Utah Utes 40-21.

#2 The Cardinal felt pretty good going into the game ranked #14, despite losing to Notre Dame 38-17 the week before.

#3 The Cardinal quarterback KJ Costello struggled. He threw an end zone pass that was an interception by the Utes’ Jaylon Johnson, who ran it back 100 yards fora pick six.

#4 The Utes dominated when Utes quarterback Tyler Huntley tossed a pass that was caught by Samuel Nacua for a touchdown.

#5 The Cardinal now play Thursday Night Pac-12 football at ASU. What are their chances?

Jerry Feitelberg does the Cardinal Football podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bye week aids Stanford’s recovery after rough loss to Utah

Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By: Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal suffered a rough 40-21 loss to the Utah Utes at Stanford Stadium last Saturday night. Obviously, the Cardinal was shook up following the home loss to Utah, who got an early lead and never looked back, despite the fact Stanford showed an ample amount of life in the third quarter.

The Cardinal will travel to Sun Devil Stadium to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils next Thursday at 6:00 pm PT on ESPN. As you can see, this will be a nationally televised game, so there’s a chance Stanford will unleash their anger on ASU, but then again it’s college football and we’ll never know what’s going to happen. All I can reassure you about is the fact that this likely will be a better game than the San Jose State Spartans facing a conference or non-conference team.

Anyhow, Stanford’s focused on their upcoming game. But, in the meantime, Stanford has been checking out their former standouts who currently play in the NFL.

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz continued his historic pace by having a day in the Eagles’ 23-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Ertz caught his first touchdown of the season and led the Eagles in targets (11), receptions (10) and receiving yards (110) on 97% of offensive snaps with Carson Wentz targeting him on 35% of pass attempts. Since 2001, there have been three instances where a tight end has caught 10 or more passes three times in a game during a full season–Ertz has accomplished the feat in the last four weeks. Ertz, who’s on pace for 131 catches and nearly 1,400 yards, is one of four players in the league with at least 10 targets in every game so far. Ertz has joined the likes of Adam Thielen, Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins.

Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper had a career-high nine receptions in the Falcons’ 41-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hooper also led the Falcons in targets (12) and receiving yards (77) on 76% of offensive snaps. Hooper’s 21 receptions rank second on the Falcons and ninth in the NFL among tight ends.

Green Bay Packers inside linebacker Blake Martinez finished with a career-high two sacks in the Packers’ 31-23 loss to the Detroit Tigers. Martinez finished with four solo tackles, four run stops and a 78.8 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus. According to PFF, Martinez ranks third in total defensive rating (86.8) and fifth in run stops (18) among qualified linebackers.

Houston Texans safety Justin Reid made his first career interception in the Texans’ 19-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. Reid finished with two quarterback hurries and six tackles on 90% of defensive snaps, helping limit the Cowboys to 292 total yards in the overtime win. Reid has been one of the top rookie defensive backs in the NFL after five weeks.

Falcons safety Jordan Richards tied a career high with a team-high seven tackles on 77% of defensive snaps in Atlanta’s 41-17 loss at Pittsburgh. According to Pro Football Focus, Richards finished with three run stops while allowing two catches for 19 yards on four targets.

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman continued his stellar season with another shutout performance in San Francisco’s 28-18 loss to Arizona. Sherman didn’t allow a catch on two targets while appearing on every defensive snap. Sherman missed Week 4 with a calf injury sustained in Week 3. On 146 coverage snaps in 2018, Sherman leads qualifying cornerbacks in fewest catches allowed (1) and passer rating allowed (39.6).

And, of course, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is currently leading the NFL in average yards from scrimmage/game, just a sliver ahead of Alvin Kamara and Todd Gurley.

Stanford Cardinal Football podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: After two straight tough losses, can Stanford overcome ASU?

Photo credit: @StanfordFball

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal came into last Saturday’s game and ranked #14 and then took a 38-17 loss by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a week before coming home and getting crushed by the Utah Utes 40-21.

#2 The Utes running back Zach Moss scored two touchdowns–one was in the red zone from a pitch from the 10 that gave Utah a 7-0 lead.

#3 To make things worse, Stanford quarterback KJ Costello mastered getting the Cardinal into the red zone, but threw a pass into the end zone that was picked off by the Utes’ Jaylon Johnson, who ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown.

#4 The afternoon continued to look rough for Costello, who was sacked four times and picked off twice.

#5 The Cardinal head to Arizona State University for a Thursday night Pac-12 football game on October 18th. Join our very own Daniel Dullum for your Cardinal coverage that night.

Jerry Feitlelberg has your Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utes down the Cardinal 40-21 at Stanford Stadium

Photo credit: @Utah_Football

By: London Donson

STANFORD, Calif. — Going into Saturday, the Stanford Cardinal had to be feeling pretty good. Ranked at #14, despite coming off a 38-17 loss to Notre Dame last week, they held a 4-1 record. Looking for a chance to make some serious noise this season against the unranked Utah Utes under the lights in primetime.

The Utes had other plans and came out swinging. After trading scoreless possessions in the first, the Utes made into the red zone where running back Zach Moss would take pitch from inside the Cardinal 10-yard line and score one of his two touchdowns of the night. Giving them the early 7-0 lead, putting Stanford on their heels in the final minute of the first quarter.

KJ Costello, who was in at quarterback for the Cardinal, would orchestrate a drive down the field, getting his team into the red zone. A poor throwing decision later and he was picked off in the end zone by Jaylon Johnson, who dashed it backed down the field for a 100-yard pick six, doubling the Utes’ advantage. Utah continued to dominate the game on both side of the ball, giving the offense fits as the sacked Costello four times and picked him off twice. They would go into the half with a two-touchdown advantage, 21-7.

The second half saw the Cardinal find their moxie. After giving up a score early in the third, running back Cameron Scarlett would leap his way into the end zone virtually untouched. The Cardinal continued to rally four minutes later as Costello would find Michael Wilson in the corner of the end zone from just beyond the Utah 30-yard line. This would narrow the gap, 27-21, in front of a raucous crowd.

But Utah remained resilient. Having pushed the lead to 30-21, Utah had the ball with seven minutes left in the game on their own 42. After escaping a sack, quarterback Tyler Huntley tossed up a prayer off his back foot. His prayer was answered as wideout Samuel Nacua was able locate the ball and get in for six. It was Huntley’s only touchdown off the game, and it dashed the Cardinal’s hope for a comeback.

The Utes held onto the ball to eventually beat the Cardinal 40-21.

The Cardinal have a much-needed bye week and then head to the desert to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday, October 18 at 6:00 pm PT.

NCAAFB podcast with Michelle Richardson: TSU’s Christian Abercrombie in critical condition following head injury; Ohio State scores 2 TDs for late win; Cardinal get beat on home turf 38-17

Photo credit: @TreyShirley831

On the NCAAFB podcast with Michelle:

#1 Tennessee State linebacker Christian Abercrombie suffered a head injury against Vanderbilt is in the hospital in critical condition

#2 The Ohio State Buckeyes got two touchdowns late in the game against Penn State for a 27-26 win.

#3 No. 8 Notre Dame got a 38-17 win over No.7 Stanford Cardinal. Cardinal running back Bryce Love injured his ankle. The ankle gave Love the same problem in the 2017 season.

Michelle does the NCAAFB podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No. 8 Irish knock off No. 7 Cardinal 38-17

Photo credit: @CBSSportsCFB

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, September 29, 2018

Ian Book, in his second game as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, engineered the No. 8-ranked Fighting Irish to their fifth win of the season without a loss Saturday. No. 7 Stanford was the victim in Notre Dame’s 38-17 win at South Bend, Ind.

The Irish held Stanford to 229 yards of total offense, doing the job defensively with five sacks of Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello, nine tackles for loss, an interception and breaking up eight Cardinal passes.

Notre Dame also held the Cardinal (4-1 overall, 2-0 Pac-12) to a second-half 46-yard field goal by Jet Toner and no points in the fourth quarter.

Not helping the Cardinal was losing the services of Bryce Love in the fourth quarter due to an ankle injury. Love, who finished with 73 rushing yards on 17 carries, spent most of last season dealing with a chronic ankle sprain.

Book, meanwhile, completed 24 of 33 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns. Dexter Williams paced the Irish running attack with 161 yards and one touchdown, and Miles Boykin caught 11 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown.

Love scored on a 39-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, which tied the game at 7-7. Stanford tied the game again in the second quarter at 14-14 when Costello tossed a 4-yard TD pass to JJ Arcega-Whiteside.

After that, it was all Notre Dame. The Irish went ahead to stay on a Book TD pass of 10 yards to Chase Claypool with :39 remaining in the first half.

Notre Dame made it a two-possession game when Book found Boykin for an 8-yard touchdown.

Costello completed 15 of 27 passes for 174 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Arcega-Whiteside and Trenton Irwin each caught five passes for the Cardinal.

Alijah Holder led a busy Cardinal defense with eight tackles and two assists, with Paulson Adebo finishing with seven tackles and one assist. Sean Barton, Malik Antoine and Joey Alfieri each had six tackles.

The Cardinal return home next Saturday to host the Utah Utes. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT.