Tag: College Football

San Jose State football: Bryce Crawford was named a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy

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By: Ana Kieu

The good news keeps on coming for San Jose State, whose senior kicker Bryce Crawford was named one of 12 national semifinalists for the 2018 Wuerffel Trophy.

The Wuerffel Trophy was named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Florida, and it’s presented annually to the FBS player that flawlessly combines outstanding community service with academic and athletic achievements.

“It’s humbling, because I’ve been trying to do a lot of community service when I can to fit it into my (football) practice and school schedule, trying to give back in whatever way I can. It’s a rewarding experience and I’m excited to be a part of it,” said Crawford, who is tied for 16th place among active kickers for career field goals made with 43.

Crawford’s community service activities range from helping San Jose State’s first-semester students with move-ins to on campus housing, hosting play days and reading sessions for elementary school students, assisting senior citizens with daily living needs, and participating in the annual walk A Mile In Her Shoes campaign to raise awareness and funds to end domestic violence against women.

Crawford, a native of Plano, Texas, is the San Jose State record holder for single-season and career field goals made from 50 or more yards. He was 5-of-8 from 50 or more yards as a junior and 6-for-11 for his career. Crawford shared the national lead in 50-plus yard field goals as a junior.

In 2018, Crawford is the only FBS kicker in the top-50 in both field goals made per game and punting average. He is tied for 19th in field goals made per game at 1.50 and 23rd in punting at 44.0 yards per punt. Crawford has converted his last six field goal tries, including a long of 50 yards in the October 27 win over UNLV.

Crawford is a communication studies major, a San Jose State University Dean’s Scholar, and a two-time Mountain West Scholar Athlete and Academic All-Mountain West award winner.

Finalists for the 2018 Wuerffel Trophy will be named on Monday, November 19 and announced on ESPN the next day. The award winner will announced on Tuesday, December 4 and honored on Friday, February 15, 2019 at the Emerald Coast Convention Center in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

The 2018 Wuerffel Trophy semifinalists–listed alphabetically by university–are:

Brett Rypien, Boise State University, senior, quarterback
Marcus McMaryion, Fresno State University, senior, quarterback
Dalton Risner, Kansas State University, senior, offensive line
Matt Bahr, Kent State University, senior, linebacker
A.J. Cole, III, North Carolina State University, senior, punter
Max Scharping, Northern Illinois University, senior, offensive line
David Blough, Purdue University, senior, quarterback
Bryce Crawford, San Jose State University, senior, kicker/punter
Kielan Whitner, Syracuse University, senior, linebacker
Noah Borden, University of Hawaii, senior, long snapper
Drue Tranquill, University of Notre Dame, senior, linebacker
D’Cota Dixon, University of Wisconsin, senior, defensive back

Josh Oliver recognized by the John Mackey Award again

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State senior tight end Josh Oliver has been on a roll, despite what SJSU’s record displays for the masses.

For the third time this season, Oliver was recognized by the John Mackey Award as one of the top tight ends of the week. This was Oliver’s second honorable mention and third overall honor this year.

Oliver caught five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown in the Spartans’ 50-37 victory over the Runnin’ Rebels at CEFCU Stadium on Saturday, October 27.

Previously, Oliver was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week for games ending the week of Saturday, September 29 when he caught eight passes for a career-best 158 yards and a touchdown in SJSU’s 44-41 five-overtime loss to Hawaii.

Oliver, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound starter, began this season as an honorable mention designee for his eight receptions for 86 yards in SJSU’s season opener versus UC Davis on Thursday, August 30.

For the season, Oliver leads all tight ends in the FBS with 44 receptions and 514 receiving yards. Oliver was ranked 48th nationally in receptions per game at 5.50.

The 2018 John Mackey recipient will be announced on Wednesday, December 5 and then presented live on Thursday, December 6 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on ESPNU.

Other key dates include the 2018 Mackey Semi-finalists on Thursday, November 15 and the 2018 Mackey Finalists on Thursday, November 22, 2018.

All future announcements can be found at www.johnmackeyaward.com, on our official Twitter account @JohnMackeyAward and also on our official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JohnMackeyAward.

The John Mackey Tight End of the Week is an honor distinct from the annual John Mackey Award. This weekly honor was started in 2004 to draw attention to individual play by tight ends during the active season. The Tight End of the Week acknowledgment doesn’t have a direct bearing on the final John Mackey Award selection process. The John Mackey Tight End of the Week honor will run until the announcement of the eight semi-finalists.

The John Mackey Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) that encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 24 awards boast over 750 years of tradition-selection excellence.

Cardinal have to get ready for the Huskies in yet another Pac-12 matchup

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Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By: Ana Kieu

In case you missed it, the Stanford Cardinal dropped a heartbreaker to the Washington State Cougars 41-38 last Saturday. But the now-unranked Cardinal can’t sulk over that tough loss as they’re set to travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on the No. 10 Washington Huskies, who most recently lost 12-10 to the California Golden Bears last Saturday.

Before we get to the must-have facts on the Saturday matchup, we’d like to wish Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper a happy belated birthday. Hooper turned 23 on Oct. 29. Hooper attended Stanford University and De La Salle High School (Concord, Calif.) before becoming a third-round pick at the 2016 NFL Draft. Hooper is a native of San Ramon, Calif.

Here are facts on the Saturday matchup:

The basics
Stanford Cardinal (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12)
#RV/19 Washington Huskies (6-3, 4-2 Pac-12)
Nov. 3, 2018 at 6 p.m. PT
Husky Stadium (70,183) in Seattle, Wash.

Television
Live national broadcast on Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst) and Lewis Johnson (sideline).

Radio
Live coverage on Stanford’s flagship station–KNBR 1050 AM–with Scott Reiss ’93 (play-by-play), Todd Husak ’00 (analyst) and John Platz ’84 (sideline). The broadcast begins one hour before kickoff with the Cardinal Tailgate Show and concludes with the postgame Cardinal Locker Room Report.

The game can also be heard on Stanford student radio– KZSU 90.1 FM–and online at kzsulive.stanford.edu.

Oh, the internet
GoStanford.com

GoHuskies.com

#GoStanford

What should I know?
1 • Stanford is 5-0 this season when forcing at least one turnover, and 0-3 when not forcing a turnover.

3 • Stanford’s three losses this season have come against the AP’s No. 3, No. 10 and No. 16th-ranked teams in the nation (Notre Dame, Utah and Washington State). Those three teams have a combined record of 21-3 (.875) this season–and one of those losses was head-to-head (Washington State over Utah).

6 • One of the most disciplined teams in the nation, Stanford has the sixth-fewest penalty yards in the nation this year with just 38.13 per game–also the fewest in the Pac-12.

7 • Don’t expect many points immediately after halftime. Stanford has not allowed more than seven points in any third quarter this season. The Cardinal has only allowed 20 third-quarter points in its first eight games—currently ranked eighth in the nation in third quarter points allowed, while Washington ranks sixth.

10 • Stanford has won 10 of the last 13 matchups against Washington.

11 • Senior wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside ranks second nationally–and first among Pac-12 players–with 11 receiving touchdowns. That’s the second-most in a season in Stanford history and the most receiving touchdowns for a Cardinal in 38 years–Ken Margerum had 11 in 1980, while James Lofton set the school record with 14 in 1978.

13 • In addition to his 48 receptions and 743 receiving yards this season, Arcega-Whiteside has drawn 13 penalties this year–11 pass interference and two holding calls for 175 penalty yards (nearly two penalties and 22 yards per game).

15 • Sophomore cornerback Paulson Adebo ranks second nationally with 15 pass breakups and third in the NCAA with 2.0 passes defended/game. Adebo ranks atop the Pac-12 in both categories.

20 • Junior quarterback K.J. Costello ranks among the Top 20 nationally in completion percentage (19th), passing efficiency (20th), passing touchdowns (18th), passing yards (16th), passing yards per game (17th) and yards per attempt (20th). He leads the Pac-12 in efficiency (155.9) and is second in the conference in passing yards (2,165) and yards per attempt (8.52).

34 • Costello’s 34 completions against Washington State were the sixth-most in a game in school history, and most since Steve Stenstrom had 37 at Notre Dame in 1994.

36 • Sure-handed senior wide receiver Trenton Irwin has at least one reception in 36 consecutive games, a streak that ranks eighth nationally.

52 • With an Oct. 18 victory at Arizona State, head coach David Shaw earned his 52nd Pac-12 win, surpassing Washington’s James Phelan (1930-41) for 15th-most conference victories. Shaw needed only 65 games to achieve 50 conference wins, tied for second-fastest in Pac-12 history (USC’s Pete Carroll reached the 50-win mark through 60 league games)

90 • Stanford’s 90 wins this decade rank fifth nationally and the most of any private school, ahead of TCU (78), USC (77) and Notre Dame (76).

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

2011 • Since Shaw’s first season in 2011, Stanford has…

• 78 wins represent the winningest stretch in program history

• 78 wins ranks sixth nationally

• .765 winning pct. ranks sixth nationally

• .860 road winning pct. ranks seventh nationally

• .625 winning pct. vs. AP-ranked opponents ranks fifth nationally

• .776 conference winning pct. is the best of any Pac-12 program

• 52 conference wins are the most of any Pac-12 program

3,546 • Senior running back Bryce Love ranks fourth nationally among active players with 3,546 yards rushing. This also ranks fourth on Stanford’s all-time career list.

.900 • Junior kicker Jet Toner’s .900 field goal percentage (9-of-10) ranks 10th in the nation and first among Pac-12 players.

San Jose State looks to beat Wyoming again

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose State Spartans are looking to beat the Wyoming Cowboys again. This time, the Mountain West matchup will be held in Laramie, Wyo. But there will be the same similarity: a Josh Allen-less Wyoming roster, which can be an advantage for San Jose State, who have a great roster as long as they can keep their run game and ground attack in tip-top shape.

In case you missed it, you can watch head coach Brent Brennan’s weekly press conference through the video below.

Anyhow, here are the facts to know before Saturday’s game against Wyoming.

Road game
San Jose State at Wyoming
Saturday, November 3, 2018
War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo.
11:00 am PT on AT&T SportsNet

San Jose State’s record
1-7, 1-3 Mountain West. Most recently, the Spartans won for the first time this season defeating UNLV, 50-37, on October 27.

Wyoming’s record
3-6, 1-4 Mountain West. The Cowboys won the Border War over Colorado State, 34-21, on October 26 to end a four-game losing streak.

Radio
KLIV (1590 AM, San Jose) originates San Jose State football broadcasts. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play, while Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The Wyoming broadcast begins at 10:30 am PT with a pregame show.

San Jose State’s network affiliate is KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas).

Television
AT&T SportsNet will provide play-by-play coverage of the San Jose State-Wyoming game. Drew Goodman calls the play-by-play, while Sed Bonner provides analysis. Brad Thompson is the sideline reporter. The live telecast is scheduled for 12:00 pm MT.

AT&T SportsNet is available on: DirecTV Channel 684, DISH Network Channel 414, UVerse Channel 757

This game can be seen on the Mountain West Network.

Series history
Wyoming leads the series, 6-4. The Spartans were winners in the last three meetings between these teams including a 20-17 decision to conclude San Jose State’s 2017 season. San Jose State won its last time in Laramie posting a 27-20 overtime victory on October 18, 2014.

The Spartans are 2-2 at War Memorial Stadium. San Jose State’s first win in Laramie, Wyo. was a 26-24 triumph on October 3, 1992. Kicker Joe Nedney, who would have a 15-season NFL career, converted a 60-yard field on the final play of the game for the Spartans. Even after 26 years, the ball never hit the ground.

Winning streak, maybe?
San Jose State seeks its first two-game winning streak since the 2014 season when the Spartans defeated the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels at home, 33-10, and topped Wyoming, 27-20, in overtime two weeks later.

Time for a conference win on the road
San Jose State is 0-1 in Mountain West road games this season prior to the Wyoming game and winless in its last five conference road contests. The Spartans’ last road win in conference play was the 2016 victory at Fresno State, 16-14, on November 26. The Fresno State game in 2016 also was San Jose State’s last road victory against a conference or non-conference opponent in 10 outings.

Lots of points
San Jose State’s 50 points versus UNLV are its most points in a game against a FBS opponent since its 62-52 win over #16 Fresno State in 2013. The Spartans did have a 66-35 triumph over FCS member Portland State on September 10, 2016.

Rushing effort for real
San Jose State produced a season-high 157 net rushing yards in its win over UNLV. It was the second time this season the Spartans rushed for more than 100 yards in a game.

The last time San Jose State rushed for more than 157 yards in a game was a 173-yard effort at Nevada on November 11, 2017.

Four passing touchdowns
For the first time since the 2013 win over Fresno State, San Jose State passed for four touchdowns in a game in the UNLV triumph. The Spartans passed for six touchdowns in the Fresno State game. to end the 2013 season.

Big-play potential
For the first time this season, San Jose State had six offensive plays in a game of 20 or more yards against UNLV.

Previously, the Spartans’ best big-play production in a game was five plays of 20 or more yards against UC Davis and Hawaii.

Three interceptions again
The UNLV game marked the second time this season San Jose State intercepted three passes in a game. The Spartans did it the first time this season at Washington State.

San Jose State has 12 interceptions for the season and is tied for eighth nationally. The last time the Spartans more than 12 interceptions in a season was in 2012 with 15 in a 13-game season.

Crawford is the real deal
For the second time this season, senior Bryce Crawford is the only FBS kicker nationally-ranked in the top-25 in field goals per game (19th) and punting average (23rd). There is no other combination kicker ranked in the top-50 in both categories.

Spartan nation, don’t forget you can watch the San Jose State at Wyoming game with your fellow Spartans at Stanley’s Sports Bars at Solar4America Ice on 1500 10th Street, San Jose, CA 95112.

San Jose State football: Dakari Monroe named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State cornerback Dakari Monroe was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week. This nomination occurred just days after Monroe intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown to lead the Spartans to a 50-37 victory over the Rebels last Saturday.

Monroe’s two interceptions led to 10 Spartan points in their victory over UNLV. Monroe’s first interception led to a 50-yard field goal by kicker Bryce Crawford, who gave the Spartans a 17-7 lead over the Rebels. Moreover, Monroe is one of the most productive defensive backs in college football this season.

Monroe’s second interception happened near the start of the fourth quarter. Monroe’s 50-yard return was capped by a dive at the end zone pylon and increased San Jose State’s lead to 47-28 and was also the first time this season a Spartan returned an interception for a touchdown.

Monroe, a senior cornerback from San Jose, Calif., added two pass break-ups and six tackles in the home field win at CEFCU Stadium Saturday.

For the season, Monroe has four interceptions and 12 pass break-ups. Monroe ranks tied for third nationally in passes defended with two per game and tied for fifth nationally in interceptions per game with four in eight games.

San Jose State looks to make it two wins in a row on Saturday, November 3 at Wyoming. AT&T SportsNet has the television coverage beginning at noon MT. KLIV (1590 AM, San Jose) has local radio coverage beginning at 10:30 am PT.

San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan breaks down the latest on the Spartans

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Photo credit: @XTRA1360

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State was no longer winless after defeating UNLV 50-37 inside CEFCU Stadium on Saturday night.

So what’s next for the Spartans? Spartans head coach Brent Brennan went over last Saturday’s win vs. UNLV, previewed this Saturday’s road game against Wyoming, and much more in his weekly press conference at Simpkins Stadium Center on Monday afternoon.

Here’s my Q&A with Brennan:

1. Tyler Nevens led all rushers with a season-best 103 yards rushing and a touchdown. How great was it to see Nevens return to his original form?
I’m really excited for Tyler. I think coming back from the injury at the Davis game. I think it just took him some time to get his legs underneath him and get comfortable and his reads have been clearer and his pass protection was cleaner. I thought he just did a great job–running hard, breaking tackles.

I also think Tyler and Malik are becoming a nice combination because they’re both kind of different backs and bring us something else so I think having both those guys doing the things they did…Malik averaged over 10 yards per carry so there’s a lot of good stuff from our run game and I was really excited. I thought coach Bernardi did a great job with getting the o-line ready and they came together to provide some good running for Tyler and for Malik.

2. The Rebels looked to stage a comeback in the third quarter, but the Spartan defense prevented the Rebel offense from doing damage. Would you say that was a team effort or just the efforts of a few players?
It’s absolutely a team effort. It’s always a team effort in football. That’s what makes it the greatest game ever in my opinion.

There were some spectacular individual plays there, but there were also a lot of loss of yardage plays or we were getting pressure on the quarterback–you gotta get the ball out of his hands quickly.

I thought our defense came up huge. We had really big moments in that third quarter. We kind of stopped that momentum, and obviously, Dakari’s interception for a touchdown was game-changing and in the right terms of when it happened during the sequence.

3. The Spartans head to Laramie, Wyo. to take on the Cowboys. Last year, San Jose State beat Wyoming at home, so what are three things they need to do to get a win against the same team on the road?
I think first and foremost we need to win the turnover battle. That’s been a very, very important part of our process in terms of playing good football.

We need to do a good job with the quarterback that they’re playing. He’s a big, strong kid. We watched him play in high school. He was a good player and it looks like he has been playing good football for them so we need to get ready for a real physical kind of run attack and rush attack that includes a really good tailback, a really good offensive line and also a quarterback who’s a big, strong kid who can throw.

The other part is that we gotta handle their defensive front. They’re really physical. They have a great presence. They got a rushers who are off the edge. It’s really one of the best defenses we’ve played this year so we got our work cut out for us.

Spartan nation, don’t forget you can call/text (408) 924-7589 for tickets to the Spartans’ final home game of the season versus the Wolf Pack on November 17th at 2:00 pm PT.

NCAAFB podcast with Michelle Richardson: Georgia moves up to first in the SEC; FSU suffers worse loss in school history 49-0, Wazoo seals deal in closing seconds

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espn photo: Jake Fromm threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns against Florida

On the NCAAFB podcast with Michelle:

#1 Georgia (7-1) topped Florida (6-2) to move into first place in the SEC. A close game but the Bulldogs ran 41 times in the game and held on in the end got some offense and beat Florida 36-17. Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm threw 17-24, 240 yards, and three touchdowns.

#2 Florida State University #49 (4-4) suffered their worse loss in FSU history as No. 2 Clemson (8-0) destroyed FSU 49-0. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence went 20-37, 314 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

#3  With the game tied at 31-31 between Washington State and Stanford with 1:25 left in the game K.J. Costello threw a touchdown pass to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who scored a 25-yard touchdown. Jet Toner kicked in the extra, game-tying point to make it a 31-31 contest. The game would’ve gone into overtime, but the Cougars grabbed a 41-38 lead with just 19 seconds left in the fourth. Blake Mazza kicked in a 42-yard field goal to seal the Cougars’ 41-38 win over the Cardinal.

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

Three takeaways from San Jose State’s first win of the season

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose State Spartans won’t be writing a Cinderella story this season, but they finally came through on Saturday night with a 50-37 rout of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. That far-fetched victory sparked a wide range of exhilarating emotions in the Spartans’ locker room at CEFCU Stadium. This was the Spartans’ first win since November 27, 2017 versus the Wyoming Cowboys 20-17.

Now, SJSU has something to build upon, as they’ll head to Laramie, Wyo. to take on the Cowboys on Saturday, November 3 at 11:00 am PT. The Spartans claim that they’re just getting started, so let’s see what’ll happen next.

Here are my three takeaways from SJSU’s first win of the season.

The real Tyler Nevens stood up
Okay, the Spartans’ run game has been far from one of the best in the Mountain West conference, but sophomore running back Tyler Nevens had a bounce back game. Nevens went for 103 yards and a touchdown.

If you watched the game, you saw the Rebels were able to pick up a few first downs through the air before Max Gilliam ran one in from 6 yards out. Josh Love completed a deep ball pass to Thai Cottrell for a gain of 60 yards on the next possession. Nevens pounded it in from the 4-yard line on the next play. The Spartan defense then forced a turnover on downs after the Rebels were unable to convert a 3rd and 2 and then a 4th and 1.

Tre Walker got a good feeling
Sophomore wide receiver Tre Walker went for 104 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions. Josh Love threw a 37-yard touchdown to Walker to put the Spartans up 24-21 at halftime. That, my friends, was 37 yards of perfection.

Walker has been making spectacular catches week after week, and Saturday’s game was yet another example to prove his greatness. Walker led the Spartans with 104 yards receiving and helped the Spartans maintain a halftime lead for the first time since the win last November versus the Cowboys.

Josh Love proved the naysayers wrong
Senior quarterback Josh Love redeemed himself with 25 completions on 36 attempts, 335 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. Love has proved that he has been able to make big plays happen and read the Rebel defense. Yes, I know the Rebel defense was weak and ranked 120th in S&P+, but Love was able to get the ball out of his hands and into his fellow teammates’ hands for the much-needed touchdowns.

Of course, the Rebel committed 3 turnovers, so that also helped the Spartans out to a 50-37 win at home. Moreover, Love was named the Spartans’ player of the game, which was well-deserved.

The Spartans’ record hasn’t shown excellence, but the team’s character has spoke volumes to the general public. Whether or not you follow the team, their Saturday victory was well-deserved and there’ll be more good news coming in your direction.

Cal’s come a long way: Defense shines in surprising 12-10 upset win over No. 15 Washington

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, Calif. — Jake Browning passed for nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns on his previous trip to Memorial Stadium. With his pair of fleet receivers repeatedly making big plays, an overmatched Cal defense was completely taken apart, allowing 66 points for only the second time in school history.

Flash forward two years, and Browning’s field of dreams morphed into a house of horrors, as the senior quarterback was intercepted, and benched briefly in Cal’s jaw-dropping, 12-10 upset win.

One touchdown allowed as opposed to nine? Browning on top of the world, then benched in the return engagement? Clearly, Cal’s defense has come a long way in a short period, just ask Coach Petersen and the Huskies.

“Obviously, they had good players and I just think we just did not execute in a lot of stuff,” said UW’s Drew Sample. “We missed some blocks from a tight end perspective. We just, as a whole, were not in good positions so you know it showed. We couldn’t sustain drives. We couldn’t get in rhythm and we had shots at the end. We couldn’t execute.”

Still, Washington led at the half, 7-6, in part due to Cal’s Greg Thomas missing a 41-yard field goal attempt on the final play before halftime. But when Petersen saw his offense sputter on two possessions in the second half, the one-point lead mattered little. Browning, the senior leader with 90 career touchdown passes, was briefly benched.

“That had more to do with me trying to do something to help this offense way more than it did with Jake,” said Petersen. “Jake is a competitor. Jake does everything we ask. But, you know, we got to try help this offense out somehow, someway.”

Instead redshirt freshman Jake Haener helped Cal’s defense. On his second pass attempt, Haener overthrew his man and was picked by Cal’s Evan Weaver. Weaver deftly worked his way to the end zone, reaching for the corner pylon.

Cal assumed the lead, 12-7, add stubbornly held on even as their offense managed just 245 yards the entire game. And that’s after Browning missed just two series before Petersen relented, and put his senior quarterback back in the game.

Cal’s defense never snapped, erased the issues stopping the run they experienced against UCLA, and did it from the start. The Huskies–again without top runner Myles Gaskin–scored just seven points in the opening, their fewest this season. The Bears allowed three points in the second half, the fewest they’ve surrendered after halftime this year.

“It’s a great environment in the locker room as you would expect but I also don’t think anybody’s surprised,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “We weren’t perfect but found a way to win.”

Cal embarks on a brief, two-game road trip starting with a Saturday, November 3 matchup against No. 10 Washington State at 7:45 pm PT on ESPN.

Stanford drops heartbreaker to Washington State 41-38

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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.