Tag: NCAA Football

SJSU loses heartbreaker on the road against UNLV, 38-35

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB

By Ana Kieu

After a bye week, San Jose State football headed to the desert to take on the UNLV Rebels on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. SJSU had hoped to bounce back following a tough 42-40 loss at Hawaii on Saturday, Nov. 9. Sadly, that didn’t happen for the Spartans.

UNLV took an early 7-0 lead on a short touchdown run. SJSU’s Bailey Gaither made a nice grab and the Spartans were in the redzone for the eventual touchdown, courtesy of DeJon Packer, who plowed it in for the touchdown. However, the extra point was no good, so the Spartans settled for the 6 points to cut the Rebels’ lead to 7-6.

The Spartan offense made a great scoring drive, but it was soon silenced by UNLV. The Rebels turned a pair of deflected pass interceptions into touchdowns for a 21-6 lead midway through the second quarter.

SJSU trailed 21-6 at halftime. The Spartans looked to mount a second half rally, but came up just short in the end.

SJSU scored 22 points in the third quarter compared to UNLV’s 3 points. DeJon Packer chipped away at the Rebels’ lead using a 65-yard catch and run. The Spartans made it a 1 score game, thanks to a Packer touchdown and a 2-point conversion. The Spartans trailed 21-14 midway through the third. The Rebels tacked on a long field goal, keeping the Spartans down by 6 in the third.

SJSU had the ball, which led to Tre Webb making a huge play and wrestling the ball away from the Rebel receiver for a turnover. The play was under review and the call stood. Spartan ball at the 1st and 10 and the UNLV 23-yard line. The Spartans tacked on another touchdown when Jack Snyder pulled off the catch and score late in the third. Then, the Spartans took the lead over the Rebels.

UNLV, however, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter compared to SJSU’s 3 points. The Spartans trailed by 3 midway through the fourth, but persevered as Tre Walker made an incredible catch in the endzone to help the Spartans to another lead. Then, SJSU was back in front, 35-31, thanks to an amazing pitch and catch from Josh Love to Tre Walker. Walker had himself a day with 11 catches, 123 yards and 1 touchdown.

The defense got a stop late in the fourth, UNLV punted and SJSU looked to add to its lead with a little over four minutes left in the game. A huge gain allowed the Spartans to be in the Rebels’ redzone. The Spartans converted a third down inside the 10 as they trailed by 3. Then, a batted ball led to a UNLV interception so the Rebels kneeled out the clock and won 38-35.

SJSU wraps up the regular season at home versus arch-rival Fresno State on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 pm PST.

Cal brings the Axe back to Berkeley, defeats Stanford 24-20

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from sfgate.com; California running back Christopher Brown Jr. (34) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Stanford during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019 in Stanford, Calif.

By Jeremy Harness

STANFORD – Shortly after 4pm PST, Stanford Stadium became a sea of navy blue and yellow, a sight that had not been seen in a very long time.

Considering the fact that Cal has not won the Big Game since 2009, it’s easy to understand the excitement of the Golden Bear students, fans and alumni after a dramatic 24-20 win over Stanford in the 122nd playing of this rivalry game.

After Stanford took a 20-17 lead on Ryan Sanborn’s 44-yard field goal with 2:23 remaining, sophomore quarterback Chase Garbers led the Cal offense down the field and capped the 75-yard drive when he escaped the pocket and beat the Stanford defense to the corner of the end zone.

Cal’s defense then stopped Stanford cold on fourth-and-one on the ensuing possession to secure a monumental win for the Cal football program, which had not have much to cheer about for the past decade until this season.

“To get a win, to get the Axe back and what that means for the players and our institution, it’s a big deal,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “It’s huge for our program, for the development of our program.”

Garbers, who has suffered assorted injuries this year – including a separated shoulder that sidelined him for much of this season – and was just cleared to return to the field a few days ago – completed 20 of his 30 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown.

He did more damage with his feet, as he also led the Golden Bears with 72 rushing yards, including the game-winning scamper.

“This was Chase Garbers’ game,” Stanford coach David Shaw said. “We couldn’t stop him. He makes a difference in the games he plays in, with his legs.

“We missed about three sacks today,” he continued. “You can’t win games if you let the quarterback out like that.”

The play of Nikko Remigio, Cal’s leading receiver, also proved to be crucial down the stretch. He caught nine passes for 157 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown.

Saturday was a fatal blow to Stanford, not only in losing the Stanford Axe but also to their chances of getting into a postseason bowl game for the 11th straight year. The Cardinal (4-7, 3-6 Pac-12) needed to win Saturday’s game, as well as its final game is against none other than No. 16 Notre Dame next Saturday.

“There should be some pain involved,” Shaw said. “I feel bad for our seniors. I feel like we let our seniors down. It’s something that we’re going to have to live with for 364 days.”

Cal (6-5, 3-5 Pac-12), on the other hand, became bowl eligible with Saturday’s win, and have done so in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2008-09.

In the first two minutes of the game, it appeared that Stanford would not have much of an issue, particularly after the Cal secondary blew its zone coverage on the left side of the field and allowed junior quarterback Davis Mills to find an uncovered Donald Stewart to catch a 40-yard touchdown to give Stanford an early 7-0 lead.

Mills started out sharp, as he completed 16 of his 19 throws for 183 yards and that early touchdown. He finished with 283 yards on 26-of-35 passing, but he was intercepted twice early in the second half, and that seemed to slow down the Cardinal attack significantly.

Cal had an answer late in the first quarter, as the Golden Bears drove 90 yards. Christopher Brown, Jr. punctuated things with a 7-yard touchdown run to tie the game.

After the two teams traded field goals, the Golden Bears got the ball late in the second quarter and proceeded to convert a pair of long third downs. The drive came to a screeching halt when a pass from Garbers to receiver Jordan Duncan, which would have put the ball at Stanford’s 2-yard line, was called back by a holding penalty.

Stanford’s defense eventually held, and when Jovan Swann blocked the ensuing field-goal attempt, the two teams went into their respective locker rooms at halftime tied at 10-10.

The Cardinal defense tightened up again to start the second half and gave the offense a short field late in the third quarter. The Cardinal marched down the field and took a 17-10 lead when Cameron Scarlett went horizontal for a 1-yard touchdown plunge and stayed that way for a moment, as one of his offensive linemen ended up holding him like a groom holding a bride.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Cal got its offense back on track, with receiver Nikko Remigio being the key. Remigio got behind the Cardinal defense for a 40-yard hookup, and three plays later, Garbers found him in the back of the end zone to even the score.

The Cardinal then took the ball and came within inches of a touchdown when Mills’ pass was a bit too high for tight end Colby Parkinson in the back of the end zone. The Cardinal settled for Sanborn’s field goal before Garbers’ heroics on the ensuing drive.

“It’s awesome,” senior linebacker Evan Weaver said. “It would have been (nice) to do it in Berkeley, but to do it here, it’s even better. Just to take it away from them on their field, and to see all those sad fans, it’s perfect.”

Stanford freshman RB Austin Jones could break Cal fans’ hearts on Saturday

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Ana Kieu

Stanford freshman running back Austin Jones attended Bishop O’Dowd High in Oakland and most of his friends are Cal fans. On Saturday, he will play in his first Big Game and try to help Stanford break their hearts.

“I moved here in seventh grade, so I got to go to a couple games,” said Jones, who moved around a lot growing up. “I didn’t really pull for anybody, but I know it’s a heated, long-term rivalry. I just picked up on the emotion that comes with the game.”

Jones’ phone has been blowing up all week.

“I have a lot of good friends on their team,” Jones said. “We’ve been jabbing at each other a little bit and chopping it up. We’re going to get after each other.”

Neither school has produced the season it envisioned. Both have been racked by injuries as Stanford enters with a 4-6, 3-5 Pac-12 record and Cal enters with a 5-5, 2-5 Pac-12 record. The Cardinal boasts a series-high nine-game winning streak, but season records in the 121-year rivalry, often prove meaningless.

“The records don’t matter,” said senior inside linebacker Curtis Robinson, who will play for the Axe for the fourth time. “We know that we’re going to get their best shot because it’s Big Game week. It’s always that way.”

Stanford junior quarterback Davis Mills grew up in Duluth, Ga. and will experience his first start in the rivalry. He quickly discovered the significance of the contest.

“I kind of felt it right when I stepped on campus,” Mills said. “The Big Game is always circled. It should be fun to finally play in the game and I know there is a bunch of tradition behind it and all the ceremonies.”

For the last nine years, no Cardinal senior has tasted defeat.

“It’s kind of crazy to hear our coaches talking about it’s for the seniors and sitting back thinking, ‘Oh, that’s me,”’ said Robinson. “It’s been crazy to win those games with the senior classes and I’m starting to feel the importance of what this game means.”

Robinson knows he’s playing for more than his teammates.

“It means more to us to win the Axe for the Stanford community as a whole,” Robinson said. “Obviously, it’s very important to our pride as a team. But we understand we’re playing for something bigger.”

In the Stanford football office, the Andrew Luck Auditorium includes a wall of photos of seniors who have won the Big Game.

“We talk about the streak,” said Jones. “We always talk about how we don’t want to let our seniors down and want them to put their pictures on the wall.”

David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, starts off every Big Game week by reminding his team to keep emotions in check, especially the young players.

“This is a different game,” Shaw said. “We have to prepare as well as we can on the X’s and O’s side, but at the same time play with emotion and not let the emotion rule us. It will be a very hotly contested.”

Former Stanford standout Richard Sherman, now playing for the San Francisco 49ers, is pulling for his alma mater.

“The Axe belongs at Stanford,” Sherman said. “There is so much history and it’s such a great rivalry. I feel good about our chances to win it again.”

INJURY UPDATE
Senior quarterback K.J. Costello, senior free safety Malik Antoine, junior cornerback Paulson Adebo and junior tight end Tucker Fisk will not play Saturday. Senior cornerbacks Obi Eboh and Treyjohn Butler are questionable.

Freshman Ryan Sanborn handled kickoffs and field goal/extra points against Washington State but did not punt. He might be available to punt, but Shaw praised the efforts of sophomore Alex Gracey, who downed two of his three kicks inside the 5-yard line last week and could punt again.

“He did a great job,” Shaw said.

Stanford could start three true freshmen in its secondary.

“It’s all-hands on deck,” Shaw said.

MIGHTY MILLS
Mills broke a 21-year-old Stanford single-game passing record at Washington State by throwing for 504 yards.

“Davis had an exceptional game,” said Shaw. “He caught fire, got the protection and a bunch of guys made plays. He broke a record that has been around for a long time. That was a positive for the football team, but we have to do things like that and win.”

Mills made his college debut earlier this year at USC and missed some throws. Shaw said his coming out party was against Oregon State.

“He played a complete game and made some of those throws he missed against USC,” Shaw said. “He almost played better against Washington than he did this past weekend.”

The even-keeled Mills seldom shows much emotion on or off the field. Asked to assess last week’s performance, he said: “I thought overall, I played well. In the end, it would have been nice to get a win.”

Mills credited his line and receivers, and said their hard work was rewarded.

“It really showed what everybody can do,” Mills said. “We’re still chasing perfection.”

Despite all that, Shaw continues to remind himself that Mills only has four college starts.

“He’s still a growing, inexperienced quarterback with a lot of talent,” said Shaw. “He’s much, much closer to his potential, but there’s a lot more up there.”

FRIENDS FOREVER
Last week, Shaw received a text from Sherman with a photo of the two at a recent game between the 49ers and Carolina Panthers. Sherman reminded Shaw that football is only a game and Shaw shared the well-received message with his players after practice.

“It’s the truth,” said Sherman. “At the end of the day, you win some, you lose some and you fight as hard as you can. But once this game is done and the lights are off and the fans are gone, the people that are left are your friends. What’s left are the relationships that you have with the people that you went through the struggles with. Those memories and people are real, and they’ll last you a lifetime.

“At the end of the day, if you win a million championships or lose a million championships, it doesn’t change the relationships and friendship that you have. Those are special, regardless of the outcome of the games or the season.”

WONDERFUL WEAVER
Cal senior inside linebacker Evan Weaver leads the FBS with 151 tackles and averages 15.1 per game. He collected 22 stops against Utah.

Last year, Weaver made 159 tackles, second-most in school history.

“Somehow, Weaver has gotten bigger and faster,” Shaw said. “He’s the best linebacker we’ve seen all year. He just has to be accounted for and he’s hard to block.”

Asked how that can best be accomplished, Shaw said, “First of all, we hope Weaver misses the bus.”

THEME GAME
Every fan who enters Saturday’s game with a paid ticket will receive a long sleeve T-shirt courtesy of Stanford Medicine. Additionally, Stanford will honor local veterans, military, fire and police officers in conjunction with Veterans Day.

The annual Big Game Rally will be held Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium and is open to the public. The Gaieties, dating back to 1911, will be staged Wednesday through Friday at 8 pm.

NOTES
Shaw praised his team Wednesday night after a spirited practice. “I like where we are between the ears,” Shaw said … Stanford leads the overall series, 64-46-11 … Shaw is 8-0 against Cal … Former Cardinal standout safety John Lynch ’92 will be recognized as part of the 125-year celebration of Stanford football. He’s now general manager of the 49ers … Sophomore wide receiver Simi Fehoko has six touchdown catches in his last five games … The Cardinal has played 20 freshmen this season and 18 saw action last week … Saturday’s game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.

QUOTE
“You have to amp up your energy and your execution to play at your absolute best, but you also have to know where that line is. This is a respectful rivalry.” — David Shaw on playing Cal.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Big Game coming, will Cardinal show up against Cal?; Cardinal MBB looks for 5 straight tonight

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Photo credit: collegefootballnews.com

On the Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Jerry, we’ll start with football first. The Cardinal are coming off two loses going into the Big Game at Stanford this Saturday. Are their any concerns that head coach David Shaw should have going into this one?

#2 In the those two losses, the Cardinal were really taken out of their last game with a 49-22 loss to Washington State University. Will defense be a concern for Stanford?

#3 The Cardinal’s quarterback David Mills threw 33 for 50, for 504 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions he got lost of yards against the Cougars. Is this something that could be of an advantage against a struggling Cal team who has lost three of their last four?

#4 The Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball team is racking up the wins they did it again on Tuesday night against Maryland Eastern Shore with a 76-55 win and controlled the offense for most of the game.

#5 The Cardinal host William and Mary Tribe tonight. The Cardinal have now won four straight are undefeated and dominated in their last game. Jerry tells us how Stanford will do in this one.

Jerry Feitelberg is a beat writer for Stanford Cardinal basketball and does the Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford and Cal battle for the Axe on Saturday

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Photo credit: californiagoldenblogs.com

By Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal and Cal Golden Bears meet for the 122nd time on Saturday, with the Cardinal leading the all-time series 64-46-11. Stanford has won nine straight in the series, the longest winning streak in series history.

The Big Game is the sixth-most played college football rivalry game. Cal is Stanford’s most common opponent (next is USC with 99 all-time meetings). Stanford’s 64 victories over Cal are its most against any opponent.

Under head coach David Shaw, Stanford is 22-6 against Cal, UCLA and USC. In the six seasons before Shaw, the Cardinal was 7-11 against those three teams. Overall, Stanford is 28-7 against in-state opponents under Shaw.

A total of 20 true freshmen have made their first career appearances so far this season: Bradley Archer, Branson Bragg, Aeneas DiCosmo, Stephen Herron, Elijah Higgins, Jake Hornibrook, Austin Jones, Brock Jones, Spencer Jorgensen, Kyu Blu Kelly, Zahran Manley, Jonathan McGill, Barrett Miller, Drake Nugent, Joshua Pakola, Nathaniel Peat, Walter Rouse, Ryan Sanborn, Tristan Sinclair and Nicolas Toomer. Eighteen true freshmen played in Saturday’s game at Washington State.

A total of 17 Cardinal have made their first career starts so far: Ryan Beecher, Branson Bragg, Henry Hattis, Stuart Head, Houston Heimuli, Jake Hornibrook, Kyu Blu Kelly, Jonathan McGill, Barrett Miller, Davis Mills, J.J. Parson, Andrew Pryts, Curtis Robinson, Walter Rouse, Foster Sarell, Osiris St. Brown and Jack West. Thirty-seven different Cardinal have started at least one game for Stanford this season.

Junior quarterback Davis Mills set the school record for passing on Saturday with 504 yards. He was 33-of-50, both career highs, while his three touchdowns tied a career high. He became the first Cardinal QB since Andrew Luck in 2009 to have a 400-yard passing game, breaking Todd Husak’s 21-year record in the process (450 vs. Oregon State on Oct. 10, 1998).

Junior tight end Colby Parkinson was named a John Mackey Award semifinalist on Monday, one of eight up for the nation’s top tight end award. Parkinson has 41 catches for 392 yards and a touchdown on the season, while also throwing for a touchdown against Oregon State.

Both Connor Wedington and Michael Wilson went over 100 yards receiving in Saturday’s game at Washington State. It marked the first time in each of their careers they had surpassed the century mark. Wedington led the team with eight catches for 119 yards and now has a catch in all 27 career games. Wilson had five receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.

San Jose State heads to UNLV for final road game of the 2019 season

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

It’s game week for the San Jose State Spartans football and Spartan Nation is going to get their game faces on. The Spartans travel to Las Vegas to take on the UNLV Rebels. The Spartans also look to snap a two-game losing skid.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game.

GAME #11
San Jose State at UNLV
Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
Saturday, November 23, 2019, 1:00 pm PST
AT&T SportsNet

SAN JOSE STATE RECORD
4-6, 1-5 Mountain West. Most recently, the Spartans lost at Hawaii, 42-40, on Nov. 9 in a Mountain West game. SJSU seeks to end its second two-game losing streak of the season.

UNLV RECORD
2-8, 0-6 Mountain West. The Rebels lost to Hawaii, 21-7, on Nov. 16, in a conference contest. UNLV is in the midst of its second four-game losing streak this season.

RADIO
KKSF (910 AM, Oakland), RealTalk 910, is the new flagship radio station for San Jose State Spartans football. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The UNLV broadcast begins at 12:30 pm PST with a pregame show.

Network affiliates are KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas), KFIV (1360 AM, Modesto), KWSX (1280 AM, Stockton).

TELEVISION
AT&T Sports Network will provide broadcast coverage beginning at 1:00 pm PST. Drew Goodman calls the play-by-play. Sed Bonner provides commentary. AT&T Sports Network is available on DirecTV Channel 684, and DISH Network Channel 414.

SERIES HISTORY
SJSU leads the series, 16-6-1. The Spartans have won eight of the last nine meetings between these teams, including a 50-37 decision in San Jose, Calif. in 2018. The home team has wins in each of the last three games including UNLV’s 41-13 victory on Sept. 30, 2017 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

This year’s meeting is the second time these teams are playing on a Nov. 23 date. In 1996, SJSU closed out the season and withstood a Rebels’ fourth-quarter rally for a 31-28 victory in Spartan Stadium. The game was the final one for the late John Ralston as a college football head coach.

SAM BOYD STADIUM
SJSU is playing its 12th game in Sam Boyd Stadium. The Spartans have a 7-4 win-loss record in the stadium.

Two of the program’s 10 overtime games have been in Sam Boyd Stadium, both of them single-overtime victories. SJSU’s first overtime game in school history was a 55-48 win on Nov. 22, 1997. On Oct. 10, 2015, the Spartans edged the Rebels, 33-27 for their most recent overtime win. SJSU has a 3-7 record in overtime contests.

THREE ROAD WINS, MAYBE?
SJSU can pick up its third road win this season at UNLV. Earlier this season, the Spartans won on the road at Arkansas (31-24) in the Central Time Zone and Army (34-29) in the Eastern Time Zone.

The last time SJSU won three road games in a season was in 2013 when the Spartans were victorious at Hawaii (37-27), at Colorado State (34-27), and at UNLV (34-24).

BACK-TO-BACK 40-POINT GAMES
SJSU scored 42 points in its Nov. 2 home game vs. Boise State and 40 points in its Nov. 9 road encounter at Hawaii. The last time the Spartans scored 40 or more points in three or more consecutive games was at the end of the 1990 season when that team did it in four consecutive contests piling up 190 points.

30-POINT GAMES IN 2019
SJSU has scored 30 or more points in seven of its 10 games this season compared to four a year ago. The last time the Spartans scored 30 or more points seven times in a season was in 2013.

The last time SJSU scored 30 or more points eight times in a season was in 2012 when the Spartans did it eight times en route to an 11-2 win-loss record and a Military Bowl victory.

POINTS OFF OF TURNOVERS
After 10 games, SJSU has scored 68 points off of opponent turnovers compared to the opponent’s seven. The last three of the Spartan points came in the 42-40 loss at Hawaii on Nov. 9. The first opponent points off a Spartan turnover came in the Oct. 12 Nevada victory on an interception return for a touchdown.

GREAT GAITHER
Wide receiver Bailey Gaither became the first SJSU player in school history to catch a touchdown pass in six consecutive games with his 40-yard scoring reception in the Hawaii game on Nov. 9.

The previous record was five consecutive games with a touchdown catch. Current SJSU graduate assistant and former wide receiver Chandler Jones was the first to do it in 2013.

TWO-GAME STREAK WITH TWO 100-YARD RECEIVERS
The Nov. 2 Boise State game and the Nov. 9 contest at Hawaii each had two Spartans with 100-yard receiving games.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

Prior to the Nov. 2 game, the Oct. 29, 2016 UNLV win was the last time two Spartans had 100 or more receiving yards in the same game. Wide receivers Tim Crawley caught eight passes for 114 yards and Tre Hartley had five receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

POWERFUL PACKER
Running back DeJon Packer is the Spartans’ only player to score more than one touchdown in a game this season. He rushed for two touchdowns in the Nevada, Boise State and Hawaii games. Packer’s nine rushing touchdowns in a season are the most since running back Tyler Ervin, now with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, ran for 13 touchdowns in 2015.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Was it a matter of Modster not getting enough protection or was USC defense just that good?

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photo from sfgate.com: Southern California’s Amon-Ra St. Brown (8) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against California during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif.

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris, was it just a matter of not enough offense for the Cal Bears or the USC Trojans just had a great game plan to stop the run on the Bears all day long, crushing them 41-17 at Cal Memorial on Saturday night?

#2 Talk about the job that USC quarterback Kedon Slovis did — throwing for 406 yards, going 29-35, four touchdowns. Was Slovis’ game a game that he realized Cal was going to be relatively easy to throw on?

#3 For Cal quarterback David Modster who took over for starting quarterback Chase Garbers, the Trojan defense kept him running all night. For Modster, he completed 11 out 22 passes, 95 yards, intercepted twice, and no touchdowns.

#4 Cal running back DeShawn Collins kept Cal on the scoreboard at the very least, scoring two touchdowns, carried 15 times for 103 yards and had two interceptions.

#5 Cal has lost five or their last six games. They face the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford, a game that Morris and Jeremy Harness will be covering. Morris sets up The Big Game prediction for us.

Catch Morris Mondays for all the Cal Bears podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford’s Mills joins elite company with record-setting performance

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal record book is filled with accomplished quarterbacks such as Frankie Albert, John Brodie, Dick Norman, Jim Plunkett, Steve Dils, Guy Benjamin, Mike Boryla, John Elway, Steve Stenstrom, Todd Husak, Andrew Luck and Kevin Hogan.

Add Davis Mills to the record book.

On Saturday in Pullman, Wash., Mills achieved something no other Cardinal signal caller had done. In just his fourth college start, the junior from Duluth, Ga., threw for 504 yards against Washington State, breaking the single-game record of 450 set by Husak against Oregon State in 1998.

“You see the potential, you see the ability,” said Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw. “This kid has a chance to be very special.”

It was the first 400-yard passing game for Stanford since Luck went for 423 at Arizona in 2009.

Mills was subbing for senior starter K.J. Costello, who has now missed four and a half games this season due to injury. Shaw’s game plan wasn’t to air it out or attempt 50 passes, but when the Cardinal fell behind 19-0 early in the second quarter to the top passing team in college football on its home turf, he had little choice.

“Once we were down three scores, we had to throw the ball,” Shaw said.

Mills, who passed for 6,290 yards and 66 touchdowns at Greater Atlanta Christian High, obliged.

Showing poise, patience and accuracy, Mills connected with 10 different receivers for 33 completions, three producing touchdowns in the 49-22 defeat.

With Mills leading the way, Stanford clawed within three points (23-20) with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter on his 10-yard scoring toss to sophomore Simi Fehoko and fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett’s two-point conversion.

Four Stanford players finished with 80 or more receiving yards, led by junior Connor Wedington with eight catches for 119 and sophomore Michael Wilson with five for 114. Fehoko grabbed three for 92 and junior Colby Parkinson collected five for 80.

“We’ve got outstanding receivers,” Shaw said.

Wedington and Wilson recorded career-highs in receiving yards, each topping 100 for the first time. Wedington has a reception in all 27 games at Stanford, while Fehoko registered his second two-touchdown game and has six scoring grabs in his last five contests.

THIN SECONDARY
With junior cornerback Paulson Adebo, the Pac-12 leader in passes defended and No. 5 nationally, and senior captain and free safety Malik Antoine sidelined by injuries, Shaw started true freshmen Jonathan McGill at nickel back and Kyu Blu Kelly at cornerback. The situation became more challenging when senior cornerbacks Obi Eboh and Treyjohn Butler went down.

“Obviously, we were shorthanded,” Shaw said. “We fought hard.”

Unable to mount a pass rush against Cougar quarterback Anthony Gordon, a transfer from San Francisco City College and the nation’s leading passer, Washington State piled up 624 yards — 520 through the air — and never punted.

Photo credit: gostanford.com

BIG GAME
After two road losses, Stanford (4-6, 3-5 Pac-12) looks to regroup at home on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Cal (5-5, 2-5 Pac-12). The Bears lost to USC 41-17 on Saturday night.

Stanford has won a series-high nine consecutive games against Cal. Shaw has grappled with injuries all season and might not know who is available until late in the week.

“We’ve got the talent to hang with them, but we can’t make a lot of mistakes and we don’t have a large margin of error,” Shaw said. “We might have a lot of young guys out there, but we’ll get them ready to battle.”

Last year’s game in Berkeley was postponed due to poor air quality from the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif. It marked the first time in 55 years the game date was moved.

MORE MOTIVATION
Shaw said there is plenty to play for against Cal and Notre Dame. Stanford needs two wins to become postseason eligible.

“We’re not even thinking about a bowl game right now,” said Shaw. “We’ve got two of our big-time rivals at home in November. We have to craft the best game plan possible.”

REMEMBERING RALSTON
A public celebration for former Stanford head coach John Ralston will be held on Monday at 4:30 p.m. at Stanford Memorial Church. Limited parking is available near the Campus Oval, and a shuttle service will run between the Stanford Faculty Club (439 Lagunita Drive) and Memorial Church starting at 4 p.m.

Ralston revived the Stanford football program and led the team to consecutive Rose Bowl victories in 1971 and 1972. Known for his outgoing personality, energy and positive attitude, he coached at Stanford for nine years from 1963-1971 and compiled a 55-36-3 record.

Photo credit: gostanford.com

NOTES
Curtis Robison returned to the lineup and shared game tackling honors with nine. Kendall Williamson and Stuart Head had seven stops … Stanford used nine true freshmen on the kickoff coverage team … Scooter Harrington started at tight end, marking the 37th different player to start for the Cardinal this season … With Bradley Archer, Joshua Pakola and Nicolas Toomer seeing their first game action, Stanford has now used 20 true freshmen this season … Casey Toohill blocked an extra point, the third blocked kick by the Cardinal this season (Eboh on a field goal against Oregon State and Spencer Jorgensen on a blocked punt against UCLA) … Toohill also had a sack, his team-leading seventh of the season, and ranks third in the Pac-12 and 27th nationally … McGill made his first career pass interception to thwart a WSU scoring drive … Alex Gracey punted for the first time as a Cardinal. Two of his three kicks were downed inside the WSU 5-yard line … Jeff Raikes ’80, Chairman of the Stanford University Board of Trustees since 2012 and Co-Founder of the Raikes Foundation, served as Stanford’s honorary captain.

QUOTE
“I like to think it was my tutoring over the summer as he was my intern @CBRE_PaloAlto.” — Husak, the Stanford football radio analyst, on his Twitter account about Mills breaking his passing record.

NCAAF podcast with Michelle Richardson: Tagovailoa will be out for rest of season; Wolves get big win over MSU; Penn State goes over Indiana

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espn photo: Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is carted off the field after getting a dislocated hip and a bloody nose. Tagovailoa will be out for the rest of the season.

On the NCAAF podcast with Michelle:

#1 The Alabama Crimson Tide’s Tua Tagovailoa will be out for the rest of the season due to a dislocated hip and he got a bloody nose in the Tide’s game with Mississippi State. Alabama won it 38-7. What will the loss of Tagovailoa mean for the Crimson Tide?

#2 Penn State picked a big win over the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday with a 34-27 win. The Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford threw for 178 yards, 11-23 and one touchdown.

#3 Michigan improved to 8-2 with a 44-10 win over Michigan State and the Wolverines quarterback Sean Patterson threw for 384 yards, 24-33, and four touchdowns.

Michelle’s Final Thoughts

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

Cougars use big second half to blow away Cardinal, 49-22

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Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, November 16, 2019

Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon threw for 520 yards and five touchdowns on Saturday, leading the Cougars to a 49-22 Pac-12 football win over Stanford at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash.

The Cougars (5-5 overall, 2-5 Pac-12) had a 19-0 lead in the first half before Stanford could respond. Gordon threw two touchdown passes to Easop Winston Jr. and another to Davontavean Martin.

Stanford’s Davis Mills, who had an impressive passing game himself, rallied the Cardinal (4-6 overall, 3-5 Pac-12) to within 19-14 in the second quarter with touchdown passes of 28 yards to Simi Fehoko and 23 yards to Michael Wilson.

Blake Mazza, who missed two early PAT kicks, booted a 35-yard field goal to give WSU a 22-14 halftime lead.

Mazza kicked a 38-yard field goal at 6:35 of the third quarter, giving the Cougars an 11-point lead. But Stanford pulled to within 25-22 just over two minutes later when Mills connected with Fehoko on a 10-yard scoring pass. Cameron Scott added a 2-point conversion run.

That’s as close as the Cardinal would get. At 3:29 of the third quarter, Gordon’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Arconado ignited a 24-point run to pull away.

In the fourth quarter, a Mazza 35-yard field goal, Gordon’s TD pass to Max Borghi — his fifth of the day — and Borghi’s 4-yard touchdown run completed WSU’s scoring.

Gordon completed 44 of 60 passes with one interception and was sacked twice. Mills threw 50 times, completing 33 for 504 yards and three touchdowns with two picks and two sacks.

Stanford’s running game was nearly nonexistent, with 16 net rushing yards. Borghi ran 15 times for 111 yards, leading WSU.

Connor Wedington led Cardinal pass receivers with eight catches for 119 yards. Wilson caught five passes for 114 yards. Fehoko had 92 receiving yards on three receptions, and Colby Parkinson caught five passes for 80 yards.

Arconado had nine receptions for 148 yards to lead the Cougars. Winston Jr. caught a game-high 11 passes for 107 yards,

The Cardinal return home this Saturday (11/23) to host California for this year’s edition of The Big Game, Kickoff is at 1 p.m. PST.