Tag: NCAA Football

Stanford overwhelmed in season finale 45-14

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Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw takes in the first half action against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sat Nov 27, 2021 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto (AP News photo)

Stanford Overwhelmed In Season Finale 45-14

By Barbara Mason

The Stanford Cardinal (3-9) were completely overwhelmed by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1). The Fighting Irish scored in every quarter to easily dismiss Stanford 45-14.

Saturday the Cardinal finished up their 2021 season against the #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame comes into this game with a 10-1 record while Stanford has a 3-8 record having struggled for most of this season. While the Fighting Irish do not have home field advantage they do have a 20.5 point advantage in the spread.

Stanford is coming off a pretty good thumping at the hands of the California Bears losing 41-11. Notre Dame is sailing through this season after most recentlyr beating Georgia Tech in a blowout 55-0.

The first two quarters featured the Fighting Irish at their finest. In the first quarter Notre Dame took a 7-0 lead when quarterback Jack Coan found Braden Lenzy for 16 yards and the first touchdown of the game.

Notre Dame was saving their best for last scoring two more touchdowns and tacking on a field goal in the second quarter to lead at the half 24-0. Notre Dame was in full control of this game. Quarterback Jack Coan had a great half.

Coan had thrown 18-23 for 198 yards and two touchdowns. On the other hand Stanford was rendered helpless with Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee 6-9 for a horrendous nine yards. They were outplayed at every turn. The closest that Stanford got in this game was an attempted field goal that had the distance but just missed. It was all Notre Dame in the first half.

Stanford got a real boost to start the third quarter. McKee marched his team downfield culminating in an Austin Jones five yard run to get up on the board 24-7. While this was a great start in the second half for Stanford, their defense was unable to contain Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish answered the Cardinal score with one of their own. Four plays for 75 yards and quarterback Jack Coan rushed for a one yard touchdown and a 31-7 lead.

The Fighting Irish had scored in every quarter in this game. They extended their lead in the fourth quarter when Tyler Buchner had a 33 yard romp for Notre Dame”s fifth touchdown of the game. Trailing by the score of 38-7 the Cardinal hopes of a major upset were dashed.

The Cardinal did score a second rushing touchdown but it was just too little too late. It was the longest play of the game for Stanford. A McKee pass to Benjamin Yurosek for 49 yards and the touchdown. The Cardinal trailed 38-14.

Notre Dame would score one more time before the clock ran out for the 45-14 final score. This has been a nightmare season for the Cardinal. It is the worst year they have had in 15 years and it was a miserable ending to a disappointing season.

It was very hard on the players as well as the coaching staff headed by David Shaw.. This is Shaw’s 11th year as Director of Football, and he is the winningest coach in Stanford history. This had to be a real punch in the gut season for Shaw. So the season is over and the program looks ahead to 2022 and a new start.

Not much fun on the farm for Stanford in 41-11 loss

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California’s quarterback Chase Garbers (7) gets away from Stanford’s Tristian Sinclair during the first half of action at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto during the Big Game on Sat Nov 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

Not Much Fun On the Farm For Stanford In 41-11 Loss

By Barbara Mason

Saturday afternoon the age old matchup between the Stanford Cardinal (3-8) and the California Bears (4-6) took place at Stanford stadium. Last year the Cardinal took the “Big Game” the 123rd by the score of 24-23 passing the Axe to Stanford. In 2019 the Bears won the game 24-20 and Cal made it two years in row with a convincing 41-11 win at Stanford Stadium on Saturday.

This game had a start that neither team wanted to see. Stanford’s Tanner McKee threw an interception on their first possession and in the next possession, the Bears fumbled the ball deep in their own territory. Stanford had the ball first and goal and was unable to convert on fourth down giving the ball back to Cal.

Mid-way through the first quarter California got a great drive going. Cal Quarterback Chase Garbers completed one pass after another driving deep into Stanford territory. Following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Garbers threw his second interception of the game undoing a textbook perfect drive.

The first quarter was a symphony of errors for both teams. In four possessions there had been three turnovers.

The final minutes of the opening quarter saw Stanford drive downfield deep into Cal territory with another first and goal. For the second time in this game Stanford went on fourth and goal and failed again. It was another great defensive effort by the Cal Bears. Cal struck first in this game. Garbers found Trevon Clark for 84 yards and the Bears took a 7-0 lead. With a lot of game left to go, Cal was having an extraordinary defensive game.

The Bears continued their relentless onslaught offensively as Garbers drove downfield mixing it up running and through the air finding Christopher Brooks in the end zone for one yard and the touchdown. The Bears had extended their lead to 14-0. Just before the half Stanford would kick a 31 yard field goal to get up on the board 14-3.

California would pick up in the third quarter where they left off in the first half. They did have a first and goal but had to settle for a 23 yard field goal and a 17-3 lead. The Bears would tack on a second field goal , this one for 33 yards and Cal kicker Dario Longhetto was perfect for the game.

As this game wore on it became very evident that the Bears came to play exploding with one great offensive play after another As the clock began to wind down on the third quarter Cal running back Marcel Dancy scampered for 76 yards and another Cal touchdown. Cal now led 27-3 rendering Stanford helpless and unable to get much going.

Going into the fourth quarter Stanford had an insurmountable mountain to climb and the Bears showed no sign of letting down. The Cardinal put together a nice drive to score their first touchdown of the game in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. Stanford would attempt a 2-pt conversion which was good cutting their deficit to 27-11 with 12:48 left in the game.

Cal’s Marcel Dancy rushed for two yards to extend the Bears lead to 34-11. This was his second touchdown of the game. The Bears got a slow start but once they got going there was no stopping them. With ten minutes left in the game Cal had 590 total yards to Stanfords 276 total yards.

With five minutes left in the game California was on the Stanford five yard line first and goal. Chris Street scored his first career touchdown and it became evident that Cal came in to inflict some real pain and take back the Ax. This was Cal’s best game this season on both sides of the ball. With the Bears leading 41-11 and five minutes left this game was one for the history books as well as some stunning records.

With 3:35 left in the game the Bears nailed the coffin shut with another interception. Students began to line up for the ceremonial passing of the Ax which went to the Ca Bears this year.

Cal had a team total of an amazing 636 yards to Stanfords 290. The Bears simply outplayed Stanford offensively and defensively. Despite their season this game will be the highlight for Cal no matter what happens moving forward and for Stanford the game was a real low that will continue until these two teams meet again in 2022 for the 125th “Big Game” looking to take back the Ax.

Stanford will take on 10-1 Notre Dame next Saturday Nov 27. At the time of this post, kickoff is still to be determined.

Arizona defeats COVID-decimated Bears 10-3, snaps 20-game skid

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The Cal Bears Ethan Saunders defensive end (99) gets a sack on the Arizona Wildcats quarterback (10) Will Plummer on Sat Nov 6, 2021 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson (Cal Bears photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, November 6, 2021

Arizona (1-8) took advantage of a COVID-19-depleated California (3-6) roster and defeated the Golden Bears 10-3 Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., snapping the Wildcats’ 20-game losing streak.

The Golden Bears (3-6) were without starting quarterback Chase Garbers, three starting offensive linemen, and three defensive starters, all held out of the game for testing positive. In addition, Cal assistant coaches Geep Chryst, Andrew Browning, Angus McClure and Tre Watson also tested positive and did not travel with the team, according to ESPN.

Cal issued a statement on Friday, announcing that 99 percent of its roster was vaccinated. The combination of positive tests and injuries reportedly left the Golden Bears with 42 scholarship players for the Pac-12 game.

The Golden Bears had two positive COVID tests earlier in the week, and the city of Berkeley then required the entire team to be tested on Wednesday, revealing the outbreak.

The COVID outbreak had a direct effect on the Bears’ offense. With the starting center, left guard and left tackle sidelined, backup quarterback Ryan Glover – a transfer from Western Carolina – completed 11-of-29 passes for 94 yards and was sacked four times. To compound matters, Cal gained only 28 total rushing yards on 24 carries.

After a scoreless first half, Arizona (1-8) took the first lead of the game on a 29-yard field goal by Tyler Loop with 6:25 remaining in the third quarter. Cal tied the game at 3-3 four minutes later when Nick Lopez, filling in for Dario Longhetto, booted a 34-yard field goal.

Arizona surged ahead with 2:21 remaining in the fourth quartert on Michael Wileuy’s 30-yard touchdown run.

The Wildcats’ top two quarterbacks, Jordan McCloud ad Gunner Cruz, were already out for the season. Three backups, Will Plummer, Jamarye Joiner and Luke Ashworth, each attemped at least one pass. Plummer had all 16 of Arizona’s completed passes on 28 attempts for 129 yards and one of three Wildcat passes intercepted.

Next Saturday, the Golden Bears return home to host Southern California (4-5).

Ducks hold off late Cal threat, wins 24-17

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Ducks can fly the Oregon Ducks running back Travis Dye (26) takes a high dive into the end zone sailing over Cal Bears safety Daniel Scott (32) in the second quarter on Fri Oct 15, 2021 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene (AP News photo) 

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, October 15, 2021

A late rally by California Bears fell short on Friday night against Oregon, as the No. 9-ranked Ducks held on for a 24-17 Pac-12 football victory at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

Oregon improved to 5-1 overall.

Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard run with 5:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Ducks’ defense then held Cal on downs inside their 5-yard line as time ran out.

Brown completed 20 of 28 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He also ran 13 times for 44 yards. Oregon’s Travis Dye gained 145 yards on 19 carries, and caught seven passes for 73 yards.

Golden Bears quarterback Chase Garbers threw for 248 yards, two touchdowns, completing 25 of 45 passes without a pick. Christopher Brooks was Cal’s top ground gainer with 69 yards on 14 carries. Kekoa Crawford caught six passes, Nikko Remigo caught four and Jeremiah Hunter had 78 receiving yards on three catches.

Cal (1-5) drove 67 yards on its final drive in regulation, moving to the Ducks 7-yard line with less than a minute to play following an Oregon pass interference penalty. After Garbers was sacked, followed by an incomplete pass, the Bears called time out
On 4th-and-8 from the Oregon 7, Garbers completed a 5-yard pass to Kekoa Crawford, putting Cal at the Ducks 3.

With Cal looking at 3rd-and-goal, Oregon called time out with 14 seconds left. After Garbers gained one yard, Cal called time out with 10 seconds to play.  Out of the time out, Garbers threw an incompletion on 4th-and-2.

Cal took a 17-10 lead at 14:29 of the fourth quarter on Garbers’ 4-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Reinwald. The Ducks responded nearly two minutes later when Brown connected with Jaylon Redd on a 20-yard scoring pass, tying the game at 17-17.

An 11-yard touchdown run by Travis Dye gave the Ducks their second lead of the night at 10-7 with 5:55 remaining in the first half. Dario Longhetto’s 45-yard field goal at 8:45 of the third quarter tied the contest at 10-10.

Oregon scored first early in the first quarter when Camden Lewis booted a 49-yard field goal. The Bears took their first lead at 5:57 of the first period on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Garbers to Jake Tonges, putting Cal up 7-3.

Next week, the Bears return home to host Colorado. Game time is 12:30 p.m.

Huskies outlast Bears in overtime 31-24 in Seattle

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The Cal Bears running back Damien Moore (28) is caught up from below with a no look stop by the Washington Huskies Kyle Gordon during the first half action at University Washington in Seattle on Sat Sep 25, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Morris Phillips and Michael Duca

With the score all knotted up at 24-24 at the University of Washington in the overtime stanza the Washington Huskies (2-2) Cameron Williams and Jackson Sirmon got the Cal Bears (1-3) Damien Moore to fumble at the Huskies one yard line after a hard hit and the Huskies Ryan Bowman jumped on the loose ball for the recovery and what would save the Huskies from facing a second overtime as the Bears were just a yard away from tying up the game.

The officials called for a review to make sure that the fumble was legit and ruled that it was which was unfortunate for the Bears as time and possession would run out for Cal.

The Huskies Seth Mcgrew scored his second touchdown of the game at the beginning of the overtime to give the Huskies a seven point lead and eventual win 31-24. This was the first meeting between the two schools since 2019. Last season the game was cancelled during the Covid 19 crisis. If Cal had won it Saturday it would have been their third straight win in 100 meetings with Washington.

Cal quarterback Chase Garbers in the post game interview said that Moore would like to have that fumble back as Moore was pretty down after the game about coughing up the ball, “Obviously Damien wants that one back. We all do,” said Garbers “Stuff happens in football, you get unlucky sometimes, but we’re a really close group in the locker room so we’re all there for each other.”

Garbers himself had a relatively good game under center throwing for 319 yards 30-41 for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Garbers was picked off twice by the Huskies Kyler Gordon one of the picks happened early in the fourth quarter and the Huskies couldn’t score and Garbers later was able to run a seven yard touchdown with at 2:51 which tied up the game.

The Bears return to UC Berkeley for a Sat Oct 2 meeting at Memorial Stadium with the Washington State Cougars for a 2pm PDT kickoff. The Cougars (1-3) lost in their last game Saturday to the Utah Utes (2-2) 24-13. The Utes scored two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter as the Cougars defense broke down at Utah.

Stanford’s big 2nd and 3rd quarters route USC 42-28 in the Southland

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The Stanford Cardinal cornerback Kyu Blue Kelly makes an acrobatic lunge into the end zone after returning a 31 yard interception off USC Trojan quarterback Kedon Slovis in the second half of Sat Sep 11, 2021’s game at USC in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Stanford Cardinal (1-1) quarterback Tanner McKee threw for two touchdowns, went 16-23 for 234 yards in the Cardinal’s first win of the season over their Southern California opponents the USC Trojans (1-1) 42-28. The Cardinal scored 14 points in each of the second and third quarters that helped lead them to victory.

The Cardinal were coming off a opening day loss from last Sat Sep 6th to Kansas State 24-7 and wanted badly to make amends. They shocked the oddsmakers who had USC favored and who were ranked No.14. The Cardinal’s wide receiver Nathaniel Peat had 115 yards and caught a 87 yard touchdown pass from McKee and the Cardinal Kyu Blue Kelly picked off a USC quarterback Kedon Slovis pass for 31 yards for a touchdown that sparked and inspired the Cardinal in the victory.

Stanford head coach David Shaw had his team prepared this week after the Cardinal took that tough loss to Kansas State and the taste of that game was still in their mouths from opening week and the improved offense on Saturday night against the USC defense made things just a little bit satisfying for Shaw and McKee.

McKee had some good looks from the Kansas State opener after starting quarterback Jack West struggled to start that game. McKee did himself well against USC throwing for touchdowns to receivers Elijah Higgins and Brycen Tremayne in the fourth quarter that put Stanford ahead of USC by 29 points.

This was the Cardinal ninth win out of the last 14 games with the Trojans and the Cardinal defense kept the pressure on Slovis all night who went 27-42 for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. USC running backs Keaontay Ingram and Darwin Barlow each carried for a touchdowns but the effort was far short with McKee and the Cardinal pouring it in on offensively all night.

The loss snapped the Trojans nine game winning streak which carried over from last season, the Trojans won their opener on Sep 6th handling a very talented San Jose State team 30-7. That Trojan win looked as if it was going to set the tone for Saturday night’s game against the Cardinal but the Cardinal defense held Slovis and the Trojans offense from any developing opportunities and the Cardinal came into this game after studying film from the Trojans last game.

It was so bad for the Trojans that they even had their kicker Parker Lewis ejected from the game on the opening kick off for targeting his tackle. Despite that back up kicker Alex Stadthaus wound up kicking two field goals and two extra points flawlessly.

Next week USC will head to Pullman and face the Washington State Cougars at 12:30 pm on Sat Sep 18th and Stanford will conclude this three game road trip at Vanderbilt (2-1). The Commodores are coming off a close 24-21 win against Colorado State Saturday. Kickoff between Stanford and Vanderbilt is 5:00 pm PDT Sat Sep 18th.

Big day for da Silva sparks Stanford victory over OSU 81-71

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The Stanford Cardinals Oscar da Silva drives towards the basket against the Oregon State Beavers defense on Mon Jan 4, 2021 at Oregon State University (gostanford.com photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Monday, January 4, 2021

Oscar da Silva had a huge all-around game for Stanford on Monday. His 31 points, 10 rebounds and four assists sparked the Cardinal to an 81-71 Pac-12 men’s basketball win over Oregon State.

The game was rescheduled from last Thursday due to COVID-19 issues involving the Beavers’ program.

Da Silva shot 11 of 16 from the field while earning his eighth career double-double. Jaiden Delaire added 19 points and nine rebounds and was 7 of 9 at the free throw line, as the Cardinal (6-3 overall, 2-1 Pac-12) sank 73 percent of its 30 attempts.

Freshman reserve Michael O’Connell replaced the injured Bryce Wills early in the game and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

A three-point play by da Silva capped a 12-2 run to open the second half and give Stanford a 10-point lead. OSU led by two points twice midway through the second half, but the Cardinal had a 10-point run – with da Silva and Delaire scoring all of the points – and took a 77-64 lead with 2:11 to play.

Jarod Lucas was Oregon State’s top scorer with 22 points while hitting five 3-pointers. Gianni Hunt added a career-high 17 points, including four 3s, and Ethan Thompson added 10 points for the Beavers (5-4, 2-1).

Stanford will not be returning to Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto but will be playing it’s next two home games at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Cruz Jan 7th vs. Washington and Jan 9th vs. Washington State University.

San Jose State no longer undefeated after losing to Ball State 34-13 in Arizona Bowl

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB

By Ana Kieu

The #22 San Jose State Spartans battled it out with the Ball State Cardinals in the Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium on New Year’s Eve. The Arizona Bowl was a battle between two conference champions who wanted to make program history, but it wasn’t in favor of the Spartans.

The short-handed Spartans fell behind early. The Cardinals started fast and handed the Spartans their first loss of the season, 34-13.

Derrick Deese took a nasty hit and landed on his head on the first play of the game. Deese went to the injury tent and later headed into the locker room.

BSU wasted no time getting going, scoring the game’s first 27 points.

SJSU quarterback Nick Starkel’s pass was intercepted and Antonio Phillips returned it for 53 yards for a touchdown. Jacob Lewis missed the extra point. The Cardinals took a 6-0 lead at 12:47 of the first quarter.

Will Jones ran for 3 yards for a touchdown. Jacob Lewis kicked an extra point. The Cardinals took a 13-0 lead at the 10-minute mark of the first.

Ty Evans ran for 3 yards for a touchdown. Jacob Lewis kicked an extra point. The Cardinals made it 20-0 with 5:15 left in the first.

Drew Plitt ran for 1 yard for a touchdown. Jacob Lewis kicked an extra point. BSU led 27-0 at the end of the first.

SJSU couldn’t catch a break in the second quarter.

Although Jacob Lewis missed a short-range field goal early in the second quarter, SJSU backup quarterback Nick Nash threw an interception into the end zone. SJSU quarterback Nick Starkel walked off the field holding the back of his knee after completing a 38-yard pass to Dominic Mazotti. Mazotti held his wrist, too.

SJSU kicker Matt Mercurio missed a 49-yard field goal attempt to close out the first half. The Spartans trailed 27-0 heading into the locker room for halftime.

BSU opened the scoring in the second half. Drew Plitt threw a pass to Yo’Heinz Tyler, who ran 48 yards for a touchdown. The Cardinals extended their lead to 34-0 with 9:42 left in the third quarter.

SJSU showed signs of life on offense, but their offensive efforts weren’t enough. Charlie Bostic III returned Jacob Lewis’ punt 99 yards for a touchdown. The Spartans’ 2-point conversion was ruled as no good. The Spartans trailed 34-6 with 9:28 left in the third.

Nick Starkel returned to the field. Starkel threw a pass to Jermaine Braddock, who ran for 8 yards for a touchdown. Matt Mercurio kicked in an extra point. The Spartans trailed 34-13 with 1 second left in the third, and were down 34-13 after three quarters.

BSU maintained their 34-13 lead in the fourth quarter. Despite their efforts, the Spartans lost to the Cardinals 34-13. Both teams finished their respective seasons with respectable 7-1 records.

SJSU quarterback Nick Starkel announced that he’ll return for a final college football season. SJSU will look to replace some offensive seniors in the offseason.

Stanford wins a double-overtime thriller to end the season on a high note 48-47

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 Stanford Cardinal running back Austin Jones (20) carries for the first score of the game against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles on Sat Dec 20, 2020 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

What a way to finish the season. The Cardinal won a thrilling double-overtime game over the UCLA Bruins t the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The game had loads of offense and the Stanford defense came through to win the game as the Bruins were attempting a two-point conversion that would send the Cardinal down to defeat.

The Stanford Cardinal, playing their fourth game in a row on the road, beat the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl Saturday night 48-47. 

The Cardinal finished the season with a record of 4-2. The Bruins fell to 3-4. The Cardinal, eligible to play in a postseason bowl game, announced that they would not accept an invitation. UCLA also declined an invitation for a bowl game.

Stanford dominated the first half. Cardinal quarterback Davis Mills had everything working for him. The Cardinal scored three times to finish the first half with a 20-3 lead. The only blemish was Jet Toner’s missed extra point on the Cardinal’s second score.

The miss turned out to be a significant factor in the game. The Cardinal’s first score was a 72 -yard drive on 12 plays. The key play was a 34-yard pass from Mills to Brycen Tremayne to put the ball on the Bruin nine-yard line. The Cardinal took the ball down to the one-yard line. Austin Jones scored on a one-yard plunge into the end zone. UCLA had a touchdown called back due to a holding penalty. They had to settle for a field goal. Stanford led 7-3. 

The Cardinal scored their second touchdown on a six-play 75-yard drive. The key plays were Napoleon Peat’s 19-yard scamper and Mills’ 44-yard throw to Tremayne to take the Cardinal down to the Bruins’ two-yard line.

With the Cardinal in the Wildcat formation, Isiah Sanders took it to the house for the score. Toner missed the extra point. Stanford leads 13-3. UCLA’s quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was injured while leading the Bruins to Stanford’s 21-yard line. Chase Griffin replaced him.

The Bruin drive stalled at the eleven-yard line.UCLA’s field goal attempt failed. Stanford then went on an 80-yard drive. Mills completed five passes to get the Cardinal down to the Bruin one-yard line.

Jones ran it in for the score. Stanford dominated the first half and left the field, leading 20-3. Mills was 13-for-16, passing good for 201 yards. Jones had 11 carries for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Tremayne had four receptions for 88 yards. Fehoko had five catches for 76 yards. 

The Bruins found their mojo in the second half. The Cardinal defense held the Bruin offense in check the first thirty minutes of the game. The Cardinal offense shredded the Bruins defense. However, teams have to play sixty minutes of football.

With backup QB Chase Griffin and backup running back Brittain Brown, the Bruins scored 31 unanswered points to lead 34-20 with 5:39 left. Cardinal QB Davis Mills threw three interceptions that set up the Bruin touchdowns. The Bruins scored a touchdown the first time they had their hands on the ball in the second half. They went 57 yards on seven plays for the score. There was a feeling that momentum had shifted to the Bruins. 

Their next score came when Mills’ pass was picked off. Mills had thrown 222 passes without an interception. The Bruins drive stalled on the Cardinal 32-yard line. On fourth and four, Griffin connected with tight end Greg Dulcich for the score.

The Bruins picked off another Mills’ pass at the Bruin 16-yard line. Brown then ripped off a 41-yard run. Griffin connected with Chase Cota in the end zone for the score. UCLA led for the first time 24-20. UCLA continued to rip through the Cardinal defense. They were driving for another score when the Cardinal defense stiffined. The Bruins kicked a field goal to lead 27-20. 

The Bruin defense put seven more points on the board when cornerback Jay Shaw intercepted Mills errant throw. He took it to the house to make it 34-20. The Bruins had scored 31 unanswered points in the second half. Time was running out for Stanford. 

The Cardinal rose to the occasion. They went on a 75-yard drive to creep within seven 34-27 with 2:39 to play. The Cardinal tried an onside kick. UCLA was able to field it cleanly and ran it back to the Cardinal 27-yard line. Stanford’s defense forced a fumble, and they were back in business with just a minute and 43 seconds left to play. 

Could they do it? Did they have enough left in the tank to engineer a drive that would tie the game? They answered both questions. They converted on a fourth and one to stay alive. Davis Mills connected with Fehoko on a 29-yard pass to tie the game and send it to overtime.

It took two overtime periods to end the game. UCLA scored first. Stanford responded to tied it at 41-41. In the second overtime period, Stanford went first. They put seven more points on the board. The combination of Mills to Fehoko worked again.

UCLA had to score to tie the game. They did. The Cardinal defense forced them into a fourth and 18 for a first down. The Bruins needed 21 yards for the score. Griffin found Kyle Phillips in the end zone for the TD. Bruins’ head coach Chip Kelly decided to go for two points.

If they converted, the Bruins would win. If they failed, the day belonged to Stanford. The Bruins ran the play. Stanford held. Penalty flags flew all over the field. Each team was charged with a penalty. They had to rerun the play. The Cardinal defense stopped the run on the one-yard line to seal the win for Stanford. Final score Stanford 48-UCLA 47.

Game notes and stats: Davis Mills had quite a day. He was 32 for 47, good for 428 yards. Austin Jones had 23 carries for 92 yards. Simi Fehoko had a career-high sixteen receptions for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Stanford record 560 total yards on offense. The Bruins had 483. The Bruins’ Brittain Brown rushed for 219 yards.

Both teams left everything on the field Saturday night. Had Kelly decided not to kick the extra point, the teams probably would still be on the field. It was a terrific college football game and a great way to end the season.

San Jose State beats Boise State 34-20 for first Mountain West football title

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB

By Ana Kieu

This year, San Jose State has been in the news for the right reasons.

Saturday marked the Spartans’ first Mountain West championship game, which was aired on FOX, and their opponent was the Boise State Broncos, a conference foe who has won three out of four championships–2014, 2017 and 2019–since joining the Mountain West in 2010. The Spartans held on to win 34-20 to remain undefeated at 7-0 and become the 2020 Mountain West football champions. 

The Spartans put their game faces on and took deep breaths prior to the kickoff at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. SJSU received the opening kick, but Boise State forced a 3 and out, took over a punt and an offensive play led to a Broncos first down. However, the Broncos’ drive stalled at the Spartans’ 29-yard line, and SJSU took over. Nick Starkel threw a 55-yard pass to Tre Walker, who ran it in a touchdown. The extra point was good. SJSU took a 7-0 lead with 8:36 left in the first quarter.

Boise State finally got on the board late in the quarter. Jonah Dalmas’ 51-yard field goal attempt cut the Spartans’ lead to 7-3 with 3:31 left in the first.

With back-to-back sacks, Cade Hall became the first Spartan since 2012 to have 10+ sacks in a season. Hall achieved this feat in less than seven games. The Spartans led 7-3 at the end of the first.

The Spartans struck again early in the second quarter. Matt Mercurio kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it 10-3 Spartans just 14 seconds into the quarter.

Matt Mercurio added his second field goal of the quarter–a 36-yarder. The Spartans made it 13-3 with 6:40 left in the second.

Matt Mercurio added his third field goal of the quarter–a 26-yarder. As a result, Mercurio recorded a season-high three field goals, and achieved this feat in less than two quarters. The Spartans’ lead was extended to 16-3 with 2:31 left in the second.

Matt Mercurio went on to tie the NCAA record for field goals with four. Mercurio kicked a 32-yard field goal for a 19-3 lead with 50 seconds left in the second.

Jonah Dalmas wrapped up the first half with a 51-yard field goal. The Broncos cut the Spartans’ lead to 19-6 with one second left. SJSU took a 19-6 lead into halftime.

The Broncos received the ball to start the second half. Avery Williams, the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year, returned a 69-yard punt for a touchdown, and tied the NCAA record for career return touchdowns. The extra point was good, and Boise State cut SJSU’s lead to 19-13 with 2:48 left in the third quarter.

Just like that, SJSU was back in the game. Nick Starkel threw a 30-yard pass to Isaiah Hamilton for a touchdown. Starkel then threw to Sam Olson for a two-point conversion. The Spartans took a 27-13 lead at the 14:17 mark of the fourth quarter.

Boise State made it a one touchdown game midway through the fourth. Hank Bachmeier ran for two years for a touchdown, and the extra point was good. The Spartans led 27-20 at the 10:51 mark of the fourth.

SJSU had no fear as Derrick Deese collected Nick Starkel’s pass and ran for a 1-yard touchdown. The extra point was good. The Spartans led 34-20 with 3:48 left in the fourth. 

The Broncos finished the season with a 5-2 record.

Notes: SJSU defeated the Nevada Wolf Pack 30-20 in Sam Boyd Stadium last Friday and broke into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2012 on Sunday.

In his Monday press conference, Spartans head coach Brent Brennan said: “It was a mad scramble, but through everybody’s hard work, we got it done. Our offense got it done, our defense gave us a heart attack, but our defense came through and we had a great time, a really great time for us to come together.”

In his Tuesday press conference, Spartans defensive lineman Cade Hall, the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, emphasized the importance of not only his accomplishments, but also his teammates’ hard work.

Hall said: “I’m playing for my teammates, especially for the guys who have been here for all the hard years of this program. I’m playing for them. They deserve it. They put in a lot of hours than I have. They’ve been here longer than I have. They deserve to be a part of a team that has a lot of success and takes this program where it wants to go.”

Up Next: The Spartans will play the Ball State Cardinals in the Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium in Tucson on New Year’s Eve.