Coming off a tough loss by the lowly UCLA Bruins, the Stanford Cardinal football team has room for improvement. The Cardinal (3-4, 2-3 Pac-12) will host the Arizona Wildcats (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12) Saturday afternoon at 12:30 pm PT. The game will be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Network.
Here’s what you need to know before Saturday’s game.
FIRST CAREER STARTS
A total of 16 Cardinal have made their first career starts so far: 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.
TRUE FRESHMEN
Including punter Ryan Sanborn, seven true freshmen have started a game for the Cardinal this season, tied with UMass for second-most in the country. The Cardinal has started four true freshmen on the offensive line, most in the country.
TOUCHDOWNS GALORE
Stanford is seventh in the nation with two defensive touchdowns so far this season and has scored three non-offensive touchdowns.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Cardinal’s special teams units have blocked two kicks this season, tops in the conference and 13th-best in the nation. Obi Eboh blocked an Oregon State field goal in the win against the Beavers, while Spencer Jorgensen blocked a punt that was recovered for a touchdown by Brycen Tremayne against UCLA.
NEW STARTING QUARTERBACK
Jack West got the start at quarterback against UCLA in place of the injured K.J. Costello and Davis Mills, marking Stanford’s third quarterback to start a game this season. The last time Stanford started three quarterbacks in the same season was in 1974 when Guy Benjamin, Mike Cordova and Jerry Waldvogel all started a game.
FIRST CAREER APPEARANCES
15 true freshmen have made their first career appearances so far this season: Branson Bragg, Stephen Herron, Elijah Higgins, Jake Hornibrook, Austin Jones, Brock Jones, Spencer Jorgensen, Kyu Blu Kelly, Zahran Manley, Jonathan McGill, Barrett Miller, Nathaniel Peat, Walter Rouse, Ryan Sanborn and Tristan Sinclair.
ADEBO ADVANTAGE
Through seven games, Paulson Adebo has made 27 tackles with 12 passes defended (10 breakups, two interceptions). Adebo’s 12 passes defended are sixth-most nationally.
#1 The San Francisco 49ers kept their perfect record in tact shutting out Washington on Sunday 9-0. It was, messy, muddy, sloppy, and kicker Robby Gould did all the heavy lifting kicking three field goals for all the scoring.
#2 The Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rogers threw all day on Sunday against the visiting Oakland Raiders resulting in a 42-24 laugher for the Pack. The Packers ran through the Raiders defense like butter as Rogers passed for five touchdowns.
#3 The 2019 World Series is underway tonight at Minute Maid Field in Houston between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros. Both teams come into the series with potent pitching staffs, which proved their success in getting to the World Series.
#4 The Cal Bears (4-3) suffered their third loss dropping to 4-3 in a game they were supposed to win against Oregon State (3-4) 21-17 in Berkeley. The Bears couldn’t get any offense going in the first half.
#5 Quarterback problems live at Stanford University as the Cardinal (3-4) are now on their third quarterback. K.J. Costell and David Mills are both out with injuries and third string quarterback Jack West worked under center last Thursday night, but couldn’t get enough yards, rushing or passing done in the 34-16 loss to the UCLA Bruins (2-5).
STANFORD — Good things come to an end, but they don’t normally end this badly.
Stanford was humbled by UCLA Thursday night as third string quarterback Jack West had a debut start to forget. With starter K.J. Costello and backup Davis Mills both unavailable due to injuries, West made his initial college start behind an inexperienced, shuffled offensive line and was forced into comeback mode throughout. West was sacked five times in the first half alone as Stanford fell behind 21-10 at halftime.
“It’s me making my first start but at the end of the day, it’s about execution, which is what we didn’t have,” West said.
Stanford hadn’t started three quartebacks in the same season since 1974. They hadn’t lost to UCLA since 2008, ending an 11-game win streak against the Bruins. And no 2019 UCLA opponents had so little success against Chip Kelly’s rebuilding team overwhelmingly comprised of freshmen and sophomores.
But on Thursday, given the injuries, Stanford was the more inexperienced group.
Now, Stanford faces the very real possibility that they might miss a bowl invitation for the first time under Coach David Shaw.
The Cardinal appeared to come up with the big play they needed in the first half when Spencer Jorgensen blocked a punt and Brycen Tremayne recovered it in the end zone to cut UCLA’s lead to 14-10, but the Bruins kept the Cardinal off the scoreboard after that, only surrendering a Cameron Scarlett rushing touchdown in the game’s final minutes.
Stanford’s only lead came after the game’s opening drive on a 42-yard field goal. But Toner was injured on the ensuing kickoff and did not return.
UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson enjoyed his best overall effort, passing for 192 yards and running for 66 more. Joshua Kelley contributed a pair of 50-yard runs, one for a touchdown, and the Bruins enjoyed a rare rout.
“Dorian kept drives alive with his legs. He takes what the defense gives him,” Kelly said of his starting quarterback.
In a 1-5 start to the season, UCLA hadn’t led a game by more than a touchdown until Thompson-Robinson connected with Kyle Phillips late in the first to put the Bruins up 14-3. Phillips, often deployed against a safety in a slot formation, finished with 10 catches for 100 yards.
Stanford (3-4, 2-3) now has nine days to prepare for their October 26 home against Arizona.
On the Stanford Football podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:
#1 Despite losing 10 key contributors from its two-deep depth chart and having five players out of the lineup, Stanford Cardinal (3-3) head coach David Shaw has taken his team and developed them into winning ways such as the way they were able to defeat the Washington Huskies (4-2), 23-13.
#2 Jerry talks about Stanford quarterback David Mills, who went 21-30 for 293 yards, and one touchdown.
#3 There was very doubt that coach Shaw and the Cardinal, who were 16.5 points underdogs against the Washington Huskies in the October 5th game, could pull this one off, but the defense was certainly key as the Cardinal won by ten points.
#4 Stanford head coach David Shaw and UCLA head coach Chip Kelly will meet tonight at Stanford Stadium. It’ll be like old times and Shaw hopes to pull off another win at Stanford Stadium.
#5 How does Stanford quarterback David Mills stack up going against the Bruins defense and Chip Kelly’s game plan?
They became acquainted in 2007, when Kelly became offensive coordinator at Oregon and Shaw was Stanford’s offensive coordinator. Even then, Shaw was filing away plays.
Kelly installed a no-huddle, spread offense and the Ducks took flight, recording single-season school records for points per game (38.15) and yards per game (467.54).
In 2009, Kelly was named head coach and led Oregon to four consecutive BCS bowl game appearances, reaching the 2011 National Championship Game. Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, was the Cardinal offensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh from 2007-10, then ascended to head coach in 2011.
Kelly got the best of him in the first meeting, but in 2012, Shaw guided Stanford to a stunning 17-14 overtime upset against the No. 1-ranked Ducks in Eugene.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Oregon won the 2011 Pac-12 title, while Stanford prevailed in 2012 and 2013.
In the 2013 game, the No. 6 Cardinal surprised the No. 2 Ducks during an epic Thursday night game at Stanford Stadium. Tyler Gaffney, who ran for 155 yards, helped stake Stanford to a seemingly comfortable fourth quarter lead, but the Ducks outscored the Cardinal, 20-3 in the fourth quarter and made it close. Stanford recovered the second of two onside kicks to preserve the win.
Later that year, Kelly was named head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent three seasons (2013-15). In 2016, he took a head coaching gig with the San Francisco 49ers.
Shaw invited him to a Cardinal practice and Kelly reciprocated.
“I think most coaches will say the best coaches on the planet are great thieves,” said Shaw. “We’ve stolen ideas from everybody. I’ve stolen more from Chip Kelly than anybody else because I think Chip is brilliant.”
Kelly returned to college football in 2018 at UCLA. Stanford beat UCLA in a 49-42 shootout last year at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., staving off a final-minute drive, as junior quarterback K.J. Costello fired five touchdown passes.
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While the Bruins have only one win this season, it was a Chip Kelly special as UCLA rallied from a 49-17 deficit by scoring 29 straight points to win, 67-63, at No. 19 Washington State. Sophomore quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson passed for five scores and a school record 507 yards.
“Chip will morph into whatever he needs to morph into based on the guys he has,” Shaw said. “Last year, he was under center more than he ever was before because that’s the quarterback he had and that’s just the team he had. He’ll do whatever he thinks he needs to do to help the team win.”
Kelly’s calling card creates mismatches and keeps defenses off-balance, while Shaw likes to pound the ball when possible.
However, the two head coaches agree on how time of possession is overrated.
“The only thing that matters is scoring touchdowns,” said Shaw.
Shaw expects another memorable contest on Thursday night.
“You see a smart football coach that knows how to put defenses in conflict,” Shaw said. “We’re going to get their best game. They always play us tough.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
NO DECISION
Shaw hasn’t announced his starting quarterback for UCLA. He did rule out Costello following Monday’s practice and called Davis Mills somewhere between “questionable and doubtful.” Jack West has taken all of the first team reps this week in team periods.
“I don’t want to put a quarterback out there who’s not healthy,” said Shaw. “I don’t want to put a quarterback out there who can’t protect himself or can’t physically do all the things he needs to do to help us win a game. That’s all I use to make the decision.”
West’s backups would be Jack Richardson and Dylan Plautz.
WEST FILE
West received his first playing time this season with six minutes remaining against Washington. He handed off nine consecutive times to Cameron Scarlett, who helped seal Stanford’s 23-13 upset victory against the No. 15 Huskies.
“He’s been great,” said Shaw of West. “He knows what to do and how to do it. He’s got a strong arm, throws the ball accurately and threw to our guys all summer. Because of our quarterback situation, he’s gotten more reps than most ‘third’ quarterbacks have this entire year. He’s just jumped in and operated the offense.”
The 6-foot-4, 212-pound West hails from Saraland, Alabama, and was a four-star recruit by ESPN and PrepStar. Rated the No. 2 recruit in the state by several publications, West passed for 4,879 yards and 56 touchdowns in high school and was rated Alabama’s second-best overall recruit by ESPN.
West appeared in two games last season for the Cardinal and was a combined 1-for-5 passing and rushed twice.
SCHEDULE TILT
With a rare Thursday night tilt, Stanford adjusted its practice schedule following the Washington game to help simulate a regular week.
“It was a little strange practicing on Sunday and convincing yourself it was Tuesday,” said Shaw. “We had a couple days off and got some rest.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
THEME GAME
Former quarterback Jim Plunkett, who won Stanford’s only Heisman Trophy in 1970 after orchestrating an upset against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, will be recognized as part of the program’s 125-year celebration of football. He will sign autographs on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. on the outside concourse at Stanford Stadium between sections 103 and 104. One item per person and photos will be available to have signed.
MARVELOUS MCCAFFREY
Shaw isn’t surprised by the success former Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, who’s enjoying his stint with the Carolina Panthers.
“For the first time in my career, multiple times this year, I have felt the unbelievable urge to say I told you so,” Shaw said. “He can do everything at a high level. He left here barely 21-years old and most guys reach their peak at 24 and 25. He’s reaching his peak right now. Wherever you draw the line with the most dynamic performers, he’s in that group.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
NOTES
Stanford has won 11 consecutive outings against UCLA, the longest streak against any conference opponent (not counting rugby from 1906-1917). “We’re such a young team, I don’t think it has any relevance,” Kelly said … Shaw is 9-0 against the Bruins and 22-5 (.815) versus Cal, USC and UCLA …Scarlett leads the Pac-12 in rushing with 564 yards and has 13 receptions for 138 yards … The Cardinal is expected to start three true freshmen on its offensive line: Walter Rouse at left tackle, Barrett Miller at left guard and Jake Hornibrook at right guard. “They’re big inside and we’re young inside, so that’s going to be a battle for position, run and pass,” said Shaw. “We have to play really well up front to make up for lack of experience.” … Including punter Ryan Sanborn, the Cardinal starts six true freshmen, the third-most of any team in the country … In all, 14 true freshmen have played for Stanford this season … Senior outside linebacker Jordan Fox and sophomore outside linebacker Tobe Umerah are sidelined indefinitely.
QUOTE
“He hasn’t batted an eyelash.” — Shaw on Hornibrook, who made his college debut against Washington and earns his first start against UCLA
Halfway through the regular season, the Stanford Cardinal football team has absorbed a lot of punches, but continues to stand tall through adversity.
Despite starting with the toughest six-game stretch in college football and losing 10 key contributors from its two-deep depth chart — five for the season — Stanford (3-3, 2-2 Pac-12) has remained resilient and played its best game of the year last week by upsetting No. 15 Washington.
“This offseason, something that we trained for is reacting to adversity,” said junior outside linebacker Gabe Reid, who secured six tackles and a sack in his first career start. “From weightlifting to conditioning is something that the strength and conditioning staff really drills into our head. Whatever happens, you have to react. It’s not about the past but just moving forward and being able to react to tough situations.”
Each Monday, the team captains — senior free safety Malik Antoine, senior quarterback K.J. Costello, junior tight end Colby Parkinson, fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett and fifth-year senior outside linebacker Casey Toohill — conduct a players-only meeting to review the previous game and prepare for the next opponent.
“I think that’s really helped our team grow together,” said sophomore wide receiver Simi Fehoko, who caught his first touchdown as a Cardinal against Washington. “Everybody on the team has a voice. It’s really helped us grow closer and I feel like it’s helped our chemistry.”
After emerging with a hard-fought victory at Oregon State two weeks ago, Stanford coaches and players agreed the squad needed to increase its toughness and intensity.
“We talked about the entire team playing with an edge,” Fehoko said. “We need to be the aggressor and attack the guy across the ball from us. We kind of took that to heart.”
Stanford set the tempo against Washington and never let up in the 23-13 triumph. After going 5-of-5 for 56 yards and a touchdown on the first drive, Husky quarterback Jacob Eason was just 11-of-31 for 150 yards in the last 49:31. Washington ran 18 times for only 77 yards after its first series and was 1-for-11 on third down conversions.
“Winning last week was very big for our confidence and building momentum,” said Reid. “We pride ourselves in how we play and felt like maybe the first quarter of the season didn’t really reflect our true potential. We’re looking forward to proving what a great defensive team we are.”
QUARTERBACK UPDATE
David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, is uncertain who will start at quarterback in next Thursday’s 6 p.m. home game against UCLA. Costello, who has missed the last two games due to injury, is questionable and day-to-day, while junior Davis Mills, who has led Stanford to consecutive victories against Oregon State and Washington, is questionable.
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Sophomore Jack West, who replaced Mills in the fourth quarter against the Huskies, is expected to take most of the snaps in practice this week and could earn his first career start against the Bruins.
“Jack West can do everything in this offense,” said Shaw. “If he has to play against UCLA, he’ll go out there and play well.”
RECOGNIZED PLAYERS
Junior cornerback Paulson Adebo, junior center Drew Dalman and Fehoko earned conference recognition this week for their performances against Washington. Adebo had five tackles and four pass breakups in what Shaw called his best showing of the season and was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week; Dalman anchored a unit that helped the Cardinal produce 482 total yards and grind out 23 first downs, and was selected Pac-12 Offensive Line Player of the Week; and Fehoko caught three passes for 91 yards, including a 42-yard scoring grab, and recovered a fumble, and was chosen Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
Fehoko, who served a two-year LDS mission in Seoul, South Korea, appeared in four games last season but retained his year of eligibility due to the new NCAA redshirt rule.
“I was kind of surprised for a second,” Fehoko said after learning about his award. “I’m a 22-year-old freshman. I was super-excited and honored.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
INJURY LIST
Stanford is down to seven healthy offensive linemen after losing guard Henry Hattis to a season-ending injury against Washington. As it stands, juniors Dalman and Foster Sarell will start at center and right tackle, respectively, against the Bruins. They will likely be joined by true freshman Walter Rouse, who has started the last five games at left tackle; true freshman Barrett Miller, who made his first start at left guard against Washington; and true freshman Jake Hornibrook, who stepped in for Hattis and played well in his first college game.
“It changes practice significantly,” said Shaw. “We have to be more intentional about every single rep.”
Shaw and his staff have several contingency plans if someone else goes down.
“We’ve had conservations every week,” Shaw said. “It’s just where we are.”
Shaw is optimistic senior tackle/guard Devery Hamilton will return at some point.
While he didn’t expect his young linemen to play such big roles this season, Shaw has been impressed by their work ethic and steady improvement.
“It’s been fun to watch,” Shaw said. “We thought we were going to watch it happen in practice; we just happen to be watching it during games. Every day is a new learning experience.”
FINE FISK
Junior tight end Tucker Fisk made his second reception of the season against the Huskies, nearly scoring on a 16-yard throw from Mills. Shaw praised Fisk’s toughness and versatility.
“There’s a reason why that sideline was excited when he caught that ball and broke a couple tackles,” Shaw said. “Most of the team has seen his high school highlights and that’s all over his highlights. He’s 270 pounds and an athlete, so when he catches the ball, he’s hard to bring down.”
Fisk played at Davis High (Davis, Calif.), where he snared 92 career passes and collected 155 tackles. His father, Jason, was a standout defensive lineman at Stanford and played 12 seasons in the NFL.
NOTES
Shaw will reduce practices by 30 minutes this week to allow his players to heal and rest … UCLA (1-5, 1-2 Pac-12) also has a bye this week. UCLA’s lone win was a come-from-behind 67-63 upset at Washington State last month … ESPN will televise the Stanford-UCLA game … Junior wide receiver Connor Wedington ranks No. 1 in the conference in kickoff returns (28.1) and No. 7 in all-purpose yards (112.8) … Adebo ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 in passes defended (10) … Scarlett ranks No. 3 in the league in rushing (94.0) and No. 5 in all-purpose yards (117.0) … Toohill ranks second in the conference in sacks (4) and fourth in tackles for loss (6) … Stanford ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12 in kickoff coverage.
QUOTE
“He’s got a corner’s mentality. If a guy catches the ball, you just forget about it and come back and be aggressive the next play.” — Shaw on the development of freshman Kyu Blu Kelly
#1 Which Oakland Raider (3-2) team is this? The Raider team who lost to Kansas City and Minnesota or the Raider team who beat Indianapolis and Chicago?
#2 The San Francisco 49ers (4-0) left little doubt about their game on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns (2-3) in a lopsided win at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
#3 The Golden State Warriors struggled in their first preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Are they showing signs or cracks of a different older team — not as fast, not as accurate — or is this a real study of them finding who they are without Kevin Durant?
#4 The Stanford Cardinal (3-3) got an important 23-13 win against Washington (4-2) on Saturday, thanks to the help of Cameron Scarlett, who carried 33 times for 151 yards and one touchdown.
#5 A tough loss last Saturday in Oregon (4-1) for the Cal Bears (4-2) and quarterback David Modster. The Bears only got one touchdown against the Oregon Ducks.
Cameron Scarlett had a career-high rushing performance for Stanford on Saturday, but David Shaw’s best call against No. 15 Washington was inviting former Stanford two-sport star Tyler Gaffney to be the team’s honorary captain.
A slashing running back who got stronger as the game progressed and left everything on the field, Gaffney played with a swagger and enjoyed contact, dishing out as much as he received. As a senior in 2013, Gaffney rushed for 1,709 yards and 21 touchdowns.
“I wanted him up here,” said Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, following the Cardinal’s inspiring 23-13 victory against the Huskies on Saturday. “This was going to be an attitude game and I couldn’t think of a better person to come talk to the team, and he was awesome.”
So was Stanford.
Seeking to play its first complete game of the season, the Cardinal (3-3, 2-2 Pac-12) put it together against heavily-favored Washington (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12), which had outscored its previous three opponents by a combined 72 points. Stanford was relentless and wouldn’t be denied on a crisp evening in front of a loud and appreciative home crowd.
Scarlett, a fifth-year senior running back, made Gaffney proud by rushing a career-high 33 times for a personal-best 151 yards. Scarlett carried on nine consecutive runs and picked up two first downs on the Cardinal’s final possession, eating up five of the last six minutes on the clock.
“I had a quick word with him,” said Scarlett, who met Gaffney during his recruiting process. “His message was there’s going to be adversity and nobody in the country thinks we’re going to win this game. The only thing that matters is that we know we have what it takes to win.”
Scarlett’s key block on a blitzing safety enabled junior quarterback Davis Mills to hit sophomore wide receiver Simi Fehoko in stride with a 42-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter to give Stanford a lead it never relinquished.
“Can’t say enough about where Cam Scarlett is right now,” said Shaw. “Just playing such great football.”
After eclipsing 90 yards in three of the first five games — twice finishing with 97 — Scarlett was elated to surpass the century mark.
“I was sick and tired of running for 90 yards,” Scarlett said.
Going after it
Defensively, Stanford limited Washington to 88 yards rushing and hounded Huskies quarterback Jacob Eason (16-of-36), sacking him twice and hurrying him six times. Washington was 2-of-12 on third down.
“These quarterbacks have big arms and it’s really important to get pressure on them,” said junior outside linebacker Gabe Reid, who collected six tackles and an 18-yard sack in his first career start of the season. “We worked hard to get into the pass rush and a big shout out to the DB’s as well for playing tight coverage and giving us a chance to get back there.”
Freshman cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly made his first collegiate interception early in the fourth quarter and added two pass breakups. Junior cornerback Paulson Adebo equaled his career high with four pass breakups and had five tackles.
The unit’s hard work and physical play hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“All the respect in the world to our defense,” junior center Drew Dalman said. “They’re playing their butts off right now and making plays when it counts.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Breaking out
Shaw knew it was only a matter of time before the speedy 6-foot-4, 226-pound Fehoko made a big contribution. He had two receptions entering the game but caught three for 91 yards and scored his first collegiate touchdown against the Huskies. Fehoko also recovered a Scarlett fumble in the third quarter.
“A lot of it had to do with the chemistry between Davis and me,” said Fehoko. “It’s been there for a while and it finally clicked.”
Tavita Pritchard, the Andrew Luck Director of Offense and Kevin M. Hogan Quarterbacks Coach, added the comeback and go route that Fehoko scored on earlier in the week.
“I knew it was up in the first 20 play calls and I was excited,” Fehoko said. “I got good reps against our scout team. On that play, I was kind of scared — I was focusing so hard on the ball. It was awesome.”
Mills sharp
Mills received his second straight start and third of the season in place of injured senior K.J. Costello and threw for a career-high 293 yards, connecting on 21-of-30 attempts. He also showed good mobility, running three times for 26 yards.
“Guys made plays for him and he continues to grow,” said Shaw. “I thought it was a great performance by him tonight.”
Mills left the game in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury and was replaced by sophomore Jack West, who received his first playing time of the season. With a two-score lead, Shaw kept the ball on the ground and burned the clock.
“Jack knows the game plan inside and out,” Shaw said. “We just weren’t going to put the ball in the air.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Fabulous freshmen
Stanford’s first-year players continue to impress. Walter Rouse and Barrett Miller started at left tackle and left guard, respectively, and were joined by Jake Hornibrook when senior right guard Henry Hattis went down midway through the third quarter.
“It was awesome being out on the field and playing football again with my guys and having fun,” said Hornibrook of his college debut. “It was a great experience.”
One of five highly touted first-year linemen, Hornibrook said the group has formed a special bond.
“We’re all in it together, just trying to get better,” he said.
Dalman has been impressed by the contributions of the entire class, many thrust into early action due to injuries. In all, 14 true freshmen have played this season.
“It’s just a testament to a lot of our young guys that were out there to step up,” Dalman said.
Ball hogs: The Cardinal finished with a nearly 18-minute time of possession advantage and ran 16 more plays. Shaw, citing UCLA head coach Chip Kelley, said time of possession is a meaningless stat unless you score touchdowns.
“Still hate getting inside the five-yard line and kicking two field goals,” said Shaw. “That one is going to stick in my craw for a while because we fought so hard to get down there.”
Up next
Stanford has a bye next week and has 12 days to rest up and prepare for UCLA on October 17. It’ll be a Thursday night contest at Stanford Stadium and kickoff is at 6 p.m.
The Cardinal entertains Arizona on October 26 and doesn’t travel again until November 9 when it treks to Colorado. Start times haven’t been announced.
Theme game
Saturday was Breast Cancer Awareness Game. Stanford football student-athletes and coaches wore pink to draw awareness to breast cancer as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer survivors were honored throughout the game.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Notes
Washington was the highest-ranked foe Stanford has defeated since 2017, when it downed No. 9 Notre Dame … Scarlett’s 33 rushing attempts were the most by a Cardinal since Christian McCaffrey in 2015, when he carried 33 times against Oregon … Senior inside linebacker Curtis Robinson led Stanford with eight tackles … Sophomore wide receiver Michael Wilson (6) and junior wide receiver Connor Wedington (4) combined for 10 catches for the Cardinal … Washington had forced three turnovers in each of its last three games, converting six into touchdowns. However, Stanford committed zero turnovers … Senior Jet Toner converted all three field goal attempts to move past Rod Garcia into sixth place on Stanford’s career list for makes with 46 … Ken Margerum, a consensus All-America wide receiver for Stanford in 1979 and 1980, was recognized as part of the program’s 125-year celebration of Stanford football.
Quote
“We definitely left meat on the bone and know we can get better. Good to see us make progress and take another step in the right direction.” — Junior center Drew Dalman
Photo from sfgate.com: Stanford’s Simi Fehoko leaps in front of Washington’s Elijah Molden to catch a first-quarter pass. Fehoko had three receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown.
by Marko Ukalovic
PALO ALTO–The Stanford Cardinal football team used a stifling defense and a balanced offensive attack to execute a huge upset over the number 15th ranked Washington Huskies 23-13 on Saturday evening at Stanford Stadium.
Stanford came into the game as a 16.5 point underdog. The victory is their second in a row after after a three-game losing streak.
Stanford (3-3, 1-2) received the opening kickoff and marched down the field led by junior quarterback David Mills, who was making his second start of the season after replacing K.J. Costello last week against Oregon State. Mills led an 11 play, 82 yard drive, that chewed off 5:09 off the clock, only to have it stall out at the Huskie two yard line. Kicker Jet Toner easily made a 20 yard chip shot to give the Cardinal an early 3-0 lead.
Washington (4-2, 1-2) junior quarterback Jacob Eason was supposed to have a breakout game against a Stanford defense that was giving up an average of almost 35 points a game in their previous four contests.
However, Stanford was able to put consistent pressure on Eason, forcing him out of the pocket which resulted in incompletions from errant throws. Even when Eason did have time to throw the ball. the Cardinal secondary were up to the task knocking balls away from the hands of Huskie receivers.
Down 7-6 five minutes into the second quarter, Mills connected on a 42 yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Simi Fehoko, who was wide open down the right sideline and glided in for the touchdown and a 13-7 lead that Stanford never reliquished.
Washington kicker Peyton Henry kicked a 25 yard field goal with 5:59 remaining in the second quarter to pull the Huskies to within 13-10 at halftime. That was as close as they would get to Stanford on the scoreboard.
Stanford controlled the time of posession by a six and half minute margin in the first half 18:36 to 11:24. They finished the game with a nearly two-to-one margin 39:01 to 20:59.
“So to always quote the great Chip Kelly”, said Stanford head coach David Shaw. “Time of possession means nothing unless you score touchdowns. Usually at the end of the game, time of possession means one thing to me: Means we have the lead and we’re running the ball well.”
In the opening drive of the second half, it looked like Washington was going to make a run as a big play from Eason to Aaron Fuller for 35 yards setup the Huskies inside the Stanford defensive zone. However the Cardinal made a huge stop on 4th and 2 from their own 13 yard line to take over on downs. It set the tone for the rest of the evening as the defense kept Washington big play offense from making any kind of an impact down the stretch.
The Cardinal offense controlled the game with a career rushing game from running back Cameron Scarlett. The fifth year senior ran for 92 of his 151 yards in the second half, including a four-yard touchdown with 6:02 remaining in the third quarter to give the Cardinal a two-score lead essentially putting the game out of reach for the Huskies.
“Just an outstanding game by Cameron Scarlett”, said Shaw. “Probably one of the biggest plays of the night was in pass protection and if you know the truth about that, was the biggest challenge we gave Cam this year was that he needs to be a great pass protector.”
Scarlett had never had a 100-yard rushing game in his career, with his previous best at 97 yards.
“Yeah I knew today was going to be the day”, said Scarlett when asked if he thought tonight was going to be the night he broke the 100-yard threshold. “I’ve been sick and tired of rushing for 90 yards, the 92, 97 I see that. One thing I wanted to get over a hundred for sure and wanted to do whatever I could to make sure the offense could move the ball and I did that.”
Eason finished the game 16-36 for 206 yards and one touchdown, his first in Pac-12 play this season, a 3 yarder to sophomore tight end Cade Otton. The lone bright spot for the Huskie’s offense was Fuller’s performance of nine catches for 171 yards.
“A quarterback like that, you let him sit back there, he’ll pick you apart”, said Shaw regarding Eason’s abilities. “Thankfully we made him move and throw the ball away a couple of times and made him tuck it a couple of times. We were able to rush the passer with some regularity.”
Mills, who left the game midway throug the fourth quarter with some discomfort, finished 21-30 for 293 yards and one touchdown. Fehoko finished the game with three catches for 91 yards.
GAME NOTES: Stanford was penalized 9 times for 70 yards. Washington was 4 for 34 yards.
3rd Down Conversions: Stanford 6/14 Washington 2/12 and never converted a third down in the second half (0-7).
The Huskies have lost six consecutive games at Stanford Stadium. Their last win in Palo Alto was back in 2007.
Stanford’s senior right guard Henry Hattis suffered a lower body injury with 6:20 left in the third quarter and had to be carted off the field. He did not return to the game.
Washington’s redshirt freshman running back Richard Newton, who led the team in rushing with 64 yards on 10 carries, was injured after a rushing play with 4:14 remaining in the third quarter.
The announced attendance was 33,225.
UP NEXT: The Cardinal have a bye next weekend and return back to action on Thursday 10/17 when they host UCLA in a Pac-12 matchup.
