Tag: Stanford Cardinal

USC outlasts Stanford 31-28 to become Pac-12 champs for the first time since 2008

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Southern California quarterback Sam Darnold (14) and teammates celebrate after defeating Stanford 31-28 in the Pac-12 Conference championship NCAA college football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Morris Phillips

SANTA CLARA, CA–Tense, close and littered with pivotal plays, the Pac-12 Championship Game was, for once, a whale of a ballgame.

USC kept Stanford from gaining its first lead with a fourth quarter, goal line stand and went on to capture the conference title, winning 31-28. The Trojans became Pac-12 Champs for the first time since 2008, ending a period lowlighted by NCAA sanctions, coaching changes and for their tastes, too many losses to Stanford.

“We knew it would be a fourth quarter game,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “It would be four quarters. Credit to these guys, you go all the way through the season, how they finish games is amazing to me. They’re the best finishing bunch I’ve been associated with in my 23 years of college coaching.”

The Trojans preserved their 24-21 lead with eight minutes remaining by stuffing Cameron Scarlett on consecutive plays at the goal line. But peril wasn’t far removed until quarterback Sam Darnold got USC moving with a 54-yard pass and run to Michael Pittman that got the Trojans off the goal line and into what would be their game-winning drive. Five times on the eight-play drive, back Ronald Jones II would handle the ball culminating with his eight-yard touchdown run with 4:22 remaining.

While Jones finished with 140 yards rushing on 30 carries, Stanford standout Bryce Love settled for 125 yards on 22 carries. The difference? Jones had something left in his tank off two weeks rest, and was around for the Trojans’ final scoring drive. Love, the Heisman candidate, was still hampered by his nagging, ankle injury only six days after a bruising game against Notre Dame. Consequently, when Stanford threatened to take the lead, Scarlett spelled Love and was stuffed twice at the goal line.

“We made enough plays to keep it close but not enough plays to win,” coach David Shaw explained. “The sequence of fourth-and-1 to take the lead in the Pac-12 championship game, there’s no hesitation at all. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Love was questioned later about the condition of his ankle, but said very little other than that it felt fine at the game’s beginning. Other areas of concern given injuries and players’ availability–along both Stanford’s offensive and defensive lines–were met with disdain by Coach Shaw. The Cardinal made no excuses regarding injuries–or their short week of preparation–given that some many reserves stepped up and played well.

“The word you’ll keep hearing me say which I said in our locker room is character,” Shaw said. “And Devery (Hamilton, Stanford’s starting offensive tackle) like a lot of guys late in the year, guys are banged up. He went out there, battled, got hurt. We take him back to re-evaluate him. We throw guys in there. And Brandon Fanaika plays well.”

If Stanford could have done anything differently, it may have been to turn quarterback K.J. Costello loose earlier. Heading into the final drive of the game, Costello had attempted just 15 passes, completing seven. But with Stanford trailing by 10 late, Costello completed three big passes, the last to Kaden Smith for a 28-yard touchdown with two mintes left.

Costello finished 10 of 22 for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Darnold was 17 of 24 for 325 yards and two scores. The Trojans racked up 501 yards in total offense and held a pair of 10-point leads. The game’s only turnover–a Stephen Carr fumble–was minimized when USC responded with their goal line stand.

USC became the first team from the Pac-12 South to win the championship game and will play in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s.

Stanford bounces back with 70-54 win over Montana

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Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

By London Marq

PALO ALTO — Back at home, the Stanford Cardinal looked to get back into the win column after losing four games straight at home and on the road. The well-respected Montana Grizzlies traveled to Maples Pavilion with the hopes of handing the Cardinal another loss. Stanford comes into this game looking to play at an efficient level as they are still short handed due to injuries and only declared eight men for the game.

Cardinal Star forward Reid Travis was a monster as he poured in 20 points and snagged nine rebounds. He was dominant around the hoop, taking advantage of the good ball movement. He kept Stanford in the game early when things were not looking pretty.

Freshman Daejon Davis from Seattle also had a solid game for the Cardinal. He showed of his agility, speed, and versatility slicing to the basket. He scored 17 points with four assists and five rebounds. He’s another young piece that has shown a high level of talent, like the Australian-born Isaac White, that Stanford acquired this past offseason.

Stanford would close the game out with dominance, going on a 26-4 run over the last 10 minutes of the game. Their next game is against Long Beach State in Southern California where they will hope to improve on this impressive bounce back game.

Final: Stanford def. Montana 70-54

Cardinal takes down Fighting Irish 38-20

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November 25, 2017: Stanford Cardinal running back Bryce Love (20) tries to blow by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, during a NCAA Football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Stanford Cardinal at the Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. Valerie Shoaps/CSM (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

by Jerry Feitelberg

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal played host to the University of Notre Dame  Fighting Irish Saturday night at Stanford Stadium. The Irish, ranked ninth in the nation before the start of the game, gave the Cardinal all they could handle for the first three-quarters of the game.

The Irish and the Cardinal went at it tooth-and-nail. The lead changed hands several times, and the outcome was in doubt until the fourth quarter. In the final stanza of the game, everything went wrong for Notre Dame. They committed two turnovers that led to 14 points for Stanford.

The Irish used a no-huddle offense to keep Stanford from substituting players on defense. That strategy did not work as the Stanford defense rose to the occasion and made three huge plays on defense that led the Cardinal to a 38-20 win over Notre Dame.

Also, the Washington Huskies beat the Washington State Cougars gave the Pac-12 North championship to Stanford. Stanford will now play the University of Southern California Trojans next Friday at Levi Stadium. If the Cardinal avenge the 42-24 loss to the Trojans in the second game of the season, the Cardinal will win the Pac-12 title and may not be playing in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s day as the Rose Bowl is part of the FBS playoff series. The winner will probably go to the Fiesta Bowl.

The first quarter so far has been a battle of defenses. Neither team could do anything for the first 11 minutes of the game. However, with third and seven, Irish quarterback Brandon Winbush hit a wide-open Kevin Stepherson for an 83-yard scoring strike. The extra point was good. It was the longest pass play for Notre Dame since the 2010 season. It was a three-play 86-yard scoring drive that took just 39 seconds. The Irish led 7-0.

The Cardinal tied the game at 7 when they went on a five-play, 72-yard drive to score with 43 seconds left in the quarter. The key plays were a 21-yard strike to J J Arcega Whiteside to the Irish 48. The referees called pass interference on the Irish, and that moved the ball to the Irish 29. Costello found Trent Irwin in the end zone for the score. The extra point was good to tie the score.

The Cardinal forced the Irish to punt early in the second quarter. It was a 35-yard punt with no return, but the Cardinal had good field position as they started their drive from their 45-yard line. K.J. Costello led them on a six-play, 55-yard drive for the Cardinal’s second score of the game. The key plays were a 20-yard and a 26-yard pass to tight end Kaden Smith. The scoring play was a four-yard pass to Arcega-Whiteside for the score. The Cardinal led 14-7 with 11:35 left to play in the first half. The Irish went on a 15-play 69-yard drive that stalled at the Cardinal 21-yard line. Justin Yoon kicked a field goal for Notre Dame, and the Cardinal led 14-10 with 2:36 left in the half.

The Irish started the second half with a bang. On the first play from scrimmage, Winbrush hit Equanimeaous St.Brown with a 75-yard pass play for the score. The point after was good. The drive took all of 12 seconds, and the Irish went ahead 17-14. It was the first time in Notre Dame’s long history that they have had two passing scores of more than 75 yards in a game. The Cardinal took the ensuing kickoff from their 29-yard line and went on a nine-play, 64-yard drive that stalled at the Notre Dame seven-yard line. Jet Toner kicked a field goal to the score at seventeen The drive took four minutes and 19 seconds off the clock. The Irish pinned the Cardinal down at the one-yard. The Cardinal couldn’t move the ball and had to punt from their seven-yard line. Bailey’s kick went 53 yards, but the Irish ran it back 41 to the Cardinal 19. The Irish picked up two five-yard penalties and their drive stalled at the Cardinal 21. Justin Yoon kicked a 39-yard field goal for the Irish as they reclaimed the lead 20-17.

In the fourth quarter, the Cardinal went on a seven-play, 70-yard drive, lasting two minutes and 37 seconds. The Cardinal appeared to stall at the Irish 19.

With third and nine, coach David Shaw called a timeout. On the next play, Costello hit Kaden Smith in the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point was good, and the Cardinal had the lead with 13:46 left in the game.

On the first play for the Irish after the touchdown, Wimbush’s pass was intercepted by Curtis Robinson. Robinson grabbed the ball at the 35-yard line and took it back to the Irish 29.

It took Costello and company to put the ball into the end zone for another Cardinal touchdown. Costello found tight end Dalton Schultz in the end zone for the score. Toner made the extra point, and Stanford now led 31-20 with 12:21 left.

The Irish woes continued to mount as C.J. Sanders fumbled the kickoff at the Irish 18-yard line that was recovered by Stanford. Bryce Love made two great runs to get the ball down to the Irish three-yard line. Cameron Scarlett pushed the pigskin over the goal line for the touchdown. Toner’s extra point was good, and the Cardinal has a three-score advantage 38-20 with 10:11 left in the game.

With time running out, the Irish mounted a drive that would have narrowed the gap to 10 points. With the ball at the Cardinal 24, Winbush’s pass into the end zone was picked off by safety Frank Buncom for a touchback. It was the third turnover of the game for the Irish. The Irish could do no more, and the Cardinal wins by a final score of 38-20

Game notes and stats — K.J.Costello completed 14 of 22 passes good for four touchdowns, and he did not throw an interception. The Cardinal did not commit a turnover in the win. Bryce Love had 20 carries for 125 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Love became the third Cardinal back to exceed 1800 yards in a season. The other two backs were Toby Gearhart and Christian McCaffrey. Notre Dame’s quarterback, Brandon Winbush, was 11 for 28 in the passing department. He threw for two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions.

Stanford will play USC for the Pac-12 crown next Friday at Levi Stadium. 47,352 people watched the Cardinal improve to 9-3 for the year.

Notre Dame also ended the season at 9-3.

OSU Buckeyes overthrow Cardinal 79-70 in 2nd round of PK80

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Ohio State University forward Keita Bates-Diop (33) tries to dribble around Stanford University forward Michael Humphrey (10) in a college basketball game during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational between the Stanford Cardinal and Ohio State Buckeyes on November 24, 2017, at Moda Center in Portland, OR. (Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

By Alexandra Evans

The Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball team returned to the court at the Moda Center to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second round of the PK80 Invitational tournament in Portland but it was all for not as the Buckeyes got a nine point victory over the Cardinal at 79-70.

OSU exceeded Stanford for the first eight minutes until Reid Travis took a shot to give them a 7-6 lead. The Cardinal would keep their lead over the Buckeyes for the remainder of the half, until the last 45 seconds when OSU made a three pointer to tie the score 32-32.

The Buckeyes then managed to come back and keep a lead over the Cardinal, which gradually increased as the second half progressed. The closest Stanford came to catching OSU was after Oscar da Silva jumped to make a basket, putting the score at 70-65 with 45 seconds left.

OSU, now 5-1, put up a 79-71 win and will go on to face Butler University in the finals.

Stanford freshman Daejon Davis put up a career-high 15 points before fouling out of the match in the second half; Travis (who also fouled out) and da Silva tied for second with 14 points each.

“One thing I liked best, when I looked into their eyes, I didn’t feel a sense of defeat at any point. There was a belief and a confidence that we were going to find a way to get it done,” Jerod Haase, Stanford’s coach, said following the match.

Stanford is now 3-4 and prepared to make a comeback this Sunday (their opponent is TBD).

North Carolina Walks Easy, Rout Stanford 96-72

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Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

By London Marq

PALO ALTO–It was a packed house in Palo Alto as the #9 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels came in into Maples Pavilion with the first sellout crowd since 2015. With a 3-1 record entering play, the Stanford Cardinal were looking to keep this one competitive with the 2-0 Tar Heels. The Tar Heels were in control from the tip and defeated the Cardinal 96-72 Monday night.

The first period was a blur of scoring. The Cardinal sprang out of the gate, garnering an 11-6 lead–just the start they were hoping for. The Tar Heels came back with a haymaker, going on a 24-to-4 scoring run. Kenny Williams of North Carolina was on fire, scoring his team’s first five baskets. Williams was 7-11 from the floor, including six made from downtown for the night. The short-staffed Cardinal wouldn’t bounce back after that and would go into halftime down by 14 (50-36).

In the second half, it was a sprint to the finish for the Tar Heels. Joel Berry would leave the court with 29 points for North Carolina. Reid Travis and Isaac White would do their best to defend home court with 21 and 20 points, respectively. The Cardinal will be looking to retrieve their injured players Marcus Sheffield and Dorian Pickens soon in order to remain competitive this season.

Cardinal coach Jerod Haase is now 1-3 against his former coach, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams. Haase played for Williams at Kansas and coached under him in North Carolina. Hopefully some of the winning spirit will go with Haase and company into their next matchup against #8 Florida this Thanksgiving Thursday.

Final: #9 North Carolina defeated Stanford 96-72.

Stanford holds off Cal to keep Pac-12 title hopes alive 17-14

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November 18, 2017: Stanford Cardinal running back Cameron Scarlett (22) tries to escape Cal’s defense, during a NCAA Football game between the California Golden Bears and the Stanford Cardinal at the Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. Valerie Shoaps/CSM (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

By Jeremy Harness

PALO ALTO – The Big Game has almost become an afterthought, with the Stanford Cardinal establishing itself as the clear dominant force in this annual rivalry game against the California Golden Bears, but it sure didn’t play out like it on Saturday.

Although it remained close for much of the game, Stanford avoided becoming a victim of the notorious “Pac-12 After Dark” trend, which has consistently featured big upsets and high drama during conference games after the sun had gone down, and held on for a 17-14 win over Cal at Stanford Stadium.

With the win, the Cardinal kept themselves in the running for the Pac-12 North title and the right to face USC, which has already claimed the Pac-12 South, in the conference’s title game on December 1.

Stanford has done all it can do at this point, and now they have to play the waiting game. The Cardinal will need Washington State–which, like Stanford, has two conference losses and owns the tiebreaker over the Cardinal by virtue of its head-to-head victory–to lose to Washington in the annual Apple Cup next Saturday to earn that berth.

In the process, Stanford got a real scare from Cal. The Golden Bears kept it close in the first half by limiting Heisman Trophy candidate Bryce Love to 17 rushing yards in the first half. Stanford, however, held a 10-6 halftime lead, thanks to K.J Costello’s 17-yard touchdown hookup with tight end Kaden Smith midway through the second quarter.

Love has been bothered by an ankle injury, which he re-injured in the fourth quarter and eventually gave way to Cameron Scarlett, who had several key runs to keep drives alive and allow the Cardinal to bleed out the clock down the stretch, as well as Trevor Speights.

However, there was a strong feeling that it was just a matter of time before he broke at least one long run to leave his imprint on the game, which he did midway through the third quarter. With some solid blocking from the offensive line that sealed the left edge for him, Love broke off left tackle and sprinted down the sideline untouched for a 57-yard touchdown that extended Stanford’s lead to 17-6.

Love finished the game with 101 rushing yards on 14 carries.

As it appeared that Stanford was starting to pull away, Cal used the legs of junior running back Patrick Laird to march right back down the field. Laird put the Golden Bears on the doorstep with a 39-yard run, and one play later, he punched it in from a yard out.

Laird had a big hand in giving Cal a realistic chance to win on Saturday, carrying the ball 20 times for 153 yards.

After quarterback Ross Bowers found the end zone on the ensuing two-point attempt, the Cardinal’s lead was trimmed to three.

As the Cardinal ventured into the red zone, they took a huge step back when guard Nick Wilson drew a 15-yard unsportmanlike penalty. That proved to be crucial, as Jet Toner missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt.

Cal then drove the ball in to Stanford territory when Bowers decided to take a shot at the end zone. His deep ball was underthrown and had a lot of air under it, allowing safety Ben Edwards to close the gap and pick the ball off, thwarting the Cal drive and set the stage for Stanford to play keep-away for the rest of the game.

The Cardinal host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, November 25 at 5 pm on ABC.

Northeastern Trails Close Throughout, Stanford Comes Out With 73-59 Win

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Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

By Alexandra Evans

PALO ALTO — The Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball team faced the Northeastern Huskies this afternoon, who traveled to the Golden State from chilly Boston.

Both teams were strong on offense and defense in the first half; almost no rebounds were missed on both sides. Stanford managed to exceed Northeastern in points by nine after the first 20 minutes. With Stanford’s six team fouls (compared to Northeastern’s four), Northeastern had three opportunities for free throws, all of which were missed. Northeastern’s Donnell Gresham Jr. made a three-pointer from the center of the court in the last three seconds. The ending score was 33-24 Stanford, who managed to keep a lead over the Huskies throughout the first half.

The second half commenced with fast-paced back-and-forth action. After a Stanford foul 18 seconds in, both teams took turns making each attempted basket in the first five minutes, bringing each of their scores up by more than 10 points.

Northeastern made numerous three-pointer attempts in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but none were successful until Huskies’ Bolden Brace notched one just after the 10-minute mark. Northeastern would then score three more three-pointers in the remainder (comprising part of their 59 points at the end of the match). Stanford only had two three-point shots, but managed to overthrow Northeastern with numerous two-pointers.

Almost three-quarters of the way into the second half (nearing the 14-minute mark), the Huskies only trailed the Cardinal by four points, and then only by two points at 14:30. Isaac White then made a three-pointer to bring the score to 60-55 Stanford at 14:45, then Michael Humphrey made both free throws after Brace was fouled.

A great block by (#13 S) prevented the Huskies’ Devon Begley from making a shot-clock beating basket. #13 then made a three-pointer with just under a minute left in the match, barely beating the shot clock.

The final score was 73-59 Stanford. Both teams finished with 36 rebounds (the only even statistic of the game).

Stanford forward Michael Humphrey and guard Daejon Davis shared their thoughts on the match in a post-game conference. Despite the win, both believed there is substantial room for overall improvement.

“In the middle of the second half [the whole team] got caught up in the emotions of the game,” Humphrey noted. “But all of us calmed down and ended the game strong, which is what we needed to do.”

“Northeastern is a great offensive rebounding team, but we can’t give up that many offensive boards. Especially with a team our size and our athleticism…If we don’t make the boards, we have a really good chance of winning.”

Davis added, “Any time we come out with a win, I’m always up, no matter who contributed and how we got it done. A win makes everyone feel good, but we, as a team, definitely have so many things to improve on. We can’t have that dip we had in the second half; we need to keep our energy up for 40 minutes. I am just waiting for us to put together a full game on both the offensive and defensive ends all the way through, with energy and effort.”

Coach Jerod Haase expressed excitement when Northeastern managed to score a buzzer-beating three pointer before halftime. Haase was curious as to how much effort the team would put into bouncing back and cultivating a lead in the double digits again. To him, this was the biggest testament.

“[Responses as such are] a very, very important step, when [the team] can believe that when things go a bit south, we can respond to that,” Haase contended.

Next up, Stanford will face the North Carolina Tar Heels on Monday, November 20 at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford stuns No. 9 Washington in 30-22 win

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Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By: Ana Kieu

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The unranked Stanford Cardinal stunned the No. 9 Washington Huskies in a 30-22 win at Stanford Stadium on Friday night.

The 120th Big Game against the Cal Bears is next week, but the Cardinal’s game against the Huskies was also a pretty big deal. This unbalanced matchup was Stanford’s biggest regular-season Pac-12 game since the Cal game in 2015.

In case you haven’t already heard, a loss would eliminate the Cardinal from the Pac-12 North title race and put the Huskies in the driver’s seat as they look for a second straight conference title. So if Stanford pulls off a win, they’d have to beat Cal, and hope that Washington State has a third conference loss to Utah or Washington. Stanford will then hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over Washington.

This was the only Pac-12 game this evening, and the Huskies won the coin toss at the beginning of the contest. The opening drive stalled near midfield, Jake Bailey had a stunning boot, and Washington started their first drive at their own 12.

Besides the thoughts in the minds of Cardinal fans, it was almost expected that the Huskies would strike first—and they did. Myles Gaskin ran for a two-yard touchdown, and the PAT kick by Tristan Vizcaino was good. The Huskies took a late 7-0 lead with 6:16 left in the opening quarter.

The Huskies held onto the same 7-0 lead over the Cardinal at the end of the first quarter.

The Cardinal got even with the Huskies early in the second quarter. Bryce Love rushed for a one-yard touchdown, the PAT kick by J.J. Parson was good, and Stanford tied the game at seven apiece at the 14:55 mark.

But the Huskies didn’t waste any time in regaining the lead (14-7) as Myles scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, a 15-yarder, just 3:18 later.

The Cardinal pulled within four after Jet Toner kicked a 38-yard field goal with 1:32 left in the second quarter. Though, the Huskies continued to hold onto a 14-10 lead.

Joel Whitford punted 42 yards to the Stanford 25, a fair catch was made by Jay Tyler, and the Cardinal’s drive began on the Washington 42 with 46 seconds left.

The Huskies did what was expected and carried a 14-10 lead to the locker room at end of the first half against the Cardinal.

Both the Cardinal and Huskies were fired up for the second half of the game. Stanford’s defense forced a Washington three-and-out to start the second half. The Washington offense started at their own 35.

The Cardinal took their first lead of the night on Love’s second rushing touchdown of the game, a 13-yarder, to get ahead 17-14 with 9:15 left in the third quarter.

The Cardinal added to their existing lead on a 32-yard field goal by Toner, who gave Stanford a 20-14 lead with just one second left, and that was the score after three quarters.

Toner kicked another field goal, a 31-yarder, to expand the Cardinal’s lead to 23-14 at the 11:45 mark of the fourth quarter.

The Cardinal added to their lead on Love’s third rushing touchdown of the game, a nine-yarder, to make it 30-14 with 8:48 left in the quarter. The PAT kick by Toner was good.

The Huskies didn’t back down just yet. Gaskin scored his third rushing touchdown of the game on a one-yard rush. Washington decided to go for the two-point conversion, which turned out to be successful. However, the Cardinal continued to lead 30-22 with 4:22 left in regulation.

And, finally, the Cardinal (7-3) beat the Huskies (8-2) by a score of 30-22 at home.

Notes
Houston Astros manager, former MLB catcher, and Stanford alumni A.J. Hinch gave the Cardinal team a wonderful message before the game. Hinch said: “Every game is an elimination game. If you could have done more, then you didn’t do enough. Be accountable to yourself, and be accountable to your teammates.”

Tonight’s attendance at Stanford Stadium was 44,589.

Love notched his eighth 100-yard rushing game. He’s tied for most in the FBS.

Up Next
The Cardinal host the Cal Bears on Saturday, November 18.

The Huskies host the Utah Utes on Saturday, November 18.

Washington State edges Cardinal in the snow 24-21

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Photo credit: @18dMedia

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, November 4, 2017

Washington State effectively bottled up the injured Bryce Love, then pushed across a go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, as the No. 25 Cougars stunned the visiting No. 18 Cardinal 24-21 Saturday in Pac-12 football at snowy Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash.

With the victory, the Cougars (8-2 overall, 5-2 Pac-12) stayed in the Pac-12 North race. The Cardinal (6-3, 5-2) had not played in the snow since 1936, in a game against Columbia in New York.

The snow started falling heavily at the end of the first quarter.

The Cougars’ 94-yard winning drive was capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Luke Falk to Jamire Calvin with 6:56 remaining in the game.

Falk needed 132 passing yards to break the Pac-12 career record of 13,600 established by Sean Mannion of Oregon State. Falk was 34 of 48 passing for 337 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He needs three more touchdown passes to become the conference’s all-time leader in that category.

Cardinal quarterback K.J. Costello took advantage of a fortuitous bounce when he fumbled a snap. The ball bounced back into his hands, and Costello ran for a 14-yard touchdown pulling Stanford to within 17-14 in the third quarter.

On the Cougars’ next possession, Falk’s pass on fourth-and-one from midfield was intercepted by Bobby Okereke, who returned the pick 52 yards for a Stanford touchdown, giving the Cardinal a 21-17 lead.

After WSU regained the lead and chewed up three minutes of clock near the end of the fourth quarter, Frankie Lubu’s interception of a Costello pass ended the Cardinal’s final threat.

Love was held to 69 rushing yards, his lowest total of the season. Slowed by an ankle injury, Love came into the game as the nation’s leading rusher, averaging 198 yards per game.

After scoring on a 52-yard touchdown run on Stanford’s first play of the second quarter, Love ran 15 more times for 17 yards.

WSU outgained the Cardinal 430 yards to 198 in total offense.

Up Next
The Cardinal returns to The Farm this Friday night to host No. 12 Washington.

Stanford Cardinal Men’s Basketball Resist Claws of Chico State Wildcats, Win 91-81

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Photo: @StanfordMBB

By Alexandra Evans

PALO ALTO–With eight days remaining until the regular season, the Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball team commenced with an exhibition match against the Chico State Wildcats on Thursday, November 2.

The Cardinal welcomes five new additions to the team this year:

Kezie Okpala of Los Angeles, CA (6’8”, 195 pounds)
Daejon Davis of Seattle, WA (6’3”, 175 pounds)
Isaac White of Adelaide, Australia (6’1”, 185 pounds)
Kodye Pugh of Baltimore, MD (6’8”, 205 pounds)
Oscar Da Silva of Munich, Germany (6’9”, 210 pounds)

The first half started off smoothly for the Cardinal as forward Reid Travis made a shot less than a minute in. Just before the 10 minute mark, the Wildcats trailed the Cardinal by 11 points.

Chico began to step up their game about 15 minutes into the first half; the Wildcats trailed the Cardinal by seven points. Keith Datu, a Chico forward, then made a three-pointer and the Wildcats were only down by four with 3:33 remaining.

The score was tied at 17:00 exactly, when Marcus Sheffield made both free throws after a foul just over 10 seconds later.

Just before the 18:00 mark, two Chico players tried to tip the ball from the rim into the hoop, but Stanford’s Josh Sharma got the defensive rebound, keeping the score tied.

Chico’s Nate Ambrosini shot a three pointer, giving the Wildcats a 33-31 lead.

The score was tied 35-35 at halftime, signifying a decline in Stanford’s defensive plays.

A slam dunk just under 30 seconds into the second half by Travis gave Stanford a 37-36 lead. Minimal, but a step in the right direction. Travis then made one free throw, one basket, and another free throw to give Stanford a 41-36 lead.
The first eight minutes of the second half were a scoring frenzy. Stanford kept the lead, though there were very few moments where Chico trailed by more than five points. Envision a lion (predator) chasing a gazelle (prey). Chico’s score represents the lion’s movement and Stanford’s score represents the gazelle’s. Over the course of these eight minutes, the lion got close enough to nip the gazelle’s tail off. After the eight minute mark, the gazelle uses every single ounce of energy in its system to outrun the lion, which it eventually escapes.

In sports terminology, Stanford kicked things into overdrive after the eight minute “no more than five points ahead” stint and stepped up their game substantially about nine minutes in. They brought the score to 63-48 in the blink of an eye. They eventually exceeded Chico by 23 points (86-63), Travis making a majority of the baskets. Stanford kept the lead, which never dropped below 10 points the entire last half of the second period.

The final score was 91-81.

Travis was, undoubtedly, the stars of the game. He and fellow Marcus Sheffield sat down with the media after the match.

“I like the way we attacked,” Travis said. “I felt that on offense we tried to do the right thing as far as getting to the paint, getting to the buckets. I did not like the way we did not distribute that in the first half. That was a big emphasis on the offseason.”

“I think it just clicked for us,” Sheffield said of the eventual 23-point lead. “We had a few guys step up and play hard, get a few stops, and we were able to run out and get some easy baskets.”

Head Coach Jerod Haase then stepped into the conference room.

“I like the way the guys responded in the variety of times that I challenged them,” Haase remarked. “Competing on the defensive end, sharing the basketball on the offensive end, they responded to the things I said, I liked that. Defensively, there were certainly a lot of teachable moments out there. The energy was not consistent. Chico State has good defense, we weren’t ready for it. It is definitely something we can work on.”

Expected growing pains are present among the team, especially with a number of rookies and with a few absences, such as Cameron Walker who is dealing with injuries off the court. However, if the team continues to work in tandem as they had in the second half, the season should progress smoothly.