Tag: Stanford

Michelle Richardson on the NCAA

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by Michelle Richardson

It was a very interesting Saturday litterally of games and any one of them were not disappointing we’ll start with the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game I was truly surprised that OU went into Still Water and came home with a victory. Number 17 Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is their archrival over in Still Water Oklahoma.

Number six Oklahoma State they did it for bedlum and they came back with a victory and I’m just surprised that just really surprised me to me it was those turnovers and once again it’s always about those turnovers and penalties whereas Oklahoma State had seven penalties they had two turnovers and it was still pretty much even.

Oklahoma had the ball a little bit more and this came down to who wanted it more and I kind of think that Oklahoma State really took it as “oh we got this” and really didn’t think about “hey Oklahoma has less to lose in this” this was a big win for Oklahoma. OU as soon as you count one of those teams out they got and the win and when you expect everything from them they don’t show up.

It’s one of those weird things about OU and this team but this was a real shocker to go into Still Waters and do this what can you say it’s like Oklahoma State quarterback Clint Chelf he was 19-35 for 200 yards plus one touchdown and one interception Oklahoma quarterback Blake Bell was 10-16 for 140 yards, one touchdown with one interceptions.

The rushing game was pretty much non-existant there wasn’t a lot of rushing this was truly a non spectacular game that came out with a very surprising outcome. Baylor totally ran over the University of Texas what can you say it is what it is in a 30-10 win. We go back to Bowling Green State University Friday night who is the max conference champion beating Northern Illinois University 47-27.

The loss didn’t allow Northern Illinois to get into a BCS Bowl they were undefeated up until then I don’t see them in a BCS game possibly a non-BCS game will get them into Fresno State who had a very convincing win against Utah State 24-17. I don’t see any other non-BCS team making it to the BCS Bowl game.

Stanford definitley let them know they are here and their a force to be reckon with winning the Pac 12 over Arizona State 38-14. Stanford has been looking for some respect all year long people thought that after they lost to Utah then of course they lost to Oregon people really didn’t give them the respect that they truly deserved.

The Cardinal are truly the better team in the Pac 12, everybody was talking about UCLA, Oregon and Stanford turned out to be the team to watch. Auburn”s win over Missuori 59-42 I had Missouri winning this one and it almost happened. It was a barnburner and it went back and forth all four quarters and Auburn came back the victor being the champion of the South Eastern Conference.

Michelle Richardson does commentary each week on the NCAA

Michelle Richardson on the NCAA

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 by Michelle Richardson
Auburn 34 Alabama 28: This was one of the most exciting games and exciting might not be even the right word to use that’s how great it was and at the very end of the game when Chris Davis returned the ball from a botched field goal for over 100 yards that’s how you want to win the game. Auburn did this against their arch rival and you can’t ask for anything more. The game was great it was pretty evenly matched the time of possession was about the same. Alabama has about 1:34 left and couldn’t hold the ball and Alabama had more penalties they had six penalties for 45 yards.
Auburn had only three penalties for 21 yards, Auburn had a fumble and they had a turnover and Alabama had no turnovers and there were no interceptions so the game was played well. It was just one of those things. How do you explain it, you just can’t explain it was one of those things that makes football in November so exciting and I tell people over and over it’s great when football season starts but November it is the time of the year that’s when you know who the real deal and whose not.
Remember what it doesn’t matter what happens in September or October in football but it’s November it’s all about what happens in November because that’s when the games really matter. People play these games and know they have to win them because these are the ones that have to be won in order to advance to the next level for bowl games. Auburn let it be known they won it. I can’t tell you Alabama wasn’t in it maybe they thought they should be looking forward to the SCC Championship instead of concentrating on the game that was in front of them.
Pac 12 Championship: Stanford is made up of a group of very poised young men and they can play anywhere as they play this Championship in Arizona State this coming Saturday night. They have more issues amongst their peers than on the field. Arizona State is not going to let you just walk in and take over by no means and their not going let you do this last dynasty stuff. Stanford is going to go in there and play but it’s believed that Stanford can and should go down there and pull off a win.
It will be a good game and who would have thought this would be the year that it would be Stanford and Arizona State to represent the Pac 12 as everybody had Oregon picked to win and these teams proved otherwise. Oregon was just a little bit over hyped and that’s why they play the games. That’s why the games are played. Somebody isn’t just going to show up and get handed the title. Stanford had a tough loss against USC in their last loss but it ended the season with a 10-2 record.
Stanford is in the Pac 12 Championship and have earned a spot in the BCS bowl and Arizona State who quietly dominated for the most part the Pac 12 south. It’s going to be a great game and it’s evenly matched but I have still have Stanford coming out on top. I wouldn’t be surprised however if ASU shows us a little something something on Saturday night.
Villanova 88 Iowa 83 Big Ten/ACC hoops: Honestly this was a great game with Villanova winning it on Saturday and I take nothing away from either team but I’ll be honest with you it’s too early. This tournament was a great tournament and these were great games but don’t talk to me until you get to conference play. It’s December and January you’ll be in the conference play and you’ll be getting beat up and we might not see these teams again and then again you might not.
It’s like the last week in August or the second week in September when their still beating up on Liberty or Appalachian State. Lets all kind of calm down we’ve seen some really good basketball so far, there’s some very exciting players out there for Iowa and this was really a good game. Villanova was all over the floor with players like Jayvaughn Pinkston with 14 points and James Bell at guard he had 20 points and then they had Chris Jenkins, Josh Hart had 14, also they had key help from Ryan Arcidiacono.
This game came down to bench play and Villanova had three people on the bench that was in double figures and that’s a good showing that was very large. This was a great game and I can’t wait to see more games like this and it’s just the beginning and we have to wait until they get into conference play.
Michelle Richardson does NCAA commentary each week for Sportstalk Radio

Stanford Vs.Notre Dame Preview

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Very interesting game will take place Saturday and Stanford Stadium. The Stanford Cardinal will be hosting the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The Irish beat Stanford last year when the game was played at South Bend. The Irish finished the season by playing for the BCS National Championship in Miami

against the University of Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tide rolled to a 42-14 victory over Notre Dane.

The Cardinal, on the other hans, won the Pac-12 Championship and won a trip to the Rose Bowl where the beat the University of Wisconsin.

Notre Dame and football go together like Ham and Eggs. The have had legendary coaches such as Knute Rockne, Elmer Layden, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian,Dan Devine and Lou Holtlz. Notre Dame has won many National Championships under the leadership of these men. Notre Dame used to have a

national following all over the country as the games were broadcast on radio. Since the advent of television and the ability to watch many,many more games in the past, the bloom has gone off the rose, so to speak. Also, Notre Dame has not won a National Championship since 1988.

The Irish, under Head Coach Brian Kelly, full expected to return to the BCS Championship game,

However, His star quarterback, Everett Golson, was expelled from school; for cheating. The Irish decided to use senior QB Tommy Rees. Rees started 11 of 12 games in the 2011 season.

Expectations have dropped but the Irish still have a record of 8-3 so far this season. The Irish feel that they still will go to a bowl but their defense has dropped off from last year and that has the coaches worried.The Irish rank 68th nationally in rushing defense and rank 80th in turnover margin. The Irish have 3 more giveaways than takeaways.

The Stanford Cardinal has a record of 9-2 and are coming off a big win over California in the Big Game last week. The Cardinal lost to an 8-3 team two weeks ago when they were upset by USC.

Stanford’s Ty Montgomery was spectacular last week against Cal and Tyler Gaffney has proved to a hard running tailback. If Stanford can get the running game going, Kevin Hogan should be able to

do well controlling the ball. The Stanford defense will be strong. Shayne Skov, Trent Murphy, Ed Reynolds and A.J.Tarley and company have performed well all season.

Hard to say who will will but Stanford probably will be the favorite but it’s college football and the Cardinal cannot afford to take Notre Dame lightly. Coach Shaw will have his troops ready.

Stanford Has the Perfect Mexican Road Trip

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By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal wrapped up their three game road trip with a victory over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Thursday. The Cardinal were victorious in all three of their games as part of the Hardwood Tournament of Hope, with victories over Purdue, Florida Gulf Coast and South Dakota State.  The number six-ranked team moves onto a record of 7-1, and improves their winning streak to 6 games.

Stanford beat the Jackrabbits by the final score of 80-60.  Their first half was quite impressive as they held the Jackrabbits to only 19 points.  The Cardinal were leading 20-14 with about ten minutes left in the first half when they completely took over the game; Stanford then went on a 20-5 run to end the half.

Stanford came out of half time leading by the score of 40-19.  The game was completely in their hands.  The second half went back and forth and was really tight, but the 21-point lead going into the half would be more than enough for Stanford to earn the victory.

Chiney Ogwumike led the squad with 29 points in 29 minutes.  The pre-season All-American also added 12 rebounds to record her sixth double-double of the year.  Guard Amber Orrange also contributed 13 points, four assists and five steals.  Freshman Kaliee Johnson came off of the bench and had her second straight game where she found double digits in scoring with ten points.  Redshirt Senior, Mikaela Ruef helped out a lot as well, though she only recorded one point, she had 12 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block.

Ogwumike was also given the tournament MVP, as she averaged 26 points, 11 rebounds and shot nearly 78 percent over the three days.

Megan Waytashek led the Jackrabbits with 13 points, including nine from beyond the arc.  Forward Megan Stuart was the only other player to hit double digits in scoring, as she came off of the bench to add 11.

The Cardinal return back to the farm with a record of 7-1 and get a couple of weeks off for finals. They then return back to Maples Pavilion on December 14 to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Stanford Makes It Four Straight with win Over Purdue

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By: Joe Lami

Stanford started their week in Mexico with a win against Purdue on Tuesday.  The Cardinal took on the Boil Makers as part of the Hardwood Tournament of Hope. This is the first time that Stanford has played a regular season matchup outside of the United States, they have played tournaments in Alaska, Hawaii and even the Virgin Islands, but never outside the United States.  Purdue was coming into the contest with a perfect record of 4-0 and the rank of the 16th best team in the country.

Stanford beat Purdue by the final score of 86-69.  With the win, Stanford is now 1-1 against ranked opponents, with the only loss of the season coming to number one ranked Connecticut.  The Cardinal had the five-point lead going into the half, and were able to extend the lead to 17 by the end of the game.

Chiney Ogwumike lead the team once again with 22 points.  For the second straight game she was unable to record a double-double.  This was after she started the season with four straight.  The Boil Makers held Ogwumike to eight rebounds.

Guard, KK Houser had a great game for Purdue, she led the Boil Makers with 20 points in the 31 minutes she played.  Courtney Moss had 12 points herself and was the only other player for Purdue to get to double-digits in scoring.

The win for Stanford gives head coach, Tara VanDerveer, win number 899 in her career.  “I know that everyone keeps reminding me of it (win #900), but I look at it as Florida Gulf Coast is our next opponent and we are going to watch video on them tonight and prepare for them like any other game” said VanDerveer on not looking to far ahead towards win 900.

Stanford will try to get VanDerveer win number 900 on Wednesday, as they continue their play in Puerto Vallarta where they take on Florida Gulf Coast.

Big Game aftermath: Cal, Dykes have a lot of work to do

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By Morris Phillips

The 116th Big Game needed to be Cal’s last stand, their final opportunity—win or lose–to show that their football program was headed in the right direction with major improvement coming in 2014.

Instead, the Bears suffered the worst loss in Big Game history, allowing a Stanford-record 42 points in the first half alone.  Combined with Oregon’s loss to Arizona, Cal found itself trapped in the Cardinal’s big moment with nowhere to go until the final horn sounded.

Talk about a violent manner in which to swing an Axe.  According to Coach Sonny Dykes, his program is currently under reconstruction, in large part due to what transpired on Saturday at Stanford Stadium.

“Actually, we’re going to learn how to pick up our locker room.  We’re… going to learn how to go class. We’re going to fix our graduation rates, graduate.  We are going to appreciate being a Cal student, be supportive of other Cal students.  We’re going to get faster, stronger in the weight room.  We’re going to get bigger and improve our diet.  We’re going to be more committed to getting sleep, rest, recovery.  We’re going to learn how to play on offense and defense,” Dykes said.

Less than a year after accepting the job at Berkeley, Dykes admitted that he’s starting over.  And typically, that means there’s nowhere to go but up.  But when you hit rock bottom this hard, typical doesn’t apply.  When asked who among his staff would return next season, Dykes was brutally honest.

“I’ll take a look at it all,” Dykes said.  “I can’t guarantee I’ll be back next season.”

Given the millions of dollars invested in Dykes, former coach Jeff Tedford and the rebuilt Memorial Stadium, don’t expect Dykes to go anywhere but back to work.  Cal can’t afford to start over like they did in 2001 when Tom Holmoe was shown the door after a one-win season. In fact, Dykes said that process would begin soon after the bus ride back to Berkeley, saying that it couldn’t wait until Sunday afternoon or Monday to commence.

The Bears came into Saturday’s game knowing that Stanford’s physical attack could embarrass them as it had other opponents.  So Dykes and the Cal defense loaded up to stop to run only to see Stanford take to the air and take advantage of the Bears’ young secondary.  The transition for the Cardinal was seamless as star receiver Ty Montgomery racked up five touchdowns and the Stanford offense over 600 yards.

The highlights—seen by far more than the 50,000 in the stadium and those that sat through the broadcast buried deep in the recesses of expanded cable—were noticeable for the lengthy plays produced by Stanford with Cal players trailing in their wake.  Not only has Cal sunk this low, but at the same time, hated rival Stanford has reached its zenith, possibly on its way to back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances, and all of that was neatly summed up in a brief video package of Cal quarterback Jared Goff taking hits and Montgomery running into the end zone.

When you take into account that 17 and 18-year olds have short attention spans, watch television and are impressionable, you start to get a sense of what a win-win the whole afternoon was for Stanford, and just the opposite for Cal.

First, Dykes and the Bears have to learn from their mistakes and improve.  The Cal depth chart this season was littered with inexperienced first-and-second year players even before numerous injuries robbed the team of its veteran players.  In a Pac-12 conference that’s bigger than it’s ever been and likely more talent-heavy than it’s ever been, the combination proved to be pure disaster for Cal.

In addition, Dykes’ Bear Raid system is a high-risk operation with its spread sets and frequent passing. But it’s not anything new to opposing coaches and defenses.  Repeatedly, those defenses bent but didn’t break against Cal, by dialing up pressure that Cal’s offensive line, labeled as lacking physicality by even its’ own coaches, couldn’t withstand.  On Saturday, the Bears were awful on third-down, failing to convert on 11 of 13 opportunities.  If the Bear Raid can’t gain rhythm, can’t stay on the field and wear on opposing defenses, little if anything is realized.

In summary, Cal’s got a long way to go.  Dykes appears forthright and committed, but he needs help from his players and coaching staff.  Even with all the pluses afforded Cal through the university and athletic department, it won’t be easy, and it won’t be any less lengthy a process given that the competition in the Pac-12 is as steep as it’s ever been.

Strong Second Half Leads Cardinal to Victory

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By: Joe Lami

The number six-ranked Stanford Cardinal traveled to Austin, Texas where they played the unranked Longhorns on Saturday.  Stanford defeated Texas by the final score of 63-54.  The Cardinal extend their record to 4-1 with the nine-point victory.

It was a very impressive win for the Cardinal, as they were able to come back from the seven-point deficit they faced going into halftime.  Texas was able to get on the board first with Nneka Enemkpali’s bucket and the foul to put the Longhorns up 3-0.  Mikaela Ruef then knocked down her first of many on the night.  Texas answered when Imani McGee-Stafford hit her only three-pointer of the night.  Scoring changes would go back and forth until there was 4:23 to go in the first half, where Texas would hold the lead going into the half.  The halftime score was 37-30.

Coming out of the half, Texas would get the two points off of free throws.  Stanford would then go on a 22-5 run to take over the game, giving them a 52-44 lead with 7:25 to go in the game.  The Cardinal would not loose the lead, as they carried it out for the victory.

It was a strong performance from the redshirt senior, Ruef, who picked up her first double-double of the season, scoring 11 points and picking up ten rebounds.  Chiney Ogwumike led the Cardinal in scoring with 18 points, however she was held to only six rebounds.  Saturday was Ogwumike’s first game this season without recording a double-double.  Amber Orrange had yet another fantastic game scoring 13 points.  Though the bench for Stanford had some trouble only notching 8 points total, Sara James was impressive as she led the team in assists with four.

Texas was led by Guard Chassidy Fussell scoring 15 points, with six of them coming from the charity strike, from which she was perfect.  McGee-Stafford was right behind Fussell with 12 points of her own on the way to a double-double with the 14 rebounds that she brought down.

Stanford next travels to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where they will take on Purdue, Florida Gulf Coast and South Dakota State on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  In Mexico, head coach, Tara VanDerveer expects to pick up win number 900, which she is now only two-wins away from the historic feat.

Michael Duca on Cal football and basketball

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by Michael Duca

BERKELEY–Anytime you have a chance to make history and this year the Cal football Bears have made history, they are among the worst team among the FDS in every category and therefore in the long and storied history of the Big Game which is coming up this Saturday at Stanford they are the biggest underdogs ever. Do you want to know what their in store for?

This will shock you but I would tell you to take Cal and points in this game on Saturday and the only way that Cal could be able to beat the spread with their 32 points and their never going beat the spread and hold the score down and the only way your going to hold the score down is to run the football. Their going to actually concentrate on running the football and Stanford is going to expect them not to run the football.

Their going to concentrate on trying to control the ball on the ground and Cal can’t do that they only have two Pac 12 quality lineman and that’s the problem. These games, these rivalry games can throw everything out the window and they don’t even bother printing these in the racing forms because there is no forms to these games. Remember Joe Kapp’s last game was an 17-11 victory over a Stanford team that was a four touchdown favorite.

Is there any chance for Cal to pull out a miracle and shock the crowd at Stanford with a win answer: I don’t think the band will be on the field.

Cal hoops: Playtime is over the real games start next week in Maui for the Maui Invitational to face some really good teams, the Maui tournament will see Arkansas, Baylor, Cal, Chaminade, Dayton, Gonzaga, Minnesota, and Syracuse, and Cal will find out what a good team really is. This team is doing well going into the tournament they are 4-0 the last time Cal was 4-0 going into a tournament they were riding high and they were fat, dumb, and happy and they went back to Wisconsin and played a Big Ten that just physically manhandled them.

From the time they tried to leave the locker room and until the time they got on the bus to go back home they have not forgotten that and they have brought that and a little bit more focus in the Pac 12. They realize they have a chance to be a really decent team this year. They may not be at the very top pius echelon of the Pac 12 this year looks like Arizona and UCLA are those big teams but Cal is right behind them which means all they need one or two players or wins in winning the league and that’s always been their goal.

Guard Justin Cobbs he was fine the other night after recovering from an injury. The first question we asked Cal head coach Mike Montgomery last Monday night after beating Southern Utah was what did he learn about his team after a game like that? Montgomery was honest he said, “not very much.” Southern Utah was overmatched physically and talent wise from about the time they got off the airplane.

However their coached by a former player at Stanford Nick Robinson suddenly it gave Robinson an opportunity to play a in bigger arena in front of 4,000 to 5,000 people which is more than who their going to play in front of in Utah.

Michael Duca does commentary on Cal football and basketball each week for Sportstalk Radio

The Big Game Preview

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Stanford California Football

by Jerry Feitelberg

Well folks. It’s time for the Big Game. There are lots of Big Games around the country. On the West Coast, the Big games are UCLA vs USC, Oregon vs Oregon State, Washington vs Washington State but the Big Game that the people of Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area , in particular, are interested in is the 116th renewal of the rivalry between Stanford University and the University of California.

The game will be played at Stanford Stadium on Saturday at 1pm and will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

Stanford, coached by David Shaw, enters the game with a record of 8-2,6-2 Pac-12 and is still smarting from the upset loss last week to USC. That loss may have cost the Cardinal a trip to the Rose Bowl this year. The California Golden Bears are now coached by Sonny Dykes. Dykes is in his first year as coach and his team is having a woeful season with a record of 1-10, 0-9 Pac-12. The Bears have lost nine games in a row and are a 31 ½ point underdog to Stanford.

This game, on paper, looks like an easy win for Stanford. However, records just do not count when Big Games are being played. The Bears will go all out as they have nothing to lose. Stanford, on the other hand, does have a lot to lose as they will not get a top Bowl invitation if they fall to California.

The Bears quarterback, Jared Goff said” No one thinks we have a chance. That’s not what we think inside our team.” That’s a lot of confidence for a young man on a 1-10 team. The Bears can put up points but their defense has been dismal as they showed in a 62-28 loss to USC.

Stanford, on the other hand, is highly motivated since they lost last week 20-17 to USC and Coach Shaw said” Our guys can’t wait to get back on the field.” Stanford does have an outside chance of going back to the Rose Bowl. Oregon will need to be upset by either Arizona or Oregon State and the Cardinal will have to beat Cal and Notre Dame.

Stanford leads the series 58-46 with 11 ties. The first game was played in1892 in San Francisco and the Stanford’s team manager was Herbert Hoover. Stanford has won three in a row and four of the last six games. Lots of strange things can happen in the Big Game. The most memorable came in 1982

when Cal scored the winning touchdown running through the Stanford Marching Band to defeat the Cardinal. Joe Starkey, the voice of the Cal Bears on radio, made one of the greatest calls in the history of college football that day and that call is still played every year to remind people of how unpredictable college football can be and especially in the Big Game.

The winner of the game gets possession of the Stanford Axe. The trophy consists of an axe-head mounted on a large wooden plaque ,along with scores of past Big Games.

The Game will be a sellout and even with the huge point spread, it should be a fun game and Stanford cannot afford to be caught napping and lose this game.

Ogwumike Records Fourth Double-Double of the Season in Win Over UC Davis

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By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal came into Sunday’s contest against the UC Davis Aggies riding a win from Friday night, where they defeated the Cal Poly Mustangs 86-51.  The Aggies came into Maples Pavilion with a record of 0-2, with losses to USC and Pacific.

Davis was the first team to get on the board after four missed baskets by the Cardinal to start the game.  The 2-0 lead for the Aggies would be the only one they would see all day, as Stanford would get two baskets in a row from Lili Thompson and Mikaela Ruef.  The Cardinal would not look back as they extended their lead to 14 going into halftime.

Coming out of the first half Stanford would knock down four baskets before the Aggies would find the hoop again, this time a three-pointer coming from Sydnee Fipps.  Stanford would struggle a bit to extend their lead further in the second half, only outscoring the Aggies by four, but it was a strong enough performance to net their third victory of the year.

Chiney Ogwumike lead the way for the Cardinal scoring 28 points, she also recorded 15 rebounds on her way to achieving her fourth double-double on the young season.  Freshman Karlie Samuelson led the bench in scoring for Stanford with eight points in 33 minutes played.  Stanford out rebounded the Aggies 49-37, but was still in double digits in turnovers with 11.

Fipps was the only Aggie to get into double figures for UC Davis as she recorded 14, Kelsey Harris had nine and Briana Salvatore had eight.

With the win, head coach Tara VanDerveer, records her 897th win in her prestigious career and Stanford also moves onto a record of 3-1.  The Aggies fall to 0-3, and are still looking for their first win of the season.  UC Davis hosts San Jose State on November 26.

Stanford has almost a week off until they tip-off once again.  They travel to Austin, Texas to take on the Longhorns next Saturday.