Football is a game of momentum. Even in a blowout, a few plays can dictate the outcome. It’s with that in mind that we look at the six turning points of Stanford’s season — that is, the plays or sequences that dictated the course of a single game or beyond and ultimately, the Cardinal’s final 8-5 standing.
1. The Phantom Clip (at Wake Forest)
Background: Despite an offensively anemic second half, Stanford was driving with the score tied at the midway point of the fourth quarter. It was third-and-2 from the Cardinal 45-yard line.
The Play: Toby Gerhart, who was underutilized throughout the final 30 minutes, ran right and broke off a long, 39-yard run that would have given Stanford the ball at the Wake Forest 16-yard line with about four minutes to play. But a flag came out and Chris Marinelli was whistled for clipping, which brought the play back.
Aftermath: The problem? There was no evidence of such a penalty. None. Stanford could not convert third-and-long and had to punt; Wake Forest subsequently drove the length of the field and scored with two seconds left. The Cardinal left North Carolina with a 24-17 loss and an awful taste in their mouths. Marinelli called the flag “horrendous” and it was — national analysts were still talking about it weeks later which, given the relatively low stature of the game, was both surprising and telling.
2. The Drop (at Oregon State)
Background: After the Wake Forest loss, Stanford tore off three wins against San Jose State, a ranked Washington squad and an upstart UCLA team. The Cardinal entered Corvallis as the top team in the conference and an emphatic road win over the always-difficult Beavers could have added further legitimacy to their season.
The Play: Stanford started with the ball and on the initial play from scrimmage Andrew Luck ran a play-action pass and found a wide open, streaking Chris Owusu over the middle for what would have been a sure touchdown. Only Owusu dropped the pass.
Aftermath: Stanford punted five plays later and Oregon State opened the floodgates. By halftime, the Beavers were leading 31-7 and were never seriously threatened. Owusu’s touchdown wouldn’t have cured Stanford’s porous defense, but it would have been a dramatic offensive statement out of the gate, which goes a long way toward establishing a presence, if not a swagger. Instead, the Cardinal attack didn’t really get going until the second half.
3. Fourth Down (at Arizona)
Background: In a wild match up, Stanford had the ball with under six minutes left in the fourth quarter, leading by two. It was fourth down and two from the Arizona 8 yard line.
The Play: Instead of kicking a field goal to go up by a full score, coach Jim Harbaugh elected to go for it. Luck’s pass to Owusu fell incomplete and the Wildcats took over.
Aftermath: Arizona scored on their next possession. Stanford still had one more chance to win, but instead of needing just a field goal, they had to score a touchdown. The Cardinal turned it over on downs in the red zone and the Wildacts prevailed, 43-38.
4. The Sack (vs. No. 8 Oregon)
Background: Stanford controlled much of the game through three quarters. A Nate Whitaker field goal extended the Cardinal lead to 17 with three minutes to play in the third, but Oregon’s quick strike offense, which propelled them to a win over USC the week before, was always a threat. Indeed, after the Ducks quickly marched into Stanford territory, it looked as if they were going to make it just a two possession game with a full quarter left to play. The Oregon drive stalled at the Cardinal 39-yard line, but the Ducks elected to go for it.
The Play: Michael Thomas, blitzing from his nickel back spot, sacked Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli as time expired in the period.
Aftermath: Stanford took over on downs and promptly drove downfield for another Whitaker field goal to push the gap to 20 points. It proved necessary, as Oregon scored two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter and cut the Cardinal lead to just six before Whitaker clinched it with another field goal.
5. The Play Calls (vs. California)
Background: After a Vince D’Amato field goal gave the Golden Bears a six point lead with under three minutes left, Stanford marched downfield in an effort to win the game. This was largely aided by a 29-yard pass reception by Gerhart, who carried defenders down to the Cal 13 yard line.
The Play: Luck had been struggling all game; Stanford needed to burn time so as not to give Cal any ability to win on a last second score; and Gerhart was jacked up from the previous play and had scored four touchdowns already. But despite everything pointing to a run, Harbaugh elected to go with two straight pass plays. The first was an uncatchable toss to Coby Fleener in the end zone; the second was a badly underthrown pass right into the hands of Cal linebacker Mike Mohamed.
Aftermath: Cal emerged with the Axe in one of the more painful finishes in recent memory. Harbaugh’s decision to pass is still questioned today and on an individual level, given the margin of the Heisman trophy voting, a fifth (and game winning) touchdown in a rivalry game would have added a little bit more spark to Gerhart’s campaign.
6. The Toss (vs. Notre Dame)
Background: Down eight points early in the fourth quarter, Stanford desperately needed a touchdown to keep pace with the Irish. The Cardinal made it down to the Notre Dame 18-yard line with just over nine minutes to play before the drive stalled.
The Play: Instead of kicking a field goal, Harbaugh went for it on fourth and four. The play appeared at first to be a toss to Gerhart, which looked doomed — Notre Dame read it well. But then he stopped, planted and threw toward the end zone, where he found Ryan Whalen for a touchdown.
Aftermath: Luck hit Jim Dray on the next play for the two-point conversion and Gerhart would eventually put the Cardinal ahead for good on a touchdown run with a minute left. The exhilarating victory was a fitting end to a thrilling, if not up-and-down regular season.
Wyndam Makowsky refuses to admit that the football season is over. Shed some light at makowsky “at” stanford.edu.