On a wet night at Stanford Stadium, Stanford quarterback Hogan did just enough on offense and Shaw put his faith in Jordan Williamson, who delivered a game-winning 36-yard field goal with five minutes left in the fourth quarter to break a 24-24 tie with UCLA and send Stanford to the Rose Bowl as Pac-12 champions, something Harbaugh or Luck couldn’t do.
Tonight, that dream will be either made or broken as No. 8 Stanford (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12) hosts No. 16 UCLA (9-3, 6-3) in the Pac-12 Championship Game, with the winner automatically advancing to the prestigious Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Despite playing a little over half the game, Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after racking up 142 yards on 20 carries in the No. 8 Cardinal’s 35-17 victory over UCLA on Saturday.
Stanford took care of business on Saturday night, smothering Johnathan Franklin and the UCLA run game and scoring plenty of points on the way to a 42-24 win over the No. 17 Bruins. With the win, Stanford guaranteed its spot in the Pac-12 Championship, which the No. 8 Cardinal will host against this same UCLA team next Friday night.
Check out some keys to the game in our GameDay Guide as No. 8 Stanford takes on No. 17 UCLA from the Rose Bowl. A Pac-12 North Division crown and berth in the Pac-12 Championship are on the line for the Cardinal
The silence was deafening in Autzen. Jordan Williamson raced across the field in celebration, moments after his 37-yard field goal snuck inside the left upright. Devon Carrington, the backup safety who somehow chased down Marcus Mariota to save a touchdown in the first quarter, joined the mob that buried Williamson in elation. Stepfan Taylor too was in the chaos. Kevin Hogan, still in his helmet, congratulated his teammates and even almost cracked a smile in his postgame interview on the field.