On Nov. 20, 1982, California shocked Stanford on a last-second miracle that is remembered to this day as one of the most iconic moments in college football history. After Stanford kicked a last-minute field goal to go up 20-19, Cal returned a kickoff for a touchdown with time expiring on a play that involved five lateral passes, an errant trombonist and enough mayhem to last a lifetime.
Last year, Stanford’s defense seemed to lack that one star in its linebacker core. Coming off the departures of Martinez and Anderson, the Cardinal’s lack of experience occasionally reared its ugly head. And when thinking about the brutal losses to Washington and Washington State last year, although there was trouble for Stanford all over the field, an overwhelmed linebacker unit carried a share of the blame for the Cardinal’s inability to come up with stops.
McCaffrey eclipsed his own career high with 284 yards rushing, adding three touchdowns as the No. 24 Stanford Cardinal (8-3, 6-3 Pac-12) defeated their rivals, the California Golden Bears (4-7, 2-6) 45-31, capturing their seventh straight victory in the Big Game.
It may not have been the high-stakes Stanford-Oregon game that the Pac-12 has come to expect, but the offensive firepower was certainly there. At least for one side. In the first unranked matchup between the two teams since 2008, the Stanford Cardinal (7-3, 5-3 Pac-12) delivered an offensive beatdown to the ailing Oregon Ducks (3-7,…
On Stanford’s penultimate drive, senior quarterback Ryan Burns threw an interception with 1:37 remaining. After a Colorado safety, Stanford was unsuccessful in its final play, and the Cardinal (4-3, 3-2 Pac-12) fell to the Buffaloes (6-2, 4-1) by a 10-5 margin.
Over the last five years, a matchup between the Cardinal and the Fighting Irish has been a marquee event — a game between two top-25 teams duking it out for the Legends Trophy in what has evolved into one of the more exciting rivalries in college football.
This year, while the prize of the Legends Trophy is still in play, the stakes, at first glance, do not seem nearly as high.
A week after suffering a blow out at the hands of the Washington Huskies, the Stanford Cardinal fell victim to the same fate against the other team from Washington. Despite returning back home, Stanford (3-2, 2-2 Pac-12) fell 42-16 against the Washington State Cougars (3-2, 2-0), marking the Cardinal’s first time losing back-to-back games since…
During a weekend in which Stanford’s current football team wasn’t exactly highlight-reel-worthy, some alumni stepped up on Sunday to remind everyone that the Cardinal still have a heavy influence throughout the ranks in pro football.
