Final Thoughts

Once again, Stanford entered a game as a heavy favorite, but significantly exceeded expectations in its rout of Wake Forest. The starting units played extremely well on both sides of the football, boding very well for Stanford’s upcoming contests against Notre Dame, Oregon and USC. Andrew Luck had a great game, the offensive line opened up huge holes for the running game, and Stanford’s front seven were utterly dominant on the line of scrimmage.

This game will not be the signature win of Stanford’s season, but it has in many ways shown that this team has arrived. Don’t be surprised if the Cardinal shoot up in the rankings when they are released tomorrow.

As for Wake Forest, today’s game marks its first loss of the season. For a team that was never expected to compete in the ACC, we can’t say that this wasn’t terribly unexpected; it’s just another indictment of how bad that conference is this season.

Look for the full recap of Stanford’s huge win over Wake Forest in Monday’s edition of the Stanford Daily. For now, thanks for reading, and we look forward to serving all of you again soon.

Final Score: Stanford 68, Wake Forest 24

As the game winds down, Wake Forest is driving down the field, desperately attempting to salvage something from this game. However, the game ends with a Stanford sack.

5:25 remaining, 4th quarter

The last time Stanford scored this many points was in 1949, when it hung 71 on Hawaii.

On the field, Harbaugh actually challenged an incomplete pass call, believing it was a fumble. I really want to know the kind of coach it takes to challenge when you’re up by 44 points.

6:06 remaining, 4th quarter

TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Redshirt freshman running back Andrew Stutz takes the ball into the end zone for yet another Stanford touchdown. PAT is good, score is Stanford 68, Wake Forest 24.

Stanford has scored 10 touchdowns in today’s game, but has missed two extra points. My pregame prediction of a 37-17 Stanford win is looking extremely foolish at this point.

Two updates from around the Pac-10: UCLA and Arizona both won their games this evening, both against ranked opponents (No. 23 Houston and No. 9 Iowa, respectively). Pac-10 teams winning nonconference games is actually good for Stanford, since it makes the conference seem better overall to the poll voters. A winning record in a stronger conference gets more respect in the polls than the same record in a weaker conference. The UCLA result is especially good for the Card: it makes it look very good after its 35-0 thrashing of the Bruins last week.

7:50 remaining, 4th quarter

Redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Nunes comes into the game after Stanford recovers a Wake Forest fumble at the Wake Forest 25-yard line.

8:41 remaining, 4th quarter

TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Alex Loukas fakes a handoff and takes a short run into the end zone untouched. Whitaker misses another PAT, but at this point it doesn’t really matter. Stanford 61, Wake Forest 24.

Stanford’s drive was designed to pound the ball and eat a lot of clock, and it did just that. Eventually, the Cardinal ran out of field and had to go into the end zone.

More disturbing is Whitaker’s second PAT miss on the day; prior to today, he had never missed an extra point. In this game, those single points don’t make a difference, but in tight games extra points can make huge differences.

10:00 remaining, 4th quarter

As expected, Stanford is going on a clock-killing drive, relying on its rushing tame to move the ball forward. Despite taking more than 5 minutes off the clock, the Card are only on the Wake Forest 27. Harbaugh has been chiefly employing Loukas, Gaffney and Amanam to move the football forward.

:20 seconds remaining, 3rd quarter

TOUCHDOWN, WAKE FOREST! Wide receiver Michael Campanaro takes the ball on the reverse into the end zone. Score is now Stanford 55, Wake Forest 24.

This isn’t a good trend for Stanford. Even with such a wide margin, Wake could somehow get close if they get a ton of momentum on their side (though it is still extremely, extremely unlikely that they’ll overtake the Cardinal). Look for Harbaugh to pound the ball in the next drive, trying to keep the ball in Stanford’s possession while killing as much clock as possible in a single drive.

An Anthony Wilkerson run brings us to the end of the third quarter. Stanford 55, Wake Forest 24.

5:33 remaining, 3rd quarter

Stanford punts the ball for the first time in the game. Wake Forest’s return man drops the kick, but the Deacons recover the ball. More ineptitude by the Demon Deacons: even on special teams, they can’t come close to the Cardinal.

7:57 remaining, 3rd quarter

Andrew Luck has left the game, replaced by his backup, junior Alex Loukas. Like on the defense, many backups are now in the game for the Cardinal offensive unit.

Luck finishes the game 17-23 passing for 207 yards and 4 touchdowns. He added 69 yards and a touchdown on three rushing carries.

8:46 remaining, 3rd quarter

TOUCHDOWN, WAKE FOREST! QB Tanner Price runs the ball into the end zone on a quarterback keeper to bring the score to 55-17 in favor of Stanford.

While this might be an encouraging sign for the Demon Deacons, it’s important to note that Harbaugh pulled the majority of his defensive starters from the game; Price’s run came against the backup defenders. Even now, with so much time left in the game, it might be a good time for Stanford to try and start bleeding the clock. There’s little left to be gained by airing it out.

11:05 remaining, 3rd quarter

TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! After a Cardinal pick gives Luck and the offense the ball at the Wake Forest 11-yard line, Luck finds Doug Baldwin in the end zone for yet another Stanford touchdown. Cardinal leads, 55-10.

Luck has four touchdown passes on the day, tying his career high (set against Sacramento State). The only question left in this game is when Stanford head coach John Harbaugh is going to pull his starters.

In other news, Stanford Stadium is almost ghostly at this point. Perhaps not surprisingly, the cold (and the fact that it’s a Saturday night) is driving fans out of the stands, since the game long ago became uncompetitive and (hey, let’s face it) boring.

12:59 remaining, 3rd quarter

TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Stepfan Taylor takes a nine-yard run into the end zone; he’s almost untouched on his way in. A good Whitaker PAT makes it 48-10, Stanford.

I’m really running out of things to say here: Stanford rules, Wake is awful. Whatever Jim Grobe happened to say at halftime clearly didn’t work. Wake Forest’s bench just looks exhausted. Even with 28 minutes left to play overall in this game, everyone knows what the result is.

In other news, the Stanford Stadium stands are emptying. Even in the Red Zone, the ranks of Stanford students are thinning (not to mention the Wake Forest section).

Start of the 3rd quarter

Stanford starts with the ball. As if they needed another advantage.

Halftime: Stanford 41, Wake Forest 10

With half of the game in the books (wait, seriously? That was only half of the game?), it’s time to reflect on what we’ve seen so far.

Stanford has absolutely dominated this game on both sides of the ball. Period. The Cardinal front seven has bullied and intimidated the Wake Forest offensive line into submission, while on offense, Andrew Luck has done more or less whatever he wants with a beleaguered-looking Deacon secondary.

Stanford is well on the way to victory in this contest. I would be surprised if we see Luck in for the remainder of the game; for the third straight week, we’re likely to get a taste of Alex Loukas under center.

Here are some stats that give you a sense of Stanford’s dominance tonight:

• Wake Forest punter Shane Popham has 5 punts to his credit tonight, while Stanford hasn’t punted once all game.
• Stanford has 341 yards of total offense, compared to Wake’s 113 yards.
• Luck has 249 combined yards, 194 passing and 57 rushing. He has gone 15-19 and has three touchdown passes.
• The Stanford defense has four sacks and six tackles for loss, and has held the Deacons to just 42 yards rushing on 21 carries.

So it’s highly doubtful that Wake Forest will turn it around this game (although I would be highly interested in hearing what Jim Grobe is saying in the Wake Forest locker room right now. New prediction: he’ll suffer a Neuheisel-style meltdown before the end of the night).

:05 seconds remaining, 2nd quarter

FIELD GOAL, WAKE FOREST. In their final offensive play of the half, Wake Forest’s kicker manages to kick a 48-yard field goal to bring the score to Stanford 41, Wake Forest 10. It’s still a pretty good bet that the Deacons are not going to come back and win this game.

Honestly, it’s somewhat surprising that Wake didn’t go for a touchdown on that final play. At this time in the game, three points aren’t going to make a difference; they either have to score a lot of points, or they are not going to win this game, plain and simple.

:47 seconds remaining, 2nd quarter

Wake Forest is driving for the first time all night; they’ve made a fourth down conversion and are now into Stanford territory. However, their passing game still can’t get going, with numerous incompletions and an apparent disconnect between Tanner Price and his receivers.

2:50 remaining, 2nd quarter

TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Tyler Gaffney takes the ball in for his second rushing touchdown of the evening. Initially Gaffney was ruled down on the one yard line, but the play was overturned on review and Gaffney was awarded the touchdown. A good Nate Whitaker kick makes is 41-7, Stanford.

This game is officially over. In all honesty, we’re going to have a bit of a tough time finding things to write about on this blog in the second half. The Deacons are at this point basically dead men walking; I wouldn’t be surprised to see Stanford’s scrubs come on to start the second half. The Cardinal have thoroughly dominated all aspects of this game, and are once more performing beyond most experts’ predictions (including, I am sad to report, our own).

3:30 remaining, 2nd quarter

Sorry about the delays in posting, we’ve been having a few technical difficulties here at Stanford Stadium.

Anyway, after Luck’s touchdown Wake Forest was forced to punt yet again by Stanford’s defense. The Cardinal is now driving inside the red zone.

7:42 remaining, 2nd quarter

TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Andrew Luck evades several defenders on a 52-yard quarterback scramble into the end zone. A Whitaker PAT puts Stanford up 34-7.

This play has to be the final dagger in Wake’s coffin. Unless head coach Jim Grobe can light a fire under his players at halftime, there is no way this Deacon team is coming back. It is overmatched and overwhelmed on both sides of the ball; it can’t keep Andrew Luck from slicing up its secondary or keep Stanford’s front seven out of its backfield.
11:12 remaining, 2nd quarter

TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Andrew Luck gets an 11-yard touchdown pass to freshman running back Usua Amanam. A blitzing Wake Forest defender left Amanam open on the right side of the field, and Luck found him for the score. Nate Whitaker misses the extra point wide right, in the first missed extra point of his career. Score stands at Stanford 27, Wake Forest 7.

At this rate, we could be looking at a Sacramento State-like scoreline. The Cardinal is dominating both sides of the ball, and the Deacon sideline looks completely demoralized. My game prediction of 37-17 is suddenly looking somewhat conservative. Even with so much time remaining in the game, the outcome looks like a sure thing. New prediction: Stanford Stadium will start to empty at halftime unless Wake Forest can make this interesting.

12:56 remaining, 2nd quarter

Stanford’s defense comes up with another stop, as Chase Thomas comes up with an 11-yard sack of Tanner Price to force the Deacons into a three-and-out. On the punt, Doug Baldwin takes it to the Wake Forest 27-yard line.

If the Stanford offense can take advantage of its short field and put another ball into the end zone, it’s somewhat safe to say that Wake Forest is sunk. With the way the Cardinal front seven is dominating the line and the game, a three-score deficit will be too large of a hole for the Deacons to climb out of (without some sort of miracle, that is). It has been a really good game for the Card’s defensive unit so far.

13:56 remaining, 2nd quarter

TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Tyler Gaffney runs it in for Stanford’s third touchdown of the game, putting the Cardinal up 21-7.

This score could definitely be a pivotal one in this game. Wake Forest is now behind by two possessions, and given how the Stanford offense has been able to move the ball up to this point, it’s not a stretch to say that this sort of deficit is the first nail in the Deacons’ coffin. Unless their defense shows some sign of being able to slow Andrew Luck down, the Cardinal will maintain and expand its lead.

End of 1st quarter

As the first quarter ends, Stanford leads Wake Forest, 14-7. The Cardinal will open the second quarter with a fourth-and-one.

Stanford’s offense has been almost entirely reliant on Andrew Luck up to this point, who has gone 9-11 for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Stanford’s defense has come up with a couple of critical stops, including on Wake Forest’s drive after the Card’s second touchdown, when Deacon QB Tanner Price was sacked on third down to force his team into a punt.

If Stanford can push forward on this drive for a score, it will make it much easier for them going forward. Look for the Cardinal to go for it on fourth down and press for another score.

6:24 remaining, 1st quarter

TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD. On the second play of the drive, Luck throws a bomb to Owusu in the end zone, which Owusu makes a spectacular play on to come down with the catch. The play was set up by a 60-yard kickoff return from freshman returner Usua Amanam, who took the ball all the way to the Wake 35 to start the drive. Stanford 14, Wake Forest 7.

This looks like it’s going to turn into an offensive shootout, with both teams trading scores through the game. A lot will depend on this next Wake Forest drive. If the Deacons can match the Cardinal again, we’re likely in for a close offensive contest, but if the Stanford defense can make a stop, the Cardinal can get momentum firmly on their side.

7:00 remaining, 1st quarter

TOUCHDOWN, WAKE FOREST. On a reverse, the Deacons score their first touchdown from Chris Gibbons, tying the score at 7-7.

Tanner Price is showing incredible poise in the face of the Stanford defense, something altogether unexpected from the freshman quarterback. During the Deacons’ scoring drive, he avoided an almost certain sack as the pocket collapsed around him, stepping up and making a 21-yard throw to keep the drive alive. The Stanford defense can’t make those sorts of mistakes; the Wake Forest offense is good enough to make them pay for it, as we saw on this drive. Now, it may be tougher to roll up points against a rejuvenated Demon Deacon defense.

9:12 remaining, 1st quarter

TOUCHDOWN, STANFORD! Luck throws a screen to Owusu, who dodges two Deacon defenders on his way into the end zone. Owusu looks like his old self, a good sign for the Stanford offense. A Nate Whitaker PAT makes it 7-0, Stanford.

11:28 remaining, 1st quarter

As expected, the Stanford offense is rolling against the Deacons. Andrew Luck is finding huge holes in the secondary, while Stepfan Taylor has taken a couple balls for pretty significant gains. Junior wide receiver Chris Owusu, who was out for the last two games with injury, has returned to the Stanford lineup and is taking snaps.

Injured on the 10-yard line is Ryan Whalen, Stanford’s top receiver and one of Andrew Luck’s best big-play threats. Whalen walks off the field on his own, but he appears to have some sort of arm injury, on the right side.

13:50 remaining, 1st quarter

In a solid start for the Cardinal, the defense forces Wake Forest into a three and out. If the front seven can keep up the pressure on freshman Wake Forest quarterback Tanner Price and continue to dominate the line of scrimmage, it could be a long day for the Deacon offense. The Card also successfully prevented the Deacon running game from gaining a lot of ground.

8:20 p.m., Pregame

The teams have emerged onto the field. It appears kickoff has been pushed back to around 8:30 p.m. We could be looking at a finish between 11:30 and midnight, so now might be a good time to change your plans for the rest of tonight.

On a completely separate note, University President Hennessy is out at midfield for the coin toss, which was won by Wake Forest (who has elected to receive).

7:40 p.m., Pregame

With both teams out on the field for pregame warmups (with Stanford in a new set of black uniforms), it’s time to preview tonight’s matchup between the Stanford Cardinal and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Stanford (2-0, 1-0 Pac-10) enters the game as an 18-point favorite, after demolishing its first two opponents by a combined score of 87-17. Last week, the Cardinal defeated UCLA by a score of 35-0 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Stanford’s new-look defense has looked impressive in its first two contests, especially in shutting down the Pistol offense employed by the Bruins.

Wake Forest (2-0, 1-0 ACC) comes into tonight’s game fresh off a 54-48 victory over Duke. The Demon Deacons have the nation’s fourth-ranked rushing attack, and their offense is third nationally in scoring. However, their defense is pedestrian, ranking 95th in points against.

Tonight’s matchup will largely be dictated by the battle between the Deacon offense and Stanford’s defense. Sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck and the rest of the Cardinal should roll up points against a weak Wake Forest defense, which is giving up an abysmal 325.0 yards per game through the air. If freshman quarterback Tanner Price and the rest of the Demon Deacon offense can’t keep pace with Stanford’s attack, look for the Card to win big.

In an interesting game note, tonight’s 8:15 PDT kickoff is the latest in Pac-10 history. The timing is largely due to ESPN’s coverage of the game, which will be nationally televised on the ESPN2 network. Tonight’s game was pushed to such a late start in order to take advantage of an empty 11:15 EDT time slot in ESPN2’s college football scheduling.

Tonight’s game is also the first for Stanford’s Class of 2014, which arrived on the Farm this past Tuesday. The Red Zone figures to be filled to capacity.

Though Stanford fans may not need reminding, this game is the second of a home-and-home series. Last year, the Cardinal traveled to Winston-Salem, N.C., where they fell on a last-second touchdown to the Demon Deacons.

5 p.m., Pregame

For the first time this season, the Daily’s sports section is bringing you live, instant analysis of Stanford football. Throughout tonight’s game at Stanford Stadium against Wake Forest (kickoff time 8:15 p.m.) we will be updating the score and game highlights, along with insight and unique analysis. Tune in as we start blogging around 7:45, continuing through the end of the game.

-Kabir Sawhney, Managing Editor of Sports