Welcome to The Daily’s live blog of today’s football game between No. 5 Stanford (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12) and Washington State (3-1, 1-0) at CenturyLink Field. We’ll be updating this page with instant coverage and analysis. Please refresh this page for the most recent updates, and follow us on twitter @StanfordSports for updates. All times are Pacific.
10:39 PM: David Olson takes a knee for the Cardinal, which walks off CenturyLink field a winner, 55-17. Stanford improves to 4-0 and 2-0 in Pac-12 play, while the Cougars are now 3-2 and 1-1 in the conference. Although Stanford struggled to establish its trademark power running game without David Yankey against a strong Washington State front seven, it ultimately didn’t matter as Kevin Hogan had a career night, passing for a career-high 286 yards and 2 touchdowns. Stay tuned for The Daily’s instant recap.
10:35 PM: Official from host Chris Fowler: College GameDay will be at Northwestern-Ohio State, not Stanford-Washington, next week.
10:34 PM: Apodaca scrambles and throws an 8-yard touchdown to Ricky Galvin with 27 seconds left. Stanford’s lead is now 55-17.
10:29 PM: Ikenna Nwafor injured for the Cardinal after Apodaca’s fifth completion on this drive, down to the Cardinal 43. He walks off under his own power, but is limping a bit.
10:26 PM: The Cardinal punts it back with 4:29 left. If the Cougars had a running game, this is when they’d run out the clock.
10:23 PM: Stanford takes over after a Washington State punt. Food for thought: Two Stanford running backs have scored touchdowns tonight, and neither of them is named Wilkerson or Gaffney.
10:21 PM: Last year’s visit to CenturyLink Field was a complete disaster for Stanford. With six minutes left in this game, today’s trip to Seattle is looking just about perfect for the Cardinal. (Save for the Hogan interception in the end zone.)
10:19 PM: Garnett pulled on that last touchdown. Garnett and Sanders are going to be a pretty good combination in the next couple years.
10:18 PM: Stanford gets its sixth play of more than 30 yards on third-and-4, as Young takes a Crower pass for 36. On the next play, Sanders bounces outside on power right for a 22-yard touchdown, the first of his career. 55-10 Stanford.
10:17 PM: Sanders chugs for 7 more yards. Conor McFadden seeing a lot of time at center.
10:16 PM: Sanders back in at tailback, and Crower still under center. After a Cardinal false start, Sanders crashes into the line for a 4-yard gain.
10:13 PM: Stanford has a comfortable lead with 8:24 left, and most of its backups are in the game. But that touchdown play was a bit reminiscent of some of Arizona State’s late scores last week: poor tackling, lack of execution. Shaw is probably reminding his team of that on the sidelines right now.
10:10 PM: Washington State receiver Gabe Marks takes a short pass for a 47-yard touchdown, and an offsides penalty against Stanford is declined. 48-10, the Cougs’ first touchdown of the night.
10:02 PM: Things got out of hand long ago, but Wright breaks free for a 53-yard touchdown with backup Evan Crower in at quarterback. Stanford leads Wazzu 48-3.
9:56 PM: ESPN just showed a random guy eating popcorn with his head tilted back into the rain, in a deserted CenturyLink Field.
9:52 PM: After Hogan’s pass to receiver Jordan Pratt fell incomplete, Williamson nails a 27-yard field goal to give Stanford a 38-point lead with 11:40 left in the fourth quarter.
9:51 PM: Hogan back in the game now.
9:50 PM: Third string quarterback Dallas Lloyd is in now.
9:47 PM: Stanford just ran a pass play off play action to Kyle Murphy, who is the backup right tackle. Murphy didn’t quite have the speed to get to the ball, but the Cardinal is starting to have some fun with the play calling now. James McGillicuddy had a 7-yard run in the 2010 Orange Bowl, but no player in the Ogre position has caught a pass. Murphy came tantalizingly close there.
9:42 PM: Hogan still in the game. Halfback Remound Wright falls ahead for the first down. That’s the end of the third quarter. Stanford leads Washington State 38-3.
9:39 PM: With the exception of Ben Gardner and David Parry, the entire second-team defense is in now.
9:38 PM: Hogan overthrows Cajuste deep. The Cardinal will punt it away.
9:35 PM: Shaw hasn’t pulled out Hogan and the first-team offense yet. Maybe he quietly learned a lesson from last Saturday. If the Cardinal scores on this drive, though, the second team will most likely take the field.
9:31 PM: Stanford’s second-team defenders are in the game now. Unlike last weekend when they gave up big plays to Arizona State in the fourth quarter, they force a three-and-out. Backup safety Zach Hoffpauir broke up a deep pass play on third down.
9:27 PM: Oh my. It’s deja vu for Murphy, who tips Apodaca’s pass to himself and returns it for a pick six. Last year, Murphy did the exact same thing against Washington last year at CenturyLink Field, though that took place at the opposite end zone. The Cardinal defense now has nine more points than Wazzu. Stanford leads 38-3 with 6:41 left in the third quarter.
9:26 PM: Apodaca comes back with a third-down converting pass. That’s the first time WSU has converted a third down in its last 9 attempts.
9:24 PM: Ben Gardner welcomes Apodaca back with a bone-crunching hit. He had no chance there.
9:23 PM: Apodaca is back on the field now. You have to admire him for his resiliency.
9:20 PM: Stanford needed just two plays to strike again. Hogan finds a wide open Rector for a 45-yard score. Good to see Rector get the touchdown after Hogan missed him earlier. Stanford up 31-3 with 8:45 left in the third quarter.
9:14 PM: Junior outside linebacker Kevin Anderson lowers the boom on Apodaca, and Richards almost got his second pick of the season. Apodaca is down on the ground now. Stanford just knocked out two quarterbacks in a span of four plays.
9:13 PM: Halliday came in for one play, but he’s limping off the field right now. Backup quarterback Austin Apodaca will come in.
9:09 PM: Murphy delivers a HUGE hit on Halliday, who gets picked off Jordan Richards. Defensive end Ben Gardner executes a perfect block, and Richards gets into the end zone! Pick-six for Stanford. That’s 28 straight games in which Stanford has forced at least one turnover, a streak that leads the nation. Stanford leads Washington State 24-3 with 10:42 left in the third quarter.
9:05 PM: True freshman Francisc Owusu was on that last punt coverage. Physical, speedy receiver starting to see the field a little bit.
9:04 PM: Pass intended for Montgomery falls incomplete. With a 14-point lead, Shaw chooses to punt from his own 39-yard line rather than let Williamson try a 52-yard field goal. A great punt by Ben Rhyne pins Wazzu at its own 6-yard line.
9:03 PM: Montgomery delivers a brutal stiff arm after catching a screen pass to bring up third-and-7.
9:02 PM: Anthony Wilkerson gets his third carry of the night, and it goes for a 1-yard loss.
9:01 PM: Mike Leach elects to go for it on fourth-and-3 from his own 39-yard line. This time, it backfires as Halliday throws into double coverage. Stanford will have a very short field to work with.
8:57 PM: The Cougars have gone 0-for-6 on third down in the first half. If Stanford keeps that up, it will walk out of CenturyLink with a win.
8:55 PM: Note that Stanford’s 27-game takeaway streak, the longest in the Pac-12 and second-longest in the FBS, is in jeopardy at the half.
8:47 PM: Cardinal SID Alan George notes that Stanford has improved its first-down yardage in every game this season: 186 vs. SJU, 223 at Army, 258 vs. ASU and 311 at WSU.
8:46 PM: There were a bunch of positives for the Cardinal in that half, though, and no one has shined brighter than Devon Cajuste. His four catches have been for 115 yards. And Hogan, other than the underthrow on that one lob, has put the ball in the right place downfield. That was a huge area of emphasis for him this offseason.
8:43 PM: One more area of concern: Stanford, the nation’s least-penalized team as of two weeks ago, has been flagged six times for 42 yards through one half. You can blame the noise for some of those penalties, and it’s hard to fault Wayne Lyons for those pass interference calls. Still, there are a few sloppy elements to the Card’s game.
8:41 PM: It feels like Stanford should have a 20-point lead right now. But for the second straight week, Hogan underthrew a would-be touchdown.
8:39 PM: Stanford’s rushing game hasn’t looked special through two quarters, but it’s still been productive. The Cardinal has gone for 89 yards on the ground, 54 of them by Gaffney and 29 of them by Hogan.
8:35 PM: A Cardinal tight end finally makes a catch, as Kaumatule hauls in a 5-yard reception. But Stanford’s offense stalls near midfield and after two WSU plays, the first half has come to an end.
8:32 PM: Furney misses a 45-yard field goal. A lucky break for the Cardinal.
8:27 PM: A bit of a momentum shift here. Halliday connects with Kristoff Williams for 43 yards. Sophomore corner Alex Carter got beat very badly on that play.
8:25 PM: Just when it seemed like Hogan is on fire, the throws an interception in the end zone. He was trying to hit Cajuste on a fade, but severely underthrew it. The pick comes at a very bad time, as Wazzu has plenty of time to go down the field with three minutes left in the first half.
8:22 PM: Stats update: Hogan is 10-of-13 passing for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns, an average of 16.6 yards per attempt. That’s already a season-high passing yards for Hogan. He’s on pace for 500 passing yards.
8:20 PM: Hello, Barry J. Sanders. The sophomore shows vintages of his father with some dazzling moves on the screen. A 16-yard gain all the way down to the Wazzu 16-yard line.
8:19 PM: A screen to Montgomery and a reception by Cajuste on a corner route gives Stanford a first down, though.
8:18 PM: Questionable offensive PI called on Luke Kaumatule. Backs Stanford up 15 yards.
8:16 PM: Stanford just ran its 12th play and it’s barely crossed midfield. That’s methodical for you.
8:15 PM: The Cardinal goes for it on fourth-and-1. Two Cougar defenders get into the backfield, but what an effort by Gaffney to extend the tip of the ball over the first down marker.
8:14 PM: On third-and-1, Stanford’s offensive line gets beat on a halfback dive. First time that it’s happened on short-yard situation.
8:12 PM: Hogan gets the snap off just time and finds Ty Montgomery on a curl route to convert a third-and-10. The Cardinal has amassed 220 yards of total offense so far.
8:09 PM: Gaffney powers ahead, gains just enough to move the chains. Stanford’s running game has been very inconsistent so far. Plenty of 1-yard pickups and no gains mixed in with 5-yard rushes. Sophomore Joshua Garnett has been filling in nicely for David Yankey at left guard so far, but the offensive line certainly still misses its preseason All-American.
8:06 PM: Stanford forced to use its third and final timeout to avoid another delay-of-game penalty. Shaw is visibly upset on the sidelines and yelling at the officials. Brings back great memories of Jim Harbaugh.
8:05 PM: Hogan goes back to Cajuste after the 33-yard touchdown. Reception good for an 8-yard pickup to bring up third-and-1.
8:01 PM: The Cardinal defense holds though. A big open-field tackle by Skov and great pressure applied by the defensive line forces the Cougars to punt it away.
7:59 PM: Head coach Mike Leach gambling early by going for it on fourth down in his own territory, but it pays off. Nice back-shoulder throw by Halliday on fourth-and-4. Wazzu crossing midfield now.
7:57 PM: As usual, Cardinal defense has been very stout against the weak Wazzu running game. On three attempts, the Cougars have rushed for -8 yards so far.
7:54 PM: Hogan is now 5-of-6 for 151 yards and two touchdowns. That’s over 25 yards per pass attempt, and he’s already tied his total passing yards against Arizona State. Talk about efficiency.
7:51 PM: I don’t know if anybody on this Wazzu defense can cover the 6-foot-4, 232-pound Cajuste. Off play action, Hogan hits Cajuste down the seam for a 33-yard score. The Cardinal made it look too easy on that play. Williamson’s extra point attempt is GOOD, and Stanford leads 17-3 with 14:25 left in the second quarter.
7:50 PM: Another clutch scramble by Hogan to pick up the first down. This time, it’s for 11 yards. Stanford threatening at the Cougars 33.
7:46 PM: Back-to-back carries by Tyler Gaffney brings the first quarter to an end. Stanford will face a third-and-6 to start the second quarter.
7:43 PM: Thanks to an untimely drop by Cougars receiver Isiah Myers, the Cardinal defense follows suit by forcing a three-and-out. Now Stanford has a chance to go up by 14.
7:40 PM: We have a new record for the longest play of the season. Hogan hits Cajuste on a vertical route for a 57-yard touchdown. That was a three-vertical passing play. Williamson’s extra point attempt is GOOD, and Stanford leads Wazzu 10-3 with 2:49 left in the first quarter.
7:36 PM: Montgomery barely steps out of bounds on a screen pass from Hogan on a similar play similar to the touchdown-scoring tunnel screen pass that the Cardinal ran against Arizona State in the first quarter last Saturday. He was six inches away from a touchdown; still, a nice 11-yard pickup for the junior.
7:35 PM: Hogan picks up a first down on the scramble. Just barely got past the marker, but a new set downs for the Cardinal at its own 31-yard line.
7:32 PM: Andrew Furney’s 36-yard field goal split the uprights, and Wazzu has tied the game up 3-3. Cougars have a very dependable kicker in Furney, who was second-team All-Pac-12 and hit the game-winning field goal against Washington in the Apple Cup last season.
7:25 PM: Wazzu faces a fourth-and-2 at the Cardinal 19-yard line. Halliday successfully converted the last fourth down, but the Cougars are in the red zone now. Will they risk an easy three points? We’ll find out after the Wazzu timeout.
7:24 PM: On fourth-and-inches, questionable defensive pass interference called on cornerback Wayne Lyons gives Wazzu a fresh set of downs. Lyons had his left arm wrapped around the receiver’s hips, but a very ticky-tacky call.
7:23 PM: Defensive end Josh Mauro explodes into the backfield and knocks the ball out of Connor Halliday’s hands. Cougars will keep the ball though. Remember, the Cardinal recorded 10 sacks against Washington State last year.
7:21 PM: Inside linebacker A.J. Tarpley makes Stanford’s first tackle of the game. Tarpley quickly sniffed out that screen pass — there’s a reason why he’s one of the best pass-coverage linebackers in the country.
7:17 PM: Jordan Williamson’s 28-yard field goal is GOOD, and Stanford takes a 3-0 lead with 10:55 left in the first quarter. It’s not seven points, but the Card will gladly take a field goal on its opening drive at CenturyLink.
7:16 PM: On third-and-long, head coach David Shaw dials up a quarterback draw out of the shotgun. Hogan picks up 7 yards, but is well short of the first down marker. Looks like Shaw is electing to play it conservative early.
7:13 PM: First, a delay of game penalty and now a timeout to avoid another penalty. CenturyLink is nowhere sold out (officially 35,000 tickets were sold), but the noise is already creating some communications issues for Stanford early in the game. Third-and-11 coming up.
7:11 PM: Hogan missed his first pass, but he’s right on target with his second deep ball of the game. A 48-yard pitch-and-catch to wide receiver Michael Rector. Rector got some separation, and Hogan put it right on the money; great hookup between those two on that skinny post route. That’s Stanford’s longest pass play of this season.
7:09 PM: Stanford goes for the home-run ball on the first play of the game, but Hogan JUST overthrows Montgomery. Montgomery got his fingertips on the ball, but couldn’t quite hang on to it.
7:08 PM: Ty Montgomery brings the kickoff out to the Cardinal’s own 28-yard line. Hogan and company takes the field. Here we go.
7:06 PM: The rain is still coming down.
7:05 PM: Stanford won the toss and has elected to receive.
7:04 PM: As we said earlier, the play of the Cardinal’s secondary will be very important today, even if it is raining. Without Ed Reynolds in the first half, Stanford’s depth at the safety position is shaky. Backup senior Devon Carrington is certainly capable, but the drop-off in the depth chart after him is significant.
7:01 PM: There was a torrential downpour earlier when Arizona and Washington were playing at Huskies Stadium, but as of right now, the rain has has slowed down quite a bit.
7:00 PM: Lou Holtz just said Washington State is a good team because it beat USC. Washington State certainly may be a formidable Pac-12 team, but Holtz’s justification is questionable to say the least.
6:58 PM: It’ll be very critical for the Cardinal to establish its running game early. With the wet conditions at CenturyLink Field, junior quarterback Kevin Hogan may be as successful with hitting the deep passes. Washington State’s secondary is actually ranked No. 2 in the country, albeit two of its four games came against a struggling USC offense and a cupcake Idaho team.
6:50 PM: Check out The Daily’s preview of the game here as kickoff looms in just over ten minutes, as well as managing editor Sam Fisher’s what-to-watch-for-column and football editor Joseph Beyda’s feature on Stanford’s fourth-down play-calling.
6:46 PM: On the other side of the ball, Stanford will look to sophomore Joshua Garnett, who has mainly been used as an extra lineman in the “ogre” package, to step up at left guard as All-American David Yankey will not travel with the team to Seattle due to family issues. All eyes will be on Garnett tonight as he will be tested early and often in Stanford’s power offense.
6:44 PM: Many have been saying that the upstart Cougars may present a trap-game scenario for the championship-hopeful Cardinal, especially at CenturyLink Field, a neutral site at which Stanford stumbled against the Washington Huskies for an early loss last season. With All-American safety Ed Reynolds suspended for the first half after a targeting ejection in the second half against Arizona State and cornerback Barry Browning questionable with an injury, Cougar quarterback Connor Halliday and head coach Mike Leach’s air-raid offense will look for any weaknesses in Stanford’s secondary that they can find.
6:36 PM: It has, by all accounts, been a rainy, windy and downright miserable day in Seattle as the teams prepare for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff at CenturyLink Field. The ugly weather has contributed to a lot of sloppy play just a few miles away at Husky Stadium in another Pac-12 matchup as the both the Arizona Wildcats and the Washington Huskies have botched several special teams plays due to the “monsoon-like” conditions.
6:30 PM: Good evening everyone, and thank you for you joining us. We’re about half an hour away from kickoff as No. 5 Stanford squares off against Washington State in Seattle tonight in its second second Pac-12 contest of the season.