Well that certainly wasn’t the game anyone was expecting.

After going down by 12 twice, No. 8 Stanford (7-1, 6-0 Pac-12) clawed its way back into the game, gaining a two-point lead off a 19-yard field goal from Conrad Ukropina before Washington State’s (5-3, 3-2) Erik Powell missed a 43-yard field goal as time expired, winning Stanford the game 30-28.

With that win, Stanford now controls the Pac-12 North, barring a meltdown over the next few games.

While the Cardinal got out to an early 3-0 lead, Wazzu scored 12 unanswered points, all off field goals. The Cardinal wouldn’t regain the lead until 14:19 in the fourth quarter, when fifth-year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan’s 6-yard rush into the end zone temporarily put Stanford up by five. Although Washington State and quarterback Luke Falk responded with a touchdown off of an 81-yard drive, an interception by freshman Quenton Meeks, his second of the night, would later set up the game-winning Ukropina field goal.

The game was pretty ugly in the first half, with Stanford only posting 85 yards, 29 of which were rushing yards, before halftime. The offensive line struggled in the rain on turf, and fifth-year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan threw a pick and had a fumble in the first quarter alone.

While Hogan struggled in the air, his legs ultimately made the difference for the Cardinal, as he rushed for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns, one of which was from 59 yards out. The victory also marked the 31st of his career, tied with Andrew Luck for the most career wins any quarterback has had in Stanford history.

Sophomore running back Christian McCaffrey did not turn heads as much as usual, but he still ended with 107 rushing yards, his sixth game in a row with over 100 yards of rushing.

Stanford will next travel to Boulder to take on Colorado on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 10 a.m.

 

Contact Alexa Philippou at aphil723 ‘at’ stanford.edu.