As Stanford prepares to break its four-year Big Game losing streak, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane and look back at the last decade of Big Game. While Cal holds the upper hand now with four-straight wins, a decade ago it was the Card that were dominant, remaining undefeated against the Golden Bears from 2009 all the way to 2018. While Stanford is still up in the overall Big Game record, the last decade of Big Games shows just how fast fortunes can turn in college football.
No matter who is winning, Big Game always produces highlight reel moments and stand out players. From Christian McCaffrey ‘18 putting up video game numbers, to Paulson Adebo ‘20 making back-to-back fourth quarter interceptions, to Thomas Booker ‘22 blocking a PAT to give Stanford the win, to an unfortunate run of fourth quarter comebacks from Cal, lets recount the moments that made each game from the last decade memorable.
2024: 24-21, road loss
Last year the Cardinal traveled to Berkeley and lost in heartbreaking fashion. Up 21-10 at the end of the third quarter, Stanford looked poised to break its three-year losing streak. Hopes for the Card were slowly dashed as then-Cal quarterback and current Indiana Heisman trophy hopeful Fernando Mendoza put together back-to-back 11-play scoring drives that gave Cal the lead with just over two minutes left on the clock. The Cal defense managed to put up a quick four-play turnover-on-downs that sealed the home win for the Golden Bears. Stanford left dejected as Cal fans poured on to the field to celebrate their comeback win.
2023: 27-15, home loss
The last time Big Game was played on Stanford home turf, Cal managed to walk away with a 27-15 victory. Fernando Mendoza, a then-redshirt freshman in the midst of his breakout season, threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Cal was suffocating on both sides of the ball that year holding the Stanford offense and future NFL talent Elic Ayomanor to just 188 passing yards. Ayomanor managed just three catches for 43 yards in the disappointing home loss.
2022: 27-20, road loss
In 2022, Cal completed another fourth-quarter comeback in their home stadium. After trailing 17-3 at the end of the third quarter, Cal put together a seven-play scoring drive that put them within one score of tying the lead. On the ensuing drive, then-backup Stanford quarterback Aston Daniels took a direct snap. On the scramble, Cal defense managed to strip the ball out of Daniels’ hands. The fumble was recovered by Cal, but Daniels managed to strip the ball back out of the hands of a Cal defender. Unfortunately, another Cal player managed to pick up this second fumble and run it all the way to the end zone for a 37-yard scoop-and-score to gain the lead. Cal then managed to punch in one more touchdown to seal the game, cementing the iconic double fumble scoop-and-score into the history books as one of the rivalries’ all-time moments. And to top it all off, Stanford kicker Joshua Karty nailed the longest field goal in Big Game history — a 61-yard attempt — as the final seconds of the game ticked away.
2021: 41-11, home loss
In a year where COVID restrictions hung heavily over both teams, all the pieces seemed to align for Cal going into Big Game. Just two weeks before, over 20 Cal players had to sit out against Arizona, but as Stanford rolled around, nearly the entire Cal roster was available. The full might of that year’s Cal roster was too much for Stanford. Stanford lost 41-11 at home in one of the most lopsided games in the history of the rivalry. To add to the embarrassment, Cal quarterback Chase Garbers set a Big Game record for longest pass on a 84-yard touchdown heave.
2020: 24-23, road win
We have to go all the way back to 2020 — a time when most of the current student body was in middle and high school — to recall Stanford’s most recent victory over the Golden Bears. The game took place in the midst of the pandemic and was a unique entry to the annals of Big Game history, as it was the first time that both teams entered the game winless and the first time the game was played on a Friday. Stanford eked out a gritty road win thanks, in no small part, to exceptional special teams play. In the final seconds of the game, Cal scored and only needed to make an extra point to send the game into overtime when Thomas Booker ‘22 managed to do the impossible and block the kick. The miraculous block secured the win for Stanford.
2019: 24-20, home loss
2019 marked the first time Stanford had lost Big Game since 2009, doing so at home by a score of 24-20. In typical Big Game fashion, Cal managed to pull off an impressive fourth quarter comeback by outscoring the Card 14-3 in the final 15 minutes. Cal’s miraculous comeback to break their nine-game losing streak can be attributed to stellar play from quarterback Chase Garbers, who had 357 all-purpose yards.
2018: 23-13, road win
Stanford’s road win marked the ninth consecutive Big Game victory for the Card. Stanford’s defense was the deciding factor in 2018, making big plays when it mattered most to hold the Cal offense to just a single touchdown. Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo made two clutch fourth-quarter interceptions, including a one-handed grab in the end zone, that prevented a game-tying score.
2017: 17-14, home win
Back in 2017, the No. 20 Cardinal barely bested the Golden Bears in a 17-14 home win that kept Pac-12 Championship hopes alive for the Card. Stanford running back and current Washington Commander Bryce Love, the nation’s then leading rusher, was the story of the game. Early in the fourth quarter, Love had already rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown when he was forced to sit out the rest of the game due to an ankle injury. Stanford’s defense managed to hold Cal scoreless in the fourth quarter to hang on to the win, but questions persisted about Love’s ability for the following week against No. 9 Notre Dame. Love ultimately did play the following week,helping Stanford beat the Fighting Irish 38-20. That year Stanford made it to the Pac-12 Championship game where they lost to No. 10 USC.
2016: 45-31, road win
Long time Stanford football fans will know that the 2016 era of Stanford football means prime Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey, the current San Francisco 49ers starting running back and 2023 Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year award winner, put up historic numbers in Big Game that year. McCaffrey ran all over the Cal defense accounting for 284 yards and posting an all-time highlight 90-yard touchdown run. No. 24 Stanford won 45-31 that year in Berkeley.
2015: 17-14, home win
In 2015, No. 11 Stanford beat Cal 35-22 at home, thanks primarily to yet another Christian McCaffrey highlight reel. Both teams had their offenses humming. Cal quarterback, and current Detroit Lion Jared Goff threw for 386 yards, but it was Christian McCaffrey and the Stanford offense that won the day. McCaffrey had a 49-yard touchdown pass reception and a 98-yard kickoff return on top of his 192 rushing yards.