College football:
Gamble at the 1 ‘a no-brainer’ for coach Shaw
USC holds off Stanford 31-28 to win the Pac-12 championship.
There wasn’t a doubt in his mind. No one can tell David Shaw his Stanford team can’t gain one measly yard at a crucial time. So the Cardinal coach chose his basic instinct Friday night, and it seemed entirely proper, but the play was stopped cold.
What followed captured the essence of the Pac-12 Championship Game, a 31-28 victory for USC at Levi’s Stadium and a case to be made for the Trojans’ postseason worth. They have virtually no shot at the four-team playoff, but at 11-2 they’ll be a hell of a choice for one of the highest-profile bowl games.
That single yard eluded Stanford (9-4) when Cameron
Scarlett was stopped near the goal line on a tremendous play by linebacker Uchenna Nwosu. It was the culmination of an epic goal-line stand, leaving the Trojans a full 99 yards from a fourth-quarter touchdown that would seal the game.
And it was done. The full 99. For those taking an objective look, that drive will be remembered longer than Bryce Love’s latest heroic performance, a fabulous game by Stanford defensive lineman Harrison Phillips (13 tackles) and a collection of plays that left great promise for Stanford’s passing game next season.
The passer of record this night was USC’s Sam Darnold, who often looks like a quarterback who could use another season of collegiate glory — but just as often strikes gold. His best play might have come on that length-of-the field drive, avoiding a sack and stopping short of a scramble when he spotted Michael Pittman in the open field and quick-triggered a perfect connection for 54 yards to the Stanford 44. A bit later, the irrepressible Ronald Jones (140 yards rushing) scored on an 8-yard run that gave USC a 31-21 lead.
Darnold won the game’s MVP award and a well-deserved taste of glory, but this game also marked the continued ascent of Cardinal quarterback K.J. Costello, who has that confident, fiery look of a born winner. He completed just 10 of 22 passes, but his hookups with junior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside and sophomore tight end Kaden Smith have been too spectacular to ignore over the season’s second half. Both made acrobatic catches on Stanford’s final touchdown drive, Smith grabbing a 12-yard pass in traffic for the score.
In the aftermath of USC’s regular-season victory over Stanford, a 42-24 thrashing at the L.A. Coliseum, Darnold, Phillips and Stanford tight end Dalton Schultz were just a few of the players predicting a rematch. The setting could have been better — this game has never caught on at Levi’s Stadium, and it appears bound for Las Vegas whenever the Raiders’ new stadium is ready — but the action was first-rate.
Once again, Love was both thrilling and discouraging to watch. He twice hobbled off the field on his sore ankle, a sight familiar to the Stanford community since he was first injured against Oregon on Oct. 14, and yet he finished with 125 yards on 22 carries, yet another distinguished performance in a Heisman Trophy-caliber season. It’s just that everyone knows there could have been more. Love is always good for at least one long-distance run, and sure enough, he broke loose for a 52-yarder near the end of the third quarter. But he was brought down from behind, by safety Chris Hawkins, and that doesn’t happen against anybody when Love is at full strength.
After the game, Shaw was asked about going for it on that 4th-and-1 when a field goal would have tied the game at 24. “Right there with four minutes left, chance to take the lead, there’s no hesitation at all,” he said. “That’s what we’re gonna do. If we don’t get it, we trust our defense to get us the ball back. It’s a credit to USC that it didn’t happen. But that’s a no-brainer.”
As he spoke, gracious as ever in defeat, it was easy to compare the stability of Stanford’s coaching situation to the constant state of transition in the conference. Among Cal, USC, Oregon and Oregon State, 14 coaches have been hired since 2012. UCLA is about to venture into the great unknown with Chip Kelly, while Arizona State plots a major gamble with Herman Edwards. As of Friday night, Washington State’s Mike Leach and Oregon’s Willie Taggart were reportedly strong candidates for the open posts at Tennessee and Florida State, respectively.
Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore? Carole King sang that (“So Far Away”), but there’s a man at Stanford who confounds the restless-soul mentality, for he is completely at peace. He preaches football and academics with equal weight, sustaining a program that wins — including three Rose Bowl victories in four years — and rises above the stench of scandal.
“I couldn’t imagine not being here,” Shaw has said, more than once. Around Stanford, they can’t hear it enough.