‘Great win’ puts Cardinal in position for North title
STANFORD >> With a stunning 30-22 upset of No. 9 Washington, Stanford put itself in prime position to win the Pac-12 North and ended the conference’s hopes of landing a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Friday’s late-night victory was about Bryce Love reasserting his chances to reach New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist, but it was also a splendid effort by redshirt quarterback K.J. Costello and a dominating second-half performance by the Cardinal defense.
After back-to-back subpar games, the Cardinal (7-3, 6-2 Pac-12) put it all together in front of 44,589 fans at Stanford Stadium.
It’s a great win,” coach David Shaw said.
As a result, Stanford still can win the North title with the combination of a win over Cal in the Big Game next week at home and a victory by Washington (8-2, 5-2) over Washington State in the Apple Cup on Nov. 25. Regardless, the Huskies have been eliminated from contention to join the four-team playoff for the national championship.
Things didn’t look good for the Cardinal when, trailing 14-7, Love limped off the field after being tripped by safety Taylor Rapp with 11:10 left in the second quarter. He took a seat on sideline, his left ankle injury reaggravated.
The junior entered the game leading the nation with 182 rushing yards per game, averaging 9.5 per carry with a TD run of at least 50 yards in every game he played this season.
Love was probably the Heisman co-frontrunner when he originally injured his ankle against Oregon on Oct. 14. He sat out the next week as the Cardinal struggled to a 15-14 win at Oregon State. He returned to face Washington State last week, but was held under 100 yards for the first time this season.
Without him against the nation’s stingiest defense, Stanford figured to be overmatched.
But the Cardinal did not wilt, and Love was just getting started.
He finished with 30 carries for 166 yards and three touchdowns in another Stanford game played after East Coast fans were tucked into bed. The final snap came at 2:05 a.m. ET.
“I don’t know if you can ask anything more from a football player,” Shaw said “He played on one leg and played a phenomenal game. I’m not going to mention any awards, but if he doesn’t win ’em all, then I don’t know what’s going on. This guy is unbelievable.”
Love confirmed he has hardly practiced since the Oregon game, but all he needed to get recharged Friday night was a fresh tape job on his ankle. He had 19 carries for 129 yards after tweaking the ankle.
“Just a twist, that’s how the game goes,” said Love, adding there was no question in his mind he would return.
Shaw, whose 71st victory tied the Stanford record set nearly a century ago by Pop Warner, was pleased with virtually every aspect of his team’s performance. He challenged the offensive line to play big against a Washington unit that was leading the nation in total defense, and the Cardinal out-gained the Huskies 406 yards to 325 and kept the ball for more than 36 minutes.