Stanford outlasts UCLA; Cal smothers Colorado
Stanford receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside matched the school record with his 14th touchdown catch this season.
When USC receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a 44-yard touchdown against UCLA last week, Stanford coach David Shaw texted his freshman receiver, Osiris St. Brown, and said that when the Cardinal faced the Bruins, Osiris would score a touchdown on the exact same play that his older brother just scored on.
The opportunity presented itself midway through the fourth quarter. Getting 1-on-1 coverage with no safety help, Orisis St. Brown got behind the defense for a go-ahead 52yard touchdown pass from K.J. Costello, providing the winning score in a 49-42 shootout Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
It was the fifth touchdown pass for Costello in a wild game that capped Chip Kelly’s first season leading UCLA.
“I thought all week in the back of my head that I truly believe this is a future Pac-12 championship game,” Shaw said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun watching these two teams play the next few years.”
For now, the Cardinal (74, 5-3 Pac-12) extended its dominance over the Bruins THE SCORE
STANFORD 49, UCLA 42 Up next: Stanford (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12) at Cal (7-4, 4-4) Dec. 1, noon,
Pac-12 Network
(3-9, 3-6). Here are the biggest takeaways as Stanford won its 11th straight in the series:
PASSING GAME >> At this point, Shaw has completely abandoned his runfirst mentality. Despite the availability of Bryce Love, the Cardinal passed on its first eight plays and didn’t run until its third possession. Costello became the first QB since Kevin Hogan in the 2013 Big Game to throw for five TDs.
The sophomore finished 23 of 37 passing for 344 yards and an interception. It was his seventh 300-yard game of the season. Steve Stenstrom (eight in 1993) is the only Stanford QB with more 300-yard passing games.
“It’s what we thought during the recruiting process,” Shaw said. “He’s going to be one of the best quarterbacks in America. He takes the coaching, comes back and plays great.”
BIG TARGETS >> Stanford didn’t miss Kaden Smith, one of the most productive tight ends in the country, who missed the game with an undisclosed injury.
Costello’s favorite target was JJ Arcega-Whiteside, who posted 106 yards and three TDs on seven catches. The senior now has 14 receiving touchdowns this season, tying the school record set by James Lofton 41 years ago.
“I haven’t been comfortable all year,” Shaw said. “We’ve been an enigma. But the one consistent has been big plays in the passing game.”
MORE INCONSISTENCY >> Arcega-Whiteside’s third TD, on his trademark fade route against single coverage from 2 yards out, put the Cardinal up 41-27 midway through the third quarter. But the Bruins scored nine points on two plays to get back into it – Martin Andrus came unblocked to tackle
Bryce Love in the end zone for a safety, and then Darnay Holmes returned the ensuing free kick 93 yards for a touchdown.
Wilton Speight, who completed 29 of 47 passes for 466 yards, then scored on a 1-yard keeper to put UCLA up 42-41 with 9:27 remaining.
St. Brown put Stanford back on top just 68 seconds after Speight’s score, and the defense held on UCLA’s two final possessions.