2010 Season

August 28th - Mississippi State Bulldogs (0-0) at Stanford Cardinal (0-0)

Stanford 38 - Mississippi State 21

Stanford starts the 2010 season with a hard fought win against the SEC's Mississippi State. The game started off with the Cardinal receiving the ball and driving down the field to take a 7-0 lead. After the Bulldogs punted, Stanford got into field goal range but a sack forced 4th and 18 on the 36 yard line. In no man's land, Joker elected to go for it, but Andrew Luck's pass fell incomplete. After both teams traded punts, Mississippi State drove down the field and faced a first and goal from inside the Cardinal 5 yard line. Disaster struck, however, as the Bulldogs botched the option play resulting in a fumble. Stanford corner Johnson Bademosi picked up the ball and took it 91 yards to the house giving Stanford a 14-0 lead.

Mississippi State answered quickly and scored on a 39 yard pass from Relf to Clark. Only 7 seconds later, Mississippi State tied it as Luck's pass was intercepted and returned 23 yards for the touchdown. The game was tied going into halftime. Stanford intercepted the Bulldogs inside their own 5 again to end Mississippi State's opening second half drive. They then went 96 yards down the field and scored on a 9 yard pass from Luck to Reuland. The Bulldogs did not quit, however, and answered just over a minute later with an incredible 36 yard run by Relf. He hurdled a player and broke a tackle before scoring the touchdown. This made the score 21-21 going into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was all Stanford and Owen Marecic. Marecic retook the lead on a 2 yard run with 5 minutes remaining. After forcing a punt, the Cardinal killed as much clock as possible and kicked a 42 yard field goal with 1:16 remaining. Mississippi State would turn the ball over for the third time on their next drive, and Marecic sealed the deal with a 3 yard scamper to give Stanford the 38-21 win.

The Cardinal were lead by a pounding ground game that saw Stanford rush 41 times for 214 yards and produced 3 touchdowns. It also helped Stanford control the ball for 21 minutes compared to Mississippi State's 10:27 T.O.P. Stepfan Taylor lead the way with 166 rushing yards while Marecic scored two fourth quarter touchdowns. The Cardinal will start Pac-10 play next week as they face UCLA.

Stanford
Luck - 15-23, 187 yards, td, int
Taylor - 24 carries, 166 yards, td
Maerecic - 10 carries, 34 yards, 2 td
Reuland - 6 catches, 59 yards, td
Sherman - 3 tackles, int
Bademosi - 2 tackles, fr, td

Mississippi State
Relf - 11-22, 184 yards, td, 2 int, 6 carries, 36 yards, td
Ballard - 7 carries, 36 yards
Clark - 5 catches, 109 yards, td
Whitley - 9 tackles, int, td

September 4th - Stanford Cardinal (1-0) at UCLA Bruins (0-1) *Pac-10 Game

Stanford 35 - UCLA 28

Stanford looked like they were going to blow out the Bruins but fell asleep in the second half and nearly blew it, hanging on for a 35-28 win. The Cardinal go out to a 21-0 lead at halftime thanks to Andrew Luck's passing attack and a defense that gave up only 2 first downs the entire half. The Cardinal took a 28-0 lead on Luck's fourth touchdown pass of the game midway through the third quarter. And then the wheels came off. UCLA responded with a touchdown pass by Kevin Prince. Stanford answered back with another Andrew Luck touchdown, but UCLA quickly cut the lead to 21 again with a 78 yard touchdown run. UCLA would score two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but their onside attempt kick attempt failed and with only 50 seconds remaining Stanford was able to run out the clock.

Luck, like Stanford, started out hot but ended very cold. At one point he was 18-24 and had 3 touchdown passes, but a 4-14 finish and an interception allowed UCLA to get back into it. He ended 22-38 for 319 yards, 5 touchdown passes and an interception. Stepfan Taylor, who broke out against Mississippi State, struggled to rush the ball gaining only 59 yards on 18 attempts. The Cardinal turned to Owen Marecic to move the chains in the fourth quarter as he ran at a much more effective 5.1 yards per carry clip. The Cardinal out-gained UCLA by just under 100 yards but were a lousy 5-14 on third down. "Not good enough," Joker said after. "Haven't played a full game yet, we are still learning but we need to be better."

Stanford will play their rivals San Jose State next week.

Stanford
Luck - 22-38, 319 yards, 5 td, int
Taylor - 18 carries, 59 yards
Marecic - 10 carries, 51 yards
Whalen - 6 catches, 104 yards, 2 td
Owusu - 3 catches, 78 yards, td
Skov - 9 tackles, 2 sacks
Howell - 5 tackles, int

UCLA
Prince - 20-32, 244 yards, 2 td, int
Franklin - 13 carries, 124 yards, 2 td
Smith - 6 catches, 71 yards
Rosario - 4 catches, 91 yards, 2 td
Carter - 8 tackles, sack
Larimore - 5 tackles, int

September 11th - Stanford Cardinal (2-0) at San Jose State Spartans (0-2)

Stanford 55 - San Jose State 7

Stanford dismantles their rival Spartans 55-7. Things looked bleak for San Jose State right from the beginning as Drew Terrell returned the opening kickoff 97 yards and on the ensuing drive the Spartans were stopped on 4th and 1. They would tie the game up at 7 on their next drive, but Stanford took over from there scoring the next 48 points. The Cardinal out-gained SJSU by over 200 yards and held them to a 1-9 third down conversion rate while forcing 2 turnovers. Andrew Luck, while not having a great completion percentage (11-22, 50%) did throw for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Cardinal ground game was a force as a 5 players averaged over 5 yards per carry with at least 3 carries. Stepfan Taylor ran for 76 yards and 2 touchdowns while Owen Marecic added 78 yards and also scored twice. The defense was led by Skov who recorded 8 tackles and recovered a fumble. Stanford gets into the meat of their schedule now as they play Notre Dame, at Oregon and at USC in the next 3 weeks.

Stanford
Luck - 11-22, 252 yards, 2 td
Taylor - 13 carries, 76 yards, 2 td
Marecic - 10 carries, 78 yards, 2 td
Whalen - 4 catches, 102 yards, 2 td
Skov - 8 tackles, fumble recovered
Bernard - 4 tackles, interception

San Jose State
La Secla - 14-27, 206 yards, td, int
Rutley - 10 carries, 27 yards, fumble
Beauchman - 4 catches, 77 yards, td
Ihenacho - 7 tackles
Germany - 8 tackles

September 18th - Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-1) at Stanford Cardinal (3-0)

Stanford 28 - Notre Dame 16

The Cardinal improve to 4-0 with a solid win over their rivals Notre Dame. Stanford again got out to an early lead, 21-7 midway through the second quarter, and held on as Notre Dame came storming on late. Andrew Luck started the game off on fire completing 10 of his first 11 attempts. A 15 yard pass to Baldwin and a 16 yard scramble by Luck gave Stanford the early 14-0 lead. Notre Dame would find the end zone as the first quarter expired, but Stanford answered that with an Owen Marecic 11 yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The Irish added a field goal before the half ended.

Stanford took a 28-10 lead with Marecic's second touchdown run, a 4 yard scamper in the third. Down 18, Notre Dame went into air it out mode and began to move the ball successfully. Crist hit Riddick on a 9 yard pass with 5:47 remaining in the game to cut the lead to 28-16. The two point attempt failed. After a failed 4th down conversion, however, the Irish got the ball back and moved down the field again. Crist was intercepted by Thomas in the end zone, however, and the game was over.

The Irish were able to put up 379 yards on Stanford but could not stop the Cardinal attack, as Stanford posted 156 rushing yards and 321 passing yards. They were also a much improved 9-13 on third down, though they did go 0-2 on fourth down. Luck was terrific as per usual, throwing for 321 yards and a touchdown while adding a rushing score. Both Stepfan Taylor and Marecic carried the ball 14 times with Marecic finding the end zone twice.

Stanford plays their biggest game of the season to date as they travel to Oregon to face the #3 Ducks next week.

Stanford
Luck - 23-32, 321 yards, td, int, 4 carries, 27 yards, td
Taylor - 14 carries, 67 yards, 7 catches, 81 yards
Marecic - 14 carries, 62 yards, 2 td
Baldwin - 5 catches, 54 yards, td
Reuland - 4 catches, 107 yards
Thomas - 7 tackles, int
Stephens - 3 tackles, 2 sacks

Notre Dame
Montana - 6-9, 58 yards
Crist - 20-39, 262 yards, td, int
Allen - 7 carries, 47 yards
Riddick - 10 catches, 99 yards, td
Kamara - 5 catches, 82 yards
Slaughter - 13 tackles
Calabrese - 11 tackles, sack

September 25th - Stanford Cardinal (4-0) at #3 Oregon Ducks (4-0)

Stanford 34 - Oregon 21

A classic Pac-10 showdown between Stanford and Oregon. In a game the officials tried to leave their mark on, the Cardinal were able to upset the #3 Ducks 34-21. There were 12 penalties in the game, 6 on each team, and many of them were drive killers. Both teams may have been a bit nervous to start as the first quarter started off slowly. Due to dropped passes, poor blocking and a few (or a lot) penalties, both teams punted on their first two possessions. Oregon would open the scoring with a 30 yard touchdown run by James late in the first quarter. Stanford answered back, however, as Owen Marecic, the goal line specialist, scored from 7 yards out to start the second quarter. Marecic would score again, this time from a yard out with only 1:48 remaining in the half. Oregon executed a perfect two minute drive, however, and Thomas hit Davis in the end zone to tie the game at 14. They executed it too perfectly, perhaps, as Andrew Luck still had 43 seconds to try and get points before the half. He would do just that as Stanford kicked a short field goal as time expired to give the Cardinal a 17-14 halftime lead.

Stanford would add another field goal on their opening drive of the second half to increase their lead to 6. After both teams traded punts, Thomas ran a perfectly executed QB draw play and took the ball 48 yards to the house. The score gave Oregon a 28-27 lead going into the fourth quarter. This is where Andrew Luck took over. Luck, with very little support from his ground game, took Stanford 85 yards and hit Reuland in the back of the end zone to regain Stanford's 6 point lead. On the ensuing kickoff, disaster struck, as freshman Josh Huff was stripped by Stanford's Drew Terrell. Cardinal CB Harold Bernard jumped on the fumble, giving Stanford phenomenal field position. Luck made Oregon pay, as 6 plays later he hit Ryan Whalen who dove into the end zone giving the Cardinal a 13 point lead. Oregon would put together a nice drive but on 4th and goal Thomas' pass was incomplete and Stanford was able to run out the clock.

Both teams moved the ball effectively all game as Stanford put up 498 yards to Oregon's 420 yards. Oregon was able to run the ball much better than Stanford, gaining 163 yards on only 23 carries. The Ducks had no answer for Andrew Luck, however, as Luck completed 26 of his 35 attempts for 399 yards and 2 touchdowns. They key difference in the game was the two Oregon turnovers, one an interception in the end zone in the first quarter and the other the fumble that essentially won the game for Stanford.

Stanford will try to avoid a letdown after this upset win as they travel to USC to face the struggling Trojans next week.

Stanford
Luck - 26-35, 399 yards, 2 td
Taylor - 18 carries, 47 yards
Marecic - 7 carries, 21 yards, 2 td
Reuland - 8 catches, 101 yards, td
Whalen - 6 catches, 68 yards, td
Sherman - 3 tackles, int

Oregon
Thomas - 15-30, 231 yards, td, int, 8 carries, 73 yards, td
James - 12 carries, 72 yards, td
Maehl - 4 catches, 71 yards
Paulson - 4 catches, 50 yards
Boyett - 13 tackles
Matthews - 12 tackles
Rowe - 9 tackles, sack

October 2nd - Stanford Cardinal (5-0) at Southern California Trojans (0-3)

Stanford 52 - USC 14

Despite their struggles so far this season, going into USC and winning is never an easy task. Stanford did more than that, as they went in and embarrassed the Trojans 52-14. Thanks to some early interceptions, Stanford was able to get out to a 28-0 lead by halftime. Southern California showed some life in the third putting up two touchdowns, but the Cardinal still held a 38-14 lead going into the fourth quarter where they put up two more touchdowns to complete the rout.

Stanford out gained USC by just under 100 yards, but forced 3 key turnovers and went an astonishing 6-6 in the red zone. Andrew Luck was terrific, completing 18 of his 23 attempts for 203 yards. He threw for 3 touchdowns while adding a rushing score in the fourth quarter. Owen Marecic added two more touchdowns to his season total as well. Stanford, now 6-0, has a bye next week before continuing to face Pac-10 opponents.

Stanford
Luck - 18-23, 203 yards, 3 td, 5 carries, 34 yards, td
Marecic - 11 carries, 75 yards, 2 td
Taylor - 11 carries, 76 yards, 4 catches, 34 yards, td
Reuland - 5 catches, 66 yards, td
Bademosi - 2 tackles, 2 interceptions

USC
Barkley - 18-30, 271 yards, 2 td, 2 int
Mustain - 4-7, 42 yards, int
Bradford - 10 carries, 21 yards
Butler - 7 catches, 110 yards, td
McDonald - 10 tackles
Smith - 6 tackles, sack

October 16th - Washington State Cougars (4-3) at #9 Stanford Cardinal (6-0)

Stanford 27, Washington State 20

The scoreboard showed 4th Quarter - 0:00, and the only thing that could be heard was "SKOV! SKOV! SKOV!" over and over again. The Cardinal faithful were serenading the sophomore middle linebacker who may have saved the Stanford National Championship hopes. Skov recorded 17 tackles, all solo, 10 of which came for a loss. He also got to Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel repeatedly and brought him down for a sack four times. The reason the Stanford crowd was chanting his name, however, was because of one simple tackle.

The Cardinal seemed like they were going to rout the Cougars as they jumped out to a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter. The offense hit a lull, however, as they were stopped for a safety and picked off in the red zone on back to back possessions. The defense held strong and Stanford took a 17-2 into halftime.

Washington State came out to play in the second half. After both teams traded field goals, the Cougars finally found the end zone with 32 seconds left in the third quarter and trailed 20-12 going into the fourth quarter. Stanford appeared to put the game on ice as Owen Marecic, the goal line specialist, punched one in from a yard out. The Cougars did not quit, and were able to cut the lead to 7 thanks to a great passing game and a two point conversion less than a minute later. After forcing the Cardinal to punt, Washington State had the ball back with a chance to tie the game.

Led by the passing attack of Jeff Tuel, the Cougars marched down the field and appeared to have tied it with 40 seconds remaining. A holding penalty, however, negated the touchdown and a sack on third down appeared to spell the end for Washington State. On fourth and goal from the Stanford 26, Tuel dropped back and dumped the ball off to Chantz Staden. With blockers out in front, Staden reached the Cardinal 20. The 15. The 10. The 5. Then, all of a sudden, Shayne Skov dove and tackled Staden, pulling him down at the 1 yard line. Owen Marecic ended what little hope the Cougars had left with an 81 yard rush. He was tackled the the Washington State 18 as time expired. Stanford was very lucky to hold on as they played a horrible second half defensively. They will have to improve as they face Jake Locker and the Huskies next week.

Stanford
Luck - 22-33, 286 yards, 2 td, int
Marecic - 10 carries, 106 yards, td
Taylor - 14 carries, 55 yards
Whalen - 6 catches, 62 yards
Baldwin - 5 catches, 72 yards, td
Skov - 17 tackles, 4 sacks

Washington State
Tuel - 27-43, 321 yards, 2 td
Montgomery - 13 carries, 83 yards
Wilson - 9 catches, 115 yards
Simone - 6 catches, 50 yards, td
Toomer - 4 tackles, interception

October 23rd - #3 Stanford Cardinal (7-0) at #13 Washington Huskies (6-1)

Stanford 14 - Washington 11

An absolute battle out west. Though a Huskies loss last week too Arizona reduced some of the hype surrounding this game, it was still a big contest as the Pac-10 leaders went head to head. Things looked to be going Washington's way early when Stanford was forced to punt on their first possession and the Huskies were able to move the ball at will down the field. A dropped touchdown pass on third down, however, forced the Huskies to settle for a 21 yard field goal.

The second quarter was all Stanford, and more specifically, all Stepfan Taylor. Taylor gave the Cardinal a 7-3 lead on a 5 yard rush early in the second quarter, and increased that lead to 11 when he took an Andrew Luck screen pass 5 yards for the score. Thanks to some stingy defense, the Cardinal lead 14-3 at halftime. Stanford had a chance to take a commanding lead in the third quarter, but twice drives stalled inside Washington territory. Stanford kicker Nate Whitaker missed two field goal attempts as the Cardinal were unable to increase their lead.

A criticism of Stanford all season has been their inability to put away opponents. It appeared it would happen again here. After stalling for most of the game, Jake Locker took advantage of the two missed kicks by Stanford and put together a beautiful drive. Locker hit Johnson in the end zone from 4 yards out after converting twice on 4th down inside the Stanford 20. The two point attempt was successful, and the Huskies were only down 3 with 6:21 remaining in the game.

The Cardinal were able to move the ball, but stalled in Washington territory once again. On a 4th and 2 from the Washington 32, they elected to attempt to pick up the first down rather than trust a kicker who had missed his two previous attempts. Unfortunately, the Andrew Luck pass was knocked down, and the Huskies had the ball, down 3, with 2 minutes remaining.

The Huskies again began to move down the field, even converting a 4th and 26 from their own 47 yard line. However, thanks to a great play by Shayne Skov, breaking through the line and sacking Locker, Washington was unable to convert a 4th and 12 and turned the ball over on downs. A knee by Luck and the game was over. The game was incredibly close, as Stanford put up 15 first downs and 274 yards of offense compared to Washington`s 14 first downs and 273 yards of offense. Neither team could put together much of a ground game, though the Huskies were hindered by six holding penalties.

The game was also a battle between two future first round draft picks Andrew Luck and Jake Locker. Luck completed 22 of his 29 attempts for 209 yards and a score despite being harassed all game. He was sacked a season high 5 times. Locker, oddly enough, also through for 209 yards and a touchdown, though he was less accurate completing only 21 of his 34 attempts.

Stanford
Luck - 22-29, 209 yards, td
Taylor - 11 carries, 39 yards, td, 5 catches, 29 yards, td
Whalen - 10 catches, 102 yards
Skov - 12 tackles, 2 sacks

Washington
Locker - 21-34, 209 yards, td
Polk - 11 carries, 44 yards
Johnson - 5 catches, 29 yards
Kearse - 3 catches, 64 yards
Crichton - 3 tackles, 2 sacks

October 30th - #3 Stanford Cardinal (8-0) at Arizona Wildcats (4-4)

Stanford 38 - Arizona 21

Stanford continues to roll as they take care of Arizona rather easily 38-21. The game started great for the Cardinal as Chris Owusu took the opening kickoff all the way to the Arizona 10 yard line. Though they would be forced to settle for a field goal, two Andrew Luck passes gave Stanford an early 17-0 lead. Arizona would answer with an outstanding 82 yard run by Grigsby, but Luck would hit Baldwin on a 41 yard touchdown pass late in the half. The Cardinal lead 24-7 at halftime.

Both teams traded touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters as Arizona never got closer then 10 points behind. Stanford put up 419 yards of offense with most of it coming through the air. Andrew Luck continued his push for the Heisman, completing 22 of 35 pass attempts for 325 yards and 4 touchdowns. Stanford was also very effective on third down, holding Arizona to just 3 conversions while converting on 8 of their 14 attempts.

Stanford
Luck - 22-35, 325 yards, 4 td, int
Taylor - 16 carries, 57 yards
Marecic - 5 carries,16 yards, td
Whalen - 8 catches, 101 yards, td
Baldwin - 3 catches, 96 yards, 2 td
Skov - 10 tackles, sack

Arizona
Foles - 13-28, 175 yards, td, int
Grigsby - 13 carries, 140 yards, 2 td
Simmons - 3 catches, 51 yards, td
Earls - 11 tackles

November 6th - #3 Stanford Cardinal (9-0) at Arizona State Sun Devils (4-5)

Stanford 42 - Arizona State 20

It looked like Stanford was going to be in a real battle. The Cardinal trailed the Sun Devils 17-14 with just under a minute remaining in the first half, but Arizona State was inside the Stanford 35 yard line and were driving. Looking to go ahead by two scores, Threet's pass was intercepted by Brown and returned 87 yards for the touchdown. Arizona State would add three points to start the third quarter and only trailed 21-20, but Andrew Luck took over and threw three second half touchdown passes as the Cardinal rolled. Stanford was outgained 423-370 by Arizona State, but did not turn the ball over and forced 3 themselves. Luck was phenomenal, completing 23 of his 29 attempts for 258 yards and 5 touchdowns. The win all but secures Stanford the Pac-10 and a berth in the Rose Bowl, but they have their eyes set on a much bigger prize as the season winds down.

Stanford
Luck - 23-29, 258 yards, 5 td
Taylor - 16 carries, 54 yards, 8 catches, 49 yards, 3 td
Marecic - 7 carries, 20 yards, tackle, fumble recovered
Owusu - 5 catches, 141 yards, 2 td
Howell - 5 tackles, sack, int
Brown - tackle, int, td

Arizona State
Osweiler - 5-6, 61 yards, td
Threet - 26-41, 241 yards, 2 int
Marshall - 14 carries, 117 yards, 9 catches, 45 yards
Robinson - 5 catches, 84 yards
Brooks - 2 tackles, sack

November 13th - #3 Stanford Cardinal (10-0) at California Golden Bears (5-4)

California 59 - Stanford 42

And just like that, the party is over. Stanford, with only 2 games remaining against struggling opponents, might have been looking ahead. Whatever the case, they showed up with an egg against the Bears and their National Championship hopes are over. Cal beat up Stanford physically, gaining 276 rushing yards on 37 carries. Stanford appeared unprepared for the game as they quickly fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter. The teams traded points in the second quarter, but an Andrew Luck touchdown pass to Reuland with only 4 seconds remaining cut the Bears lead to 24-21 at halftime. They started slowly, but were in position to take the game over. They didn't do it.

The Cardinal gave up two touchdowns in the third before Luck again brought his team back, hitting Owusu on a 46 yard touchdown pass as time expired in the third quarter. California had increased their halftime lead, from 24-21 to 38-28 going into the fourth. Again Stanford proved incapable of stopping the ground game, giving up three rushing touchdowns in the third quarter alone. Luck did everything he could, but unfortunately he does not play linebacker. Stanford allowed Vereen and Sofele (who took over for the injured Vereen in the third quarter) to run all over them. Vereen picked up 99 yards on 16 carries, scoring twice, while Sofele gained a remarkable 161 yards and 4 touchdowns on just 14 carries. Andrew Luck was the only reason the score appeared close, completing 36 of 47 passes for 514 yards, throwing 4 touchdown passes. He got zero help from the ground game as the Cardinal gained only 5 rushing yards.

Though their National Championship hopes are over, Stanford needs to win next week to win the Pac-10 and play in the Rose Bowl, which is a pretty good consolation prize.

Stanford
Luck - 36-47, 514 yards, 4 td, 2 int, rushing td
Mareric - 6 carries, 9 yards, td
Taylor - 6 carries, 0 yards, 11 catches, 65 yards, td
Reuland - 5 catches, 68 yards, 2 td
Skov - 10 tackles, sack

California
Riley - 17-23, 260 yards, 2 td
Vereen - 16 carries, 99 yards, 2 td
Sofele - 14 carries, 161 yards, 4 td
Allen - 5 catches, 92 yards, td
Hagan - 4 tackles, 2 int

November 20th - Oregon State (6-4) at #9 Stanford Cardinal (10-1)

Stanford 27, Oregon State 24

Starting at the first quarter of the game against California and ending at halftime of the game against Oregon State, coach Joker said he has never seen a stretch of bad football this bad in his life. After their National Championship dreams were crushed by Cal, Stanford needed to beat a struggling Oregon State team at home to win the Pac-10 and go to the Rose Bowl. This week it was the offense that must have thought the game started at a later time. Oregon State completely dominated the first half, taking a 21-0 lead into the third quarter. They added a field goal to start the third to make it 24-0, and Stanford's terrific season was beginning to crumble. Andrew Luck was not going to let that happen, however, as he threw 2 touchdown passes to Chris Owusu and completed passes to Stepfan Taylor on both 2 point conversion attempts. Still, Oregon State lead 24-16 going into the fourth quarter.

A huge decision faced Joker and the Cardinal on their first drive of the fourth quarter. They were stopped on third down and faced 4th and 2 at the Oregon State 15, down 8. Instead of going for it, Joker decided to take the points and put the game in the hands of the defense. The defense came through, and Luck got the ball back with just over 3 minutes remaining down 5 points. Luck executed a perfect drive that concluded in an Owen Marecic 1 yard touchdown run with 12 seconds remaining. Stanford made the two point conversion to make it 27-24. Oregon State, with only 8 seconds remaining after the kick return, took 2 shots at the end zone but both passes fell incomplete.

Oregon State put up 499 yards on Stanford but were stopped twice on 4th down and took 6 penalties which came at costly times. They held the ball for 26 minutes compared to the Cardinal's 12 and did not turn the ball over. After a terrible start to the game, Luck had a fantastic second half which was the difference. Stanford will have a few weeks off before they find out who they will play in the Rose Bowl.

Stanford
Luck - 19-39, 349 yards, 2 td, 2 int
Maercic - 7 carries, 19 yards, td
Reuland - 6 catches, 110 yards
Owusu - 3 catches, 119 yards, 2 td
Skov - 19 tackles, 2 sacks

Oregon State
Katz - 23-37, 272 yards, 2 td
Stevenson - 24 carries, 169 yards, td, 6 catches, 31 yards
Rodgers - 4 catches, 76 yards
Mitchell - 2 tackles, int

January 1st - #3 Virginia Tech Hokies (9-2) vs #7 Stanford Cardinal (11-1) ROSE BOWL

Stanford 28, Virginia Tech 23

The Stanford Cardinal are your 2011 Rose Bowl Champions! At the beginning of the season, if you told Joker and his players they would be Rose Bowl Champions I'm sure they would have taken it. Although it was a bit of a disappointing finish as they had a National Championship chance, a Rose Bowl victory feels pretty good.

Virginia Tech came into the game with one of the best defenses in the country, ranking in the top 5 in points allowed, points allowed per game, rush defense, pass defense, and forced turnovers. This didn't seem to phase Andrew Luck as he hit Ryan Whalen on a 75 yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter. Virginia Tech answered with a Tyrod Taylor touchdown pass to Boykin and the game was tied after one. Luck threw his second touchdown pass of the game to begin the second quarter, an 11 yard toss to Reuland. Virginia Tech immediately answered but Luck struck again, hitting Baldwin from 39 yards out to give Stanford the lead once again. A Hokie field goal as time expired made the score 21-17 Stanford at halftime.

Luck continued his hot play in the second, increasing the Cardinal lead to 11 with a 15 yard pass to Chris Owusu. Virginia Tech would cut the lead to 5, however, at the beginning of the fourth quarter. They elected to go for two and failed. The Hokie defense stepped up in the fourth forcing the Cardinal to punt on both their possessions, but Stanford's defense held strong and was able to keep Virginia Tech out of the end zone and secure the victory.

Stanford will gladly take their Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl Championship into the off-season. Up next for Stanford - trying to talk Andrew Luck into coming back another season. The Rose Bowl MVP threw for 313 yards and 4 touchdowns in the game and had a remarkable season, and is also all but guaranteed to be the #1 overall pick in the draft. Joker hopes, however, he will return and help Stanford go for the National Championship next season.

Stanford
Luck - 17-26, 313 yards, 4 td
Taylor - 22 carries, 36 yards
Marecic - 9 carries, 38 yards
Whalen - 6 catches, 146 yards, td
Skov - 8 tackles

Virginia Tech
Taylor - 15-33, 217 yards, td
Williams - 16 carries, 133 yards, 2 td
Boykin - 4 catches, 74 yards, td
Hopkins - 4 tackles, sack