2009 Stanford Cardinal football team
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Stanford Cardinal football
team represented Stanford University
during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
. The Cardinal was coached
by third-year coach Jim Harbaugh
and played their home games at Stanford Stadium
in Stanford, California
.
and 20th by Rivals.com
, and included these top-rated recruits:
rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck
made his collegiate debut by throwing for 193 yards and a touchdown pass to Chris Owusu as Stanford defeated Washington State in Pullman. The Cardinal dominated the first half, but as the second half began, the Cougars took the early momentum, driving 80 yards and scoring on a 5-yard pass from Kevin Lopina to Jared Karstetter. However, Owusu answered immediately for the Cardinal with an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to keep the game out of reach.
to Jordan Williams, and then, with 2 seconds left in the game, a one-yard keeper by Skinner to give Wake Forest its first lead in the game and the 24–17 victory.
, the Cardinal's 237-pound tailback who had 138 yards against UCLA last year, is averaging 129 yards a game.
After UCLA recovered a fumble, Kai Forbath kicked a 29-yard field goal to give the Bruins the early lead. Gerhart rushed 5 yards for a touchdown for Stanford in the first quarter and aided by a UCLA penalty in the second quarter, scored a second touchdown. The Bruins kicked a field goal before halftime, aided by a partially-blocked punt.
With a 46-yard flea flicker
in the third quarter to put Stanford in the red zone, Gerhart scored his third touchdown from the 5-yard line. He finished the game with 134 rushing yards. Later in the quarter, Nate Whitaker kicked a 29-yard field goal to give the Cardinal a 24–6 lead. The Bruins began the fourth quarter with a Johnathan Franklin 1-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 11, and a Forbath 35-yard field goal with about four minutes left in the game cut the lead to 24–16. UCLA took over with 3 minutes left but was unable to complete the comeback.
ran for a career high 189 yards and a school record-tying four touchdowns. His brother James
added the fifth touchdown and a Justin Kahut 31-yard field goal completed the scoring for the Beavers. After falling behind early, Stanford was forced out of its usual Toby Gerhart-led power rushing game, though Gerhart still managed 96 yards and two touchdowns. Andrew Luck added two touchdown passes, one to Chris Owusu and another to Jim Dray.
, who is almost exclusively used to block for Gerhart, scored on his seventh career carry; freshman Jamal-Rashad Patterson scored on a 22-yard reverse; and backup running back Stepfan Taylor had a 33-yard touchdown run. Arizona State scored on two Danny Sullivan touchdown passes, the last coming just before Sullivan left the game with a bruised knee.
in 1988. He also broke his single-season rushing record set last year with 1,217 yards. Andrew Luck finished 12 for 20 for 251 yards, throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jim Dray in the second quarter and a 31-yarder to Chris Owusu after Oregon cut the Cardinal lead to 10 points early in the third quarter. Oregon closed within six points late in the fourth quarter following a missed Stanford field goal, but Stanford recovered the ensuing onside kick. A field goal with 11 seconds remaining put the game away.
era and its biggest loss since 1966. Stanford's 55 points was the highest number of points any team had scored against a USC Trojans football team in the 121-year history of Trojan football. The 55 points included three Toby Gerhart touchdown runs and one by Andrew Luck. Richard Sherman returned an interception of a Matt Barkley
fourth-quarter pass to spark a 27-point fourth quarter to put away the Trojans and keep the Cardinal's slim Rose Bowl hopes alive.
This was Stanford's third victory against USC in their last five games against each other at the Coliseum (Stanford winning 2001, 2007
, and 2009, with USC winning in 2003 and 2005). USC has defeated every other opponent in the Coliseum since Stanford's September 29, 2001 victory in the Coliseum. It was the first defeat in a November game for the Trojans in Carroll's nine-season tenure. For the first time since Carroll's first season, USC lost more than two games in one season. For the second time in three weekends, Carroll suffered the worst loss of his USC tenure, the other being its game against the Oregon Ducks
. This was the largest margin of victory for Stanford in a Stanford-USC game since the two teams' rivalry began in 1918. Harbaugh became only the third coach in college football with a winning record against Carroll, going 2-1 in the three times the two coaches have faced each other.
, again starting backup Shane Vereen.
The Cardinal scored on their first possession when Toby Gerhart broke free on the game's third play for a 61-yard touchdown. After successfully blocking a punt, which gave Stanford field position on the Cal 19 yard line, Gerhart scored again on a 2-yard run. The Bears responded with a scoring drive of their own that resulted in a field goal. In the second quarter, a Cal drive was halted when Richard Sherman intercepted Kevin Riley
deep in Stanford territory. The Cardinal were unable to capitalize on the turnover however, and the Bears went on a five minute scoring drive that saw Vereen score his first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run with just over a minute left in the quarter to make it 14-10 Stanford at the half.
Cal took its first lead in the third quarter with a 92 yard scoring drive resulting in a 4 yard run by Vereen. Stanford was able to move downfield in turn, but missed a 45 yard field goal. The Bears marched downfield again and scored on a 3 yard run by Vereen. Stanford responded on the ensuing possession by scoring on a 1 yard run by Gerhart. The Bears in turn scored in the beginning of the fourth quarter with a 12 yard pass from Riley to Marvin Jones. Midway through the quarter, the Cardinal put together an 87 yard touchdown drive which resulted in Gerhart getting his fourth score of the game on a 5 yard run. After getting the ball back with just under 4 minutes left in the game, Stanford attempted a fourth down conversion which failed. The Bears took possession on the Stanford 23 yard line, but ended up settling for a field goal, making the score 34-28 and giving the Cardinal a chance to win with more than two and a half minutes left if they could score a touchdown. Stanford started out with good field position at its 42 yard line and was able to drive down to the Cal 13 yard line. Cal linebacker Mike Mohammed saved the game for the Bears when he intercepted Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck, allowing Riley to take three straight knees
and Cal to retain the Stanford Axe.
The loss, as well as a double overtime win later in the day by Oregon
over Arizona
, eliminated Stanford from Rose Bowl
contention and the possibility of sharing the Pac-10 conference title. Luck threw for 157 yards, while Gerhart rushed for 136 yards and all of Stanford's four touchdowns, tying a single Big Game record previously set by Cal players Chuck Muncie
and Lindsey Chapman. Cal's victory marked the 100th coached by Jeff Tedford, matching Pappy Waldorf
for the most wins at Cal in the modern era, with 67. Riley threw for 235 yards and a score, while Vereen had another career game, rushing for 193 yards on 42 carries with three scores.
consideration, rushing for 205 yards and three touchdowns and throwing his first career touchdown pass to Ryan Whalen. The win was Stanford's first in the annual series since 2001. Notre Dame lost its sixth of the season, all six of which have been by a touchdown or less. Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen
threw for 340 yards and five touchdowns, three to Golden Tate
and two to Michael Floyd
. The game was Charlie Weis
's final game as head coach of Notre Dame; he was fired the following Monday.
, who was sidelined due to a broken finger. Tavita Pritchard
, who hadn't started a game at quarterback since the 2008 season
, played the entire game, and was 8 for 19 with two interceptions as the Sooners outlasted the Cardinal 31–27. Toby Gerhart, who had finished second in the closest Heisman Trophy
race ever a few weeks earlier, ran for 135 on 32 carries and scored two touchdowns for Stanford. Meanwhile, Sooners wide receiver Ryan Broyles
set a Sun Bowl record with three touchdown receptions and was named Sun Bowl MVP. Broyles had 156 yards receiving and set Oklahoma's single-game record with 13 receptions from quarterback Landry Jones
, who passed for 418 yards overall.
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
team represented Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
. The Cardinal was coached
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
by third-year coach Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
and played their home games at Stanford Stadium
Stanford Stadium
Stanford Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the Stanford University campus, the home of Stanford Cardinal college football team. It originally opened in 1921 as a football and track stadium, an earthen horseshoe with wooden bleacher seating and flooring upon a steel frame...
in Stanford, California
Stanford, California
Stanford is a census-designated place in Santa Clara County, California, United States and is the home of Stanford University. The population was 13,809 at the 2010 census....
.
Recruiting
Stanford's 2009 recruiting class was ranked 15th in the nation by Scout.comScout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
and 20th by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
, and included these top-rated recruits:
| Name | Position | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Usua Amanam | RB | San Jose, CA |
| Zach Ertz | TE | Danville, CA |
| Tyler Gaffney | RB | San Diego, CA |
| Josh Nunes | QB | Upland, CA |
| Jamal-Rashad Patterson | WR | McDonough, GA |
| Jemari Roberts | WR | Long Beach, CA |
| Shayne Skov | LB | Pawling, NY |
| Terrence Stephens | DT | Gaithersburg, MD |
| Stepfan Taylor | RB | Mansfield, TX |
| Levine Toilolo | TE | San Diego, CA |
Schedule
Washington State
Toby GerhartToby Gerhart
Toby Gerhart is a professional football player, a running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was a consensus All-American running back at Stanford and was selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the 51st overall pick. In 2009 Gerhart won the Doak Walker...
rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck
Andrew Austen Luck is an American football quarterback for Stanford University. He was the runner-up for the 2010 Heisman Trophy, and is considered a leading contender for the 2011 Heisman Trophy. He was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Davey O'Brien Award and the...
made his collegiate debut by throwing for 193 yards and a touchdown pass to Chris Owusu as Stanford defeated Washington State in Pullman. The Cardinal dominated the first half, but as the second half began, the Cougars took the early momentum, driving 80 yards and scoring on a 5-yard pass from Kevin Lopina to Jared Karstetter. However, Owusu answered immediately for the Cardinal with an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to keep the game out of reach.
Wake Forest
Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck threw two first half touchdown passes to Ryan Whalen, and Nate Whitaker added a 54-yard field goal—the longest Stanford field goal in 20 years—to give the Cardinal a 17–3 lead at the half. But the Demon Deacons dominated the second half with three unanswered touchdowns: a 3-yard run from Mike Rinfrette, a 9-yard pass from quarterback Riley SkinnerRiley Skinner
Riley Skinner is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Wake Forest.-College career:...
to Jordan Williams, and then, with 2 seconds left in the game, a one-yard keeper by Skinner to give Wake Forest its first lead in the game and the 24–17 victory.
San Jose State
Stanford's Chris Owusu returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to set the pace as Stanford routed San Jose State 42–17. Owusu also caught a touchdown pass from Andrew Luck, and Toby Gerhart rushed for two touchdowns. The Cardinal added another special teams touchdown on Richard Sherman's 48-yard punt return, and Corey Gatewood rounded out the scoring with a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown. The Spartans scored on a 1-yard pass from Jordan La Secla to Jalal Beauchman, a 14-yard run from Lamon Muldrow, and a 30-yard field goal by Tyler Cope.Washington
The Cardinal rushed for 322 yards, including a career-best 200 yards from Toby Gerhart to down the Huskies. For the second week in a row, Chris Owusu returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown to start the scoring for Stanford. Soon after, the Huskies tied the score on a dropped lateral from Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck to tight end Jim Dray; neither Luck nor Dray realized the throw was not a forward pass, but Washington's Justin Glenn picked up the ball and ran it 51 yards for the touchdown. However, on the next play from scrimmage, Gerhart ran 60 yards for a score to put Stanford ahead to stay.UCLA
Coming into the game, the Bruins were the only undefeated team in the Pac-10 Conference although they had yet to a play another Pac-10 team. Toby GerhartToby Gerhart
Toby Gerhart is a professional football player, a running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was a consensus All-American running back at Stanford and was selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the 51st overall pick. In 2009 Gerhart won the Doak Walker...
, the Cardinal's 237-pound tailback who had 138 yards against UCLA last year, is averaging 129 yards a game.
After UCLA recovered a fumble, Kai Forbath kicked a 29-yard field goal to give the Bruins the early lead. Gerhart rushed 5 yards for a touchdown for Stanford in the first quarter and aided by a UCLA penalty in the second quarter, scored a second touchdown. The Bruins kicked a field goal before halftime, aided by a partially-blocked punt.
With a 46-yard flea flicker
Flea flicker (American football)
A flea flicker is an unorthodox play in American football designed to fool the defensive team into thinking that a play is a run instead of a pass...
in the third quarter to put Stanford in the red zone, Gerhart scored his third touchdown from the 5-yard line. He finished the game with 134 rushing yards. Later in the quarter, Nate Whitaker kicked a 29-yard field goal to give the Cardinal a 24–6 lead. The Bruins began the fourth quarter with a Johnathan Franklin 1-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 11, and a Forbath 35-yard field goal with about four minutes left in the game cut the lead to 24–16. UCLA took over with 3 minutes left but was unable to complete the comeback.
Oregon State
The Beavers scored on every drive in the first half to take a 31–7 halftime lead on their way to a 38–28 defeat of the Cardinal. Jacquizz RodgersJacquizz Rodgers
Jacquizz "Quizz" Rodgers is an American football running back for the Atlanta Falcons. Rodgers played for the Oregon State Beavers. During his freshman year, Rodgers was named the 2008 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year...
ran for a career high 189 yards and a school record-tying four touchdowns. His brother James
James Rodgers (football)
James Rodgers is an American football wide receiver for the Oregon State Beavers. He is the older brother of former Oregon State and Atlanta Falcons running back Jacquizz Rodgers.-High school career:...
added the fifth touchdown and a Justin Kahut 31-yard field goal completed the scoring for the Beavers. After falling behind early, Stanford was forced out of its usual Toby Gerhart-led power rushing game, though Gerhart still managed 96 yards and two touchdowns. Andrew Luck added two touchdown passes, one to Chris Owusu and another to Jim Dray.
Arizona
In a game that featured more than a thousand offensive yards, the Wildcats rallied back late to defeat the Cardinal. The quarterbacks were evenly matched: Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck threw for 423 yards and three touchdowns, while Arizona's Nick Foles also tossed three touchdown passes and had a total of 415 yards. Stanford's Toby Gerhart had 123 yards and two touchdowns. Arizona managed a total of just 138 rush yards, but 57 of those came on Nic Grigsby's go-ahead touchdown with under three minutes left. Stanford drove to the Arizona 17 with seconds to play, but a fourth-down pass to Chris Owusu was batted away and the Wildcats escaped with a victory.Arizona State
Toby Gerhart rushed for more than 100 yards for the 15th time in his college career as the Cardinal downed the Sun Devils. All four Stanford touchdowns were on rushes, but uncharacteristically for Stanford, only one was by Gerhart. Fullback Owen MarecicOwen Marecic
Owen Marecic is an American football player for the Cleveland Browns. He played at the collegiate level for Stanford University.-Early life:Marecic moved with his family around the United States following his father's career as an IT executive...
, who is almost exclusively used to block for Gerhart, scored on his seventh career carry; freshman Jamal-Rashad Patterson scored on a 22-yard reverse; and backup running back Stepfan Taylor had a 33-yard touchdown run. Arizona State scored on two Danny Sullivan touchdown passes, the last coming just before Sullivan left the game with a bruised knee.
Oregon
The Cardinal surprised the Ducks, 51–42, to become bowl-eligible for the first time in eight years. Toby Gerhart ran for three touchdowns and a school-record 223 yards on 38 carries, breaking the previous record of 220 set by Jon VolpeJon Volpe
Jon Volpe was a star running back in the Canadian Football League.Volpe took an unusual and inspiring path to football stardom. Coming from a family where his father would leave by the time he was 5 years old, his mother would become an alcoholic and live on the street, and his brother would go to...
in 1988. He also broke his single-season rushing record set last year with 1,217 yards. Andrew Luck finished 12 for 20 for 251 yards, throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jim Dray in the second quarter and a 31-yarder to Chris Owusu after Oregon cut the Cardinal lead to 10 points early in the third quarter. Oregon closed within six points late in the fourth quarter following a missed Stanford field goal, but Stanford recovered the ensuing onside kick. A field goal with 11 seconds remaining put the game away.
USC
Facing its second top-10 opponent in as many weeks, Stanford won 55-21, handing USC a 34-point loss—its biggest loss of the Pete CarrollPete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
era and its biggest loss since 1966. Stanford's 55 points was the highest number of points any team had scored against a USC Trojans football team in the 121-year history of Trojan football. The 55 points included three Toby Gerhart touchdown runs and one by Andrew Luck. Richard Sherman returned an interception of a Matt Barkley
Matt Barkley
Matt Barkley is an American football quarterback and student athlete at the University of Southern California, playing for the Trojans football team. As a high school player, Barkley was named 2007 football Gatorade National Player of the Year, and then the 2007 Gatorade national male athlete of...
fourth-quarter pass to spark a 27-point fourth quarter to put away the Trojans and keep the Cardinal's slim Rose Bowl hopes alive.
This was Stanford's third victory against USC in their last five games against each other at the Coliseum (Stanford winning 2001, 2007
2007 Stanford vs. Southern California football game
The 2007 Stanford vs. Southern California football game was a college football game held on October 6, 2007, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. In a remarkable upset, the visiting Stanford Cardinal won 24–23. Southern California was favored by 41 points over Stanford,...
, and 2009, with USC winning in 2003 and 2005). USC has defeated every other opponent in the Coliseum since Stanford's September 29, 2001 victory in the Coliseum. It was the first defeat in a November game for the Trojans in Carroll's nine-season tenure. For the first time since Carroll's first season, USC lost more than two games in one season. For the second time in three weekends, Carroll suffered the worst loss of his USC tenure, the other being its game against the Oregon Ducks
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
. This was the largest margin of victory for Stanford in a Stanford-USC game since the two teams' rivalry began in 1918. Harbaugh became only the third coach in college football with a winning record against Carroll, going 2-1 in the three times the two coaches have faced each other.
California
Both teams faced each other in the 112th Big Game with seven wins each, the first time this had happened since 1991. The Cardinal had scored a combined 106 points in two previous games against higher ranked opponents, with consecutive upsets over Oregon and USC, two teams which had blown out Cal 42-3 and 30-3, respectively. Cal also played its second game without star running back Jahvid BestJahvid Best
Jahvid Andre Best is a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was selected by the Lions with the 30th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. In college, he played for the California Golden Bears, setting several records, including most all-purpose yards in a single season and...
, again starting backup Shane Vereen.
The Cardinal scored on their first possession when Toby Gerhart broke free on the game's third play for a 61-yard touchdown. After successfully blocking a punt, which gave Stanford field position on the Cal 19 yard line, Gerhart scored again on a 2-yard run. The Bears responded with a scoring drive of their own that resulted in a field goal. In the second quarter, a Cal drive was halted when Richard Sherman intercepted Kevin Riley
Kevin Riley
Kevin Riley is a former American football quarterback for the California Golden Bears. He played for California from 2007-2010.-High school:...
deep in Stanford territory. The Cardinal were unable to capitalize on the turnover however, and the Bears went on a five minute scoring drive that saw Vereen score his first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run with just over a minute left in the quarter to make it 14-10 Stanford at the half.
Cal took its first lead in the third quarter with a 92 yard scoring drive resulting in a 4 yard run by Vereen. Stanford was able to move downfield in turn, but missed a 45 yard field goal. The Bears marched downfield again and scored on a 3 yard run by Vereen. Stanford responded on the ensuing possession by scoring on a 1 yard run by Gerhart. The Bears in turn scored in the beginning of the fourth quarter with a 12 yard pass from Riley to Marvin Jones. Midway through the quarter, the Cardinal put together an 87 yard touchdown drive which resulted in Gerhart getting his fourth score of the game on a 5 yard run. After getting the ball back with just under 4 minutes left in the game, Stanford attempted a fourth down conversion which failed. The Bears took possession on the Stanford 23 yard line, but ended up settling for a field goal, making the score 34-28 and giving the Cardinal a chance to win with more than two and a half minutes left if they could score a touchdown. Stanford started out with good field position at its 42 yard line and was able to drive down to the Cal 13 yard line. Cal linebacker Mike Mohammed saved the game for the Bears when he intercepted Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck, allowing Riley to take three straight knees
Quarterback kneel
In American football, a quarterback kneel, also called taking a knee, genuflect offense, or victory formation occurs when the quarterback immediately kneels to the ground after receiving the snap. It is primarily used to run the clock down, either at the end of the first half or the game itself, in...
and Cal to retain the Stanford Axe.
The loss, as well as a double overtime win later in the day by Oregon
2009 Oregon Ducks football team
The 2009 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon in the college football season of 2009. The team was led by head coach Chip Kelly in his first season as a head coach at the Division I FBS level. Kelly was only the third Ducks head coach since 1977 and led the Ducks to a...
over Arizona
2009 Arizona Wildcats football team
The 2009 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Wildcats, led by sixth-year head coach Mike Stoops, played their home games at Arizona Stadium....
, eliminated Stanford from Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
contention and the possibility of sharing the Pac-10 conference title. Luck threw for 157 yards, while Gerhart rushed for 136 yards and all of Stanford's four touchdowns, tying a single Big Game record previously set by Cal players Chuck Muncie
Chuck Muncie
Harry Vance "Chuck" Muncie is a former American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers in the National Football League from 1976 to 1984...
and Lindsey Chapman. Cal's victory marked the 100th coached by Jeff Tedford, matching Pappy Waldorf
Pappy Waldorf
Lynn Osbert "Pappy" Waldorf was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, now Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, , Kansas State University , Northwestern University , and the University of California, Berkeley ,...
for the most wins at Cal in the modern era, with 67. Riley threw for 235 yards and a score, while Vereen had another career game, rushing for 193 yards on 42 carries with three scores.
Notre Dame
In a nationally televised game, the Cardinal scored a last-minute touchdown to defeat the Fighting Irish 45–38. Cardinal running back Toby Gerhart made a strong statement for Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
consideration, rushing for 205 yards and three touchdowns and throwing his first career touchdown pass to Ryan Whalen. The win was Stanford's first in the annual series since 2001. Notre Dame lost its sixth of the season, all six of which have been by a touchdown or less. Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen
Jimmy Clausen
James Richard "Jimmy" Clausen is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-High school career:Clausen had an outstanding prep career...
threw for 340 yards and five touchdowns, three to Golden Tate
Golden Tate
Golden H. Tate III is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football and college baseball at Notre Dame.-Early years:Tate was born in...
and two to Michael Floyd
Michael Floyd
Michael Floyd is an American football wide receiver. He currently attends the University of Notre Dame in his senior year...
. The game was Charlie Weis
Charlie Weis
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Weis is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. For five years, from December 2004 through 2009, he was the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame...
's final game as head coach of Notre Dame; he was fired the following Monday.
Oklahoma (Sun Bowl)
Stanford made its first bowl appearance since 2001 without starting quarterback Andrew LuckAndrew Luck
Andrew Austen Luck is an American football quarterback for Stanford University. He was the runner-up for the 2010 Heisman Trophy, and is considered a leading contender for the 2011 Heisman Trophy. He was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Davey O'Brien Award and the...
, who was sidelined due to a broken finger. Tavita Pritchard
Tavita Pritchard
Tavita Pritchard is a former college football quarterback for Stanford who is now a defensive assistant football coach at Stanford.-High school career:...
, who hadn't started a game at quarterback since the 2008 season
2008 Stanford Cardinal football team
The 2008 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach was Jim Harbaugh, who entered his second year at Stanford. The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California and competed in the...
, played the entire game, and was 8 for 19 with two interceptions as the Sooners outlasted the Cardinal 31–27. Toby Gerhart, who had finished second in the closest Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
race ever a few weeks earlier, ran for 135 on 32 carries and scored two touchdowns for Stanford. Meanwhile, Sooners wide receiver Ryan Broyles
Ryan Broyles
Ryan Broyles is an American football wide receiver for the Oklahoma Sooners.-Early years:Broyles attended Norman High School. He finished his career with 79 receptions for 1,688 yards and 18 touchdowns on offense and 157 tackles and 20 interceptions on defense.-College career:Broyles was...
set a Sun Bowl record with three touchdown receptions and was named Sun Bowl MVP. Broyles had 156 yards receiving and set Oklahoma's single-game record with 13 receptions from quarterback Landry Jones
Landry Jones
Landry Jones is an American football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners.-Early years:Jones attended Artesia High School in his hometown where he led the football team to two consecutive Class 4A state championships, throwing for a combined 7,013 yards and 89 touchdowns. As a senior in 2007,...
, who passed for 418 yards overall.
Coaches
- Jim HarbaughJim HarbaughJames Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
- Head Coach - Andy Buh - Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
- Ron LynnRon LynnRon Lynn is the current director of player development for Stanford University football. He also served as defensive coordinator for Stanford from 2008 to 2009, and was a defensive coordination in the NFL for 11 seasons from 1986–96. His coordinating stints were with the San Diego Chargers ,...
- Co-Defensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach - David ShawDavid Shaw (American football)-References:...
- Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers - Lance Anderson - Assistant Coach - Defensive Line
- Tim Drevno - Assistant Coach - Offensive Line/Centers and Guards
- D.J. Durkin - Assistant Coach - DE/Special Teams
- Greg Roman - Tight Ends/Offensive Tackles/Running Game Coordinator
- Willie TaggartWillie Taggart-References:...
- Assistant Coach - Running Backs - Clayton White - Assistant Coach - Defensive Backs
- Shannon Turley - Strength and Conditioning Coordinator
- Matt Doyle - Assistant AD/Dir. of Football Operations
- Mike Eubanks - Assistant AD/Director of Football Administration
- Dave Forman - Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
Rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 25 | 14 | NR | 23 | 19 | NR |
| Coaches | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 17 | NR | 24 | 21 | NR |
| Harris | Not released | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 17 | NR | 23 | 21 | ||||
| BCS | Not released | NR | NR | NR | NR | 17 | NR | 24 | 21 | |||||||