Stanford, McKee can’t get any offense going lose to ASU 28-10 on Friday Night Lights

Stanford Cardinal quarterback Tanner McKee (left) can’t escape the grips of ASU lineman Tyler Johnson for a first half sack at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe on Fri Oct 8, 2021 (AP News photo)

Sun Devils Overwhelm Stanford 28-10

By Barbara Mason

After handing Oregon their first loss of the season, the Stanford Cardinals will be taking on another ranked team at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State is ranked at #22 and highly favored in this game. The temperature was at 92 degrees today and this evening should be just perfect for a Friday night contest.

Arizona has had one win over #20th ranked UCLA and lost to #23rd ranked BYU. With a record of 4-1 Arizona’s three other wins were against unranked teams.

Stanford has disposed of two ranked teams; Oregon and USC. Although the underdogs, can Stanford take out another ranked team? Stanford will be relying on quarterback Tanner McKee running back Nathaniel Peat and wide receiver Elijah Higgins.

Arizona will show case quarterback Jayden Daniels, Rachaad White and at running back Ricky Pearsall. Despite not being the top dog in this game, they were not favored at all in the Oregon game.

Arizona drew first blood driving for 87 yards and the touchdown, taking the early 7-0. Stanford would answer by driving into Arizona territory culminating in a McKee to Higgins pass for seven yards and the touchdown tying this game at 7. Arizona came back taking the lead 14-7 to end the first quarter. Their second touchdown was a five yard rush by Rachaad White.

At 10:24 in the second quarter Arizona would find the end zone for the third time in this game taking a commanding lead 21-7. Elijhah Badger ran for 22 yards, the Arizona stars rising to the occasion.

At the half the score was 21-7 and the Sun Devils were giving Stanford all that they could handle.

Stanford kicked a 32 yard field goal in the third quarter. They very nearly kept Arizona off the scoreboard in the quarter. As the quarter came to an end Arizona would score a defensive touchdown when McKee threw an interception for a pick six. The Sun Devils now led 28-10.

Another pick for Arizona in the fourth quarter and Stanford was all but done with 5:05 left in the game. The final score was 28-10.

Next up for Stanford is Washington State Saturday October 16th. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM.

Cal can’t get any offense going drop third straight to WSU 21-6

California quarterback Chase Garbers (7) starts the quarterback keeper against the Washington State Cougars during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Oct 2, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Morris Phillips and Michael Duca

It’s tough to lose three straight but it’s tougher to lose on your own home field which the Cal Golden Bears (1-4) did at UC Berkeley Memorial Stadium to the Washington State Cougars (2-3) 21-6.

The Cougars quarterback Jayden De Laura threw for three touchdowns, was 25-41 for 219 yards and was intercepted twice but the defense held their ground and De Laura and the offense just got enough scoring for the win.

On one of the two passes from De Laura to wide out Calvin Jackson Jr who made a one handed catch in the end zone at the corner. This was De Laura’s first game back since suffering a leg injury two weeks ago against the USC Trojans.

The 25 completions out of 41 attempts for De Laura tied his career best in a game and it helped the Cougars pick up their first win at Cal since the 2013 season. “It felt fine to go out there,” de Laura said. “I knew I had to bring some energy and do my part. I just gave the receivers and the running backs the ball and let them make plays.”

Jackson Jr had his way with the Cal defense with six receptions for 53 yards Jackson’s teammate wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling had a pretty decent afternoon himself with four catches for 36 yards and one touchdown.

The Cal offense just sputtered and it was tough especially to lose at home and Bears quarterback Chase Garbers came up empty handed for the afternoon not being able to throw one touchdown, going 14-30 for 152 yards and an interception.

The Bears next opponent the Oregon Ducks (4-1) No.3 next Sat Oct 9 who were just knocked off by the Stanford Cardinal (3-2) 31-24 will be pumped and ready to go and it’s the last thing the Bears want is to walk into a hornets nest which they can expect at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

Garbers says the Bears need to be prepared and they need to find out who they are, “These next two weeks we’re really going to find out who we are as a team, who we are as people. They had our number, they did a great job and they just outplayed us. That happens.”

McKee throws for three touchdowns as Stanford hands Oregon first loss 35-24

Stanford Cardinal quarterback Tanner McKee keeps the ball in the first half of action against the Oregon Ducks at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on Sat Oct 2, 2021 (AP News photo)

Stanford Hands Oregon First Loss of the Year 35-24

By Barbara Mason

Saturday afternoon Stanford took on the 4-0 Oregon Ducks. Last week Stanford lost to UCLA 35-24 and the 2-2 Cards were looking to upset the powerhouse Ducks in this game.

Stanford started this game with a 25 yard field goal to take the early lead. They added to their lead in the same quarter with a Tanner McKee pass to Brycen Tremayne for 18 yards and the touchdown. They now led 10-0.

Oregon would come around in the second quarter with their first score; an Anthony Brown 3 yard scamper for the touchdown. Stanford would also score a touchdown in the quarter. An Isaiah Sanders rush for two yards gave the Cards a 17-7 lead going into halftime. Stanford would have to pull out all the stops to stop the number three ranked Ducks.

The Ducks would start the second half with the ball. It would be a three and out on the opening drive of the second half for Oregon and the Stanford defense was keeping pressure on the Duck offense. A turnaround could be sensed in the second possession by Oregon. They began to dominate at the line of scrimmage something they hadn’t shown in the first half. At 8:32 in the third quarter C J Verdell scored on a one yard run making this a 3 point game 17-14.

Oregon began pressuring and pushing Stanford in the third quarter and the Cards were having trouble containing the Ducks. As the third quarter began to wind down Oregon did have a first and goal but could not cross the line and had to settle for a 22 yard field goal to tie up the game. Stanford did a great job keeping Oregon out of the end zone.

Oregon did however take the lead in the fourth quarter. Anthony Brown ran for 5 yards and a touchdown. The Ducks had taken the lead for the first time in this game 24-17.

Stanford’s get up and go got up and went in the second half. It’s hard to believe that Stanford had five false starts in the second half of this game. The Card offense and defense had a real let-down that really had started mid-way in the second quarter. This was when the Ducks really got going.

The Cards had a great drive going in the final two minutes. They had a first and goal with 12 seconds left on the clock. The loss of receiver Brycen Tremayne loomed large in this final drive. On fourth and goal a penalty gave Stanford another shot as the clock ran out. The Cards would tie up this game at 24 and this game went into overtime. The tying touchdown was a McKee pass to Elijah Higgins for two yards.

Oregon won the toss and elected to kick. Stanford scored on their first possession in overtime. McKee would connect with John Humphreys for 14 yards to take the 31-24 lead. The Ducks were not able to score and Stanford had the upset handing the Ducks their first loss of the year.

It was a shocker for the Ducks who had the game well in hand in the fourth quarter. Stanford’s record would improve to 3-2. They will take on Arizona State next Friday in Arizona

UCLA gets past Stanford 35-24; Bruins QB Robinson-Thompson throws for 2 TD passes

UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns to defeat the Stanford Cardinal on Sat Sep 25, 2021 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto (AP News photo)

UCLA Gets Past Stanford 35-24

By Barbara Mason

Saturday afternoon the Stanford Cardinal hosted the UCLA Bruins in a highly anticipated Pac-12 match up. The Bruins came in to the game favored. Both teams have identical records at 2-1. Stanford has a lengthy list of players out for this game.

Although Stanford won the toss and elected to receive, it was UCLA that scored first when they returned a punt for 58 yards to set up the touchdown. UCLA had three first and goal attempts on the Stanford two yard line. The Bruins quarterback Thompson-Robinson scored the first touchdown of the game for an early 7-0 lead.

Stanford would go back to work. Tanner McKee had trouble in their first set of downs throwing three incomplete passes two of which were almost intercepted. After three possessions Stanford was having a lot of trouble moving the ball.

The Bruins were controlling the running game and the Cards were having a lot of trouble containing them. Already up by seven points the Bruins were threatening as the first quarter began to wind down. With 15 seconds left in the quarter UCLA scored for a second time now leading 14-0. Stanford did not have a single first down in the first quarter.

At 7:30 in the second quarter Stanford had their first first down of the game. Stanford was fighting through the UCLA defense which had so far controlled the game. With a second and 19 Stanford quarterback McKee found Brycen Tremayne in the end zone for their first touchdown of the game trailing the Bruins 14-7. The running game as well as the passing game had come to life for Stanford.

As the second quarter came to an end UCLA quarterback Thompson-Robinson found the end zone for the second time in the game and at the half the Bruins led 21-7. They would open the second half with the ball.

Stanford scored at 5:30 in the third quarter off a McKee to Elijah Higgins pass for 56 yards. The Cardinal defense and offense had really picked up the pace in the second half. Still trailing 21-14 the Stanford defense was putting the ball back into the hands of the offense as the fourth quarter got underway.

In the fourth quarter quarterback McKee found Bryce Farrell for 52 yards and a touchdown in an explosive drive from the Stanford offense. The game was now tied at 21-21 and it was a new ball game.

UCLA answered right back with a Thompson-Robinson pass to Kyle Phillips for 75 yards and a touchdown taking back the lead 28-21.

Stanford stalled on the ensuing possession and was forced to attempt a 48 yard field goal which was good. They now trailed 28-24 with 9:10 left in the fourth quarter.

With 2:30 left in the game quarterback Thompson-Robinson found Kyle Phillips despite a very sore shoulder for the touchdown that finished the game for the Bruins 35-24.

McKee would finish with 19 of 29 passing and 185 yards. Nathaniel Peat had 41 yards and Elijah Higgins had 78 yards receiving for Stanford. The Bruin stats were impressive with 212 yards for Thompson- Robinson and 19 of 30 passing. With 209 yards rushing by Zach Charbonnet and 111 receiving yards from Kyle Phillips the Bruins were just too hot to handle for the Stanford Cardinals.

Next up for Stanford will be the #4 ranked Oregon Ducks on Saturday October 2nd. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 ET.

Vanderbilt no match for Stanford in 41-23 win

Stanford Cardinal quarterback Tanner McKee prepares to throw downfield to a receiver against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Sat Sep 18, 2021 in Nashville (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Stanford Cardinal (2-1) quarterback Tanner McKee scored three touchdowns one of the touchdowns McKee ran in for a keeper as Stanford defeated Vanderbilt Commodores (1-2) 41-23. McKee was 19-29 for 218 yards and threw for two touchdowns.

The Cardinal concludes their three game road trip as they prepare to host the UCLA Bruins. Home field for Vanderbilt has not been the friendly confines the loss to Stanford on Saturday is Vanderbilt’s eighth consecutive hone loss. The last time they won a home game was way back on Nov 23, 2019 some four months before the Covid 19 epidemic kicked in.

The second quarter the Cardinal’s Jimmy Wyrick intercepted Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seal’s pass that gave the Cardinal good field position as McKee handedd off to running back Brycen Tremayne who ran it for a touchdown with 40 seconds to spare in the first half of the game.

The Commodores were forced to punt on a first and three and the Cardinal’s Casey Filkins returned the punt to the Vanderbilt 22 yard line. The Commodores had to move back further after an illegal formation play was called the ball was spotted on the 17 and Stanford kicker Joshua Karty hit a 35 yard field goal and the Cardinal took a 27-14 halftime lead into the dressing room.

The second half the Cardinal scored twice in the third quarter at 11:18 wide receiver Jay Symonds caught a five yard pass from McKee and at 1:44 left in the game EJ Smith carried for one yard to score making it 41-17. For Symonds 2 receptions 31 yards, and one touchdown. For Smith five carries, 26 yards and one touchdown.

The Cardinal host the UCLA Bruins this Sat Sep 25th at Stanford Stadium for the home opener kick off is 3:00 PM PDT.

Stanford’s big 2nd and 3rd quarters route USC 42-28 in the Southland

The Stanford Cardinal cornerback Kyu Blue Kelly makes an acrobatic lunge into the end zone after returning a 31 yard interception off USC Trojan quarterback Kedon Slovis in the second half of Sat Sep 11, 2021’s game at USC in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Stanford Cardinal (1-1) quarterback Tanner McKee threw for two touchdowns, went 16-23 for 234 yards in the Cardinal’s first win of the season over their Southern California opponents the USC Trojans (1-1) 42-28. The Cardinal scored 14 points in each of the second and third quarters that helped lead them to victory.

The Cardinal were coming off a opening day loss from last Sat Sep 6th to Kansas State 24-7 and wanted badly to make amends. They shocked the oddsmakers who had USC favored and who were ranked No.14. The Cardinal’s wide receiver Nathaniel Peat had 115 yards and caught a 87 yard touchdown pass from McKee and the Cardinal Kyu Blue Kelly picked off a USC quarterback Kedon Slovis pass for 31 yards for a touchdown that sparked and inspired the Cardinal in the victory.

Stanford head coach David Shaw had his team prepared this week after the Cardinal took that tough loss to Kansas State and the taste of that game was still in their mouths from opening week and the improved offense on Saturday night against the USC defense made things just a little bit satisfying for Shaw and McKee.

McKee had some good looks from the Kansas State opener after starting quarterback Jack West struggled to start that game. McKee did himself well against USC throwing for touchdowns to receivers Elijah Higgins and Brycen Tremayne in the fourth quarter that put Stanford ahead of USC by 29 points.

This was the Cardinal ninth win out of the last 14 games with the Trojans and the Cardinal defense kept the pressure on Slovis all night who went 27-42 for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. USC running backs Keaontay Ingram and Darwin Barlow each carried for a touchdowns but the effort was far short with McKee and the Cardinal pouring it in on offensively all night.

The loss snapped the Trojans nine game winning streak which carried over from last season, the Trojans won their opener on Sep 6th handling a very talented San Jose State team 30-7. That Trojan win looked as if it was going to set the tone for Saturday night’s game against the Cardinal but the Cardinal defense held Slovis and the Trojans offense from any developing opportunities and the Cardinal came into this game after studying film from the Trojans last game.

It was so bad for the Trojans that they even had their kicker Parker Lewis ejected from the game on the opening kick off for targeting his tackle. Despite that back up kicker Alex Stadthaus wound up kicking two field goals and two extra points flawlessly.

Next week USC will head to Pullman and face the Washington State Cougars at 12:30 pm on Sat Sep 18th and Stanford will conclude this three game road trip at Vanderbilt (2-1). The Commodores are coming off a close 24-21 win against Colorado State Saturday. Kickoff between Stanford and Vanderbilt is 5:00 pm PDT Sat Sep 18th.

Stanford nearly gets shutout in opener 24-7

Stanford Cardinal running back Ethan Bonner (13) can’t catch up to Kansas State Wildcats running back Deuce Vaughn (22) and who is cheered on by Wildcats wide receiver Malik Knowles (4) for a first half touchdown on Sat Sep 4, 2021 in Arlington (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Skylar Thompson scored two touchdowns on two carries against the Stanford Cardinal in the season opener in Arlington on Saturday. Thompson who missed most of last season due to a shoulder injury show no signs of anything amiss throwing for 144 yards.

The Wildcats opened up their regular season with a 24-7 win and got help from running back Deuce Vaughn who ran for 59 yards for a touchdown and finished the day running for 124 yards the most running yardage all day.

With the score 24-0 in the fourth quarter Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee saved the Cardinal from being shutout throwing a touchdown pass to Brycen Tremayne for 14 yards with 3:16 left in the game on what would be the Cardinal’s last offensive play of the game avoiding being shutout.

The last time the Cardinal were shutout was Nov 4, 2006 against the USC Trojans convincingly 42-0. Last season the Cardinal started the season at 0-2 but won the last four games of the season to finish 4-2.

For Thompson who injured his right shoulder on his throwing side last season in only the third game was out for the remaining three games. Thompson pushed hard to return to football he was dedicated to Kansas State and to return to the program and his first game back on Saturday against Stanford he had to be pretty satisfied with the results.

Stanford used both of their quarterbacks McKee went 15-18 for 118 yards and one touchdown and Jack West 8-12 for 76 yards, West threw for two interceptions. McKee and West couldn’t find receivers and convert much in the red zone all day.

It’s try, try, try all over again as the Cardinal head to the Southland to face the USC Trojans in their next attempt to get in the win column Sat Sep 11 for a 7:30 pm PDT kick off.

Stanford Champions of NCAA National Title 54-53

Reining Champions of Women’s NCAA basketball the Stanford Cardinal hold up the Championship Trophy going all the way defeating the Arizona Wildcats at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Sun Apr 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Stanford women took on the Arizona Wildcats in search for a championship: the first ever all Pac-12 NCAA basketball title game. Stanford coming off a wild game that went right down to the buzzer winning over South Carolina who had a real shot at winning the game. That score was 66-65. One thing you could say about the Cardinal they kept it close again edging out the Wildcats for a 54-53 Championship victory in the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Stanford was able to pull off the win but the Cardinal will need everyone on board for the title game. Arizona has made a lot of noise beating No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 4 Indiana and No.1 Connecticut.They have the title in their sites. Aari McDonald & Co. will be ready for this one and will be gunning for the No. 1 overall seed Stanford.

The Cardinal will need Kiana Williams totally onboard for the game. She has struggled the past few games and her team will really need her to step up in this one. Haley Jones had an amazing game against South Carolina and hopes to pick up right where she left off on Friday in the Final Four. Ana Wilson will bring her defensive prowess along with Lexie Hull and Ashsten Prechtel who was great off the bench.

Stanford won both of their regular season matchups and got the third win against the Wildcats in the Championship Tournament. If trends prove true, it is especially difficult to beat a team three times in one basketball season. Both of those games were one-sided. Arizona has made great strides to come into this game with outstanding defense and was considered extremely dangerous.

Stanford was looking for their third national title under Head Coach Tara VanDerveer who won titles in 1990 and1992.

At the half Stanford led by the score of 31-24. They had been able to keep Aari McDonald under wraps allowing only five points. The high score for Arizona came off the bench from Shaina Pellington with seven points.

Lexie Hull had eight points for the half followed by Ashten Prechtel who again had a great first half off the bench. Every starter for Stanford turned in points in the half for a well-balanced first half. They were two quarters away from a national title.

Arizona outscored Stanford in the third and fourth quarters but came up just shy with Stanford winning another blockbuster game 54-53. These girls just hung in there and willed themselves to win giving Tara VanDerveer her third national title.

Aari McDonald came up with a big 22 points in the loss. Shaina Pellington had 15 points off the bench in a terrific outing for Arizona. The Wildcats had a great game coming up just short as time expired.

Stanford had some great numbers from their starters. Haley Jones had 17 points, Lexi Hull with 10 and Cameron Brink also with 10 points. The ever consistent Ashten Prechtel had seven off the bench.

It has been an amazing season for Tara VanDerveer and her team as they celebrate their third title. They played an awesome tournament withstanding a lot of pressure and rising to the occasion in every game. A big congrats to Stanford Women’s basketball and we all look forward to next season.

NCAA Championship Tournament podcast with Michelle Richardson:Both number ones Gonzaga and Baylor Monday night; Stanford-Arizona women was a battle for the ages

Gonzaga forward Drew Timme, left, ball handles against UCLA guard David Singleton (34) and forward Cody Riley, right, on Sat Apr 3, 2021 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (AP News photo)

On the NCAA Championship podcast with Michelle:

#1 Gonzaga Bulldogs (31-0) played for their lives and pulled it off against the UCLA Bruins (22-10) on Saturday to advance to the NCAA Championship Tournament on Monday night

#2 Michelle, Baylor (27-2) and Gonzaga both number ones have been playing almost perfect basketball all season long. Gonzaga comes into the Championship Tournament perfect and the favorites over Baylor but how do you see this one turning out?

#3 Stanford Cardinal (31-2) women faced off against fellow Pac 12 school the Arizona Wildcats (21-6) in the Championship Tournament in one of the tightest games on Sunday as Stanford for the second straight won by just one point this time 66-65. These two teams see each other during the regular season Stanford women’s are NCAA women’s Champions.

Michelle’s Final Thoughts

Michelle Richardson podcasted NCAA Sports from the beginning of the college football season to the NCAA Basketball Championship Tournament for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Holds On To Defeat South Carolina 66-65

Stanford Cardinal women celebrate winning the Final Four against the South Carolina Gamecocks in San Antonio to advance to the Women’s Championship on Sunday Apr 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Friday afternoon the Stanford Cardinal Ladies took on the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four. One team had a far easier time advancing while the other had to make quite a comeback. South Carolina was able to get past sixth-seeded Texas who went cold as ice at the worst possible time.

On the other end of the spectrum Louisville had a great shot at beating Stanford but the Cardinal Ladies had a different scenario in mind. Struggling the start the game, Stanford mounted a comeback that Louisville was unable to squelch. Stanford had an amazing second half in that game that cemented the trip to the Final Four. The final score was 78-63.

Now it was on to the Final Four for Stanford in search of a berth in the National Finals against a very tough South Carolina team that is well-balance offensively and defensively. After the first quarter Stanford again had a bit of a slow start when South Carolina went on a 11-2 run. The Cardinal turned that slow start around real quick and by the end of the quarter Stanford and South Carolina were locked at 15. This game would be a fight to the end with two extraordinary offenses and defenses.

South Carolina has some very tough shot blocking which did give Stanford some problems although with two minutes left in the half Stanford led by a slim margin 26-25. As the half came to an end Stanford had extended their lead 31-25. The slow start by Stanford to start the game was long forgotten. Haley Jones had the high score in the half with nine points followed by Lexie Hull with eight, and Ashton Prechtel had seven points off the bench.

South Carolina’s Zia Cooke had double digits with twelve points. She shot two three-pointers in the half and she was proving to be a handful for the Stanford defense. Through the first half the Cardinal defense were holding their own against Cooke, proving that they were up for the task.

Stanford’s Haley Jones picked up where she left off in the second half as the Cardinal ladies continued to lead in the third quarter. South Carolina was having none of it as Cooke continued her rampage. With three minutes left in the third quarter the score was tied at 43. As the third quarter came to an end, Stanford led 52-49. Stanford’s Haley Jones had shot twenty points while South Carolina’s Zia Cooke led her team with twenty-three points.

It was a wild fourth quarter with a heart-breaking conclusion for South Carolina. With 6 seconds left on the clock Carolina had a clear shot that simply failed giving Stanford the win 66-65. It could not have been a closer or well-played game by either teams. Haley Jones would finish with 24 points followed by Hull with 18 points. Lexie Hull had an amazing 13 rebounds. South Dakota’s Zia Cooke scored 25 points in the loss.

Sunday the Stanford Cardinal will play for the National title. They have achieved their goal for a berth in the finals and now await their opponent. They will either play Arizona or UConn. The time for this game is still to be determined.