USC had a hard time containing Kevin Hogan the last time these two teams met. James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
A 45-yard field goal off the foot of former walk-on kicker Conrad Ukropina sailed through the uprights at Stanford Stadium late Saturday night, giving the Cardinal a dramatic 38-36 victory over Notre Dame and new life to the team’s national title hopes.
One more victory over USC in the Pac-12 Conference championship game this weekend would give Stanford a chance of being included in the conversation when the College Football Playoff selection committee chooses four national semifinalists. However, the committee will only seriously consider Stanford if Clemson or Alabama lose their conference title games. Stanford coach David Shaw said the Cardinal can’t be concerned with playoff implications, noting that the team must focus on beating USC for the second time this season.
“We’re in the Pac-12 championship game, and we’ve got to go play a great game against a team that’s going to be fired up to play us, and that’s where our head is,” Shaw said after beating Notre Dame. “And, once again, what the national chatter is, that’s not up to me. That ain’t up to us. All we know is we’ve got another football game next week and we’re going to try to play our best.”
Stanford beat USC 41-31 on Sept. 19 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. At the time, the Trojans were ranked sixth in the nation and the Cardinal was not in the Top 25 after suffering a season-opening loss to Northwestern. A lot has changed since then.
Former USC coach Steve Sarkisian was fired amidst a 3-3 start and revelations about his alcohol consumption. The Trojans have turned their season around under new head coach Clay Helton, winning five of their last six games, including a 40-21 victory over rival UCLA to secure their spot in the Pac-12 title game.
The Cardinal has won 10 of its last 11 games since losing to Northwestern. The only blemish was a heartbreaking 38-36 loss on Nov. 14 to a red-hot Oregon squad that has overcome its own early-season struggles. That loss seemed like a devastating blow to Stanford’s playoff hopes, but the Cardinal still has an impressive resume.
Stanford is 10-2 overall and went 8-1 in the Pac-12, which has 10 bowl eligible teams. The conference has had nine different teams ranked in the Top 25 this season and five teams ranked in the top 10.
The Cardinal has eight quality wins, including a signature victory over Notre Dame, which went into the game ranked No. 4 by The Associated Press and No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The win was a poignant sendoff for senior quarterback Kevin Hogan, who played what might have been the best game of his career in his final home game against his late father’s alma mater.
“It meant the world,” Hogan said. “Growing up as a fan of Notre Dame, going to all their games growing up, and to be able to have my last home game against then, my childhood team, was a dream come true.”
The victory vaulted Stanford from No. 13 to No. 7 in The Associated Press poll. The final College Football Playoff rankings will be released Sunday.
“We are 8-1 in the toughest conference in America and put together a heck of a resume,” Hogan said. “We know we kind of took it out of our hands a couple weeks back (with the loss to Oregon), but I think that no one in the country wants to play us right now.”
Stanford can assure itself of no less than a Rose Bowl bid with a win over USC. There could be more in store for the Cardinal if the right dominoes fall and the CFP selection committee looks favorably on the team’s strength of schedule, but first Stanford must beat the Trojans.
“We’re excited. We’re extremely excited,” sophomore running back Christian McCaffrey said. “We know USC’s a great team and we’re ready for the challenge.”
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Kevin Hogan will lead Stanford into the Pac-12 championship game against USC after delivering perhaps the finest performance of his college career in the win over Notre Dame. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 269 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Hogan was nearly as good in a 41-31 victory over USC on Sept. 19, completing 18 of 23 for 279 yards and two touchdowns.
–RB Christian McCaffrey was held to 94 yards on 27 carries against Notre Dame, ending his streak of nine consecutive 100-yard rushing games. That streak started when he rushed for 115 yards in the Sept. 19 victory over USC. McCaffrey still leads the nation with 252.9 all-purpose yards per game and ranks second in the Pac-12 in rushing at 136.7 yards per game. McCaffrey has a school-record 3,035 all-purpose yards. He needs 216 more to break the NCAA record of 3,250 set by NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders when he was at Oklahoma State in 1988.
–WR Devon Cajuste feels fully healthy for the first time all season and could be a big factor against USC. Cajuste is coming off his biggest game of the season against Notre Dame. He caught five passes for a career-high 125 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown reception and a 27-yard catch that set up the winning field goal.
–LB Blake Martinez has returned to form over the past two weeks after two subpar performances. Martinez had nine tackles against Cal and 12 against Notre Dame. In the two previous games, he had a total of eight tackles, including a season-low three tackles in the loss to Oregon. Martinez still leads the Pac-12 with 10.1 tackles per game.
