Foster Farms Bowl Blowout

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Stanford finished the 2014 season with a resounding 45-21 victory against Maryland on Tuesday night in the Foster Farms Bowl at cold and blustery Levi’s Stadium.

Stanford (8-5), playing in its school-record sixth consecutive bowl game, dominated in the first-ever meeting between the schools in front of an announced crowd of 34,780. It was the most points ever scored by a Cardinal team in a bowl.

“Our guys never stopped believing or trusting each other,” said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football. “We played our best football at the end of the season.”

Senior quarterback Kevin Hogan completed 14 of 20 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns and was not intercepted. He also ran for 50 yards on eight carries and was named the Offensive Player of the Game.

“We just stayed focused leading up this game,” he said. “Sometimes you can get out of whack. We had a great week of practice and wanted to finish strong.”

Senior outside linebacker James Vaughters sparked the defense by recording five tackles, two of the team’s six sacks and forced a fumble. He was named the Defensive Player of the Game.

Stanford outgained Maryland 414-222. It was a balanced attack, as the Cardinal passed for 208 yards and rushed for 206, the latter marking the third-straight game Stanford has surpassed the 200-yard mark. Nine players carried the ball and 10 caught passes.

The defense limited the Terrapins to 17 yards rushing and helped the team finish with 37:07 to 22:53 time of possession advantage.

Maryland won and the coin toss and elected to defer. Starting from its own 25, the Cardinal offense picked up where it left off last month in its 31-10 upset of eighth-ranked UCLA, by marching 75 yards in 12 plays, culminated by a 1-yard scoring run by senior Remound Wright. Operating mostly without a huddle, Hogan was sharp, completing all five pass attempts for 55 yards. Key hookups were a 6-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jordan Pratt on third and 5 and an 18-yard connection to sophomore tight end Austin Hooper, who made a nice leaping catch over the middle.

It marked the 33rd time in the last 34 games that Stanford has scored a rushing touchdown.

After an exchange of punts, the Terrapins evened the score on the second play of the second quarter on a 1-yard run by Wes Brown. The big play was a 26-yard pass from quarterback C.J. Brown to wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs hadn’t played since Nov. 1 after sustaining a lacerated kidney against Penn State.

The deadlock did not last long.

Senior fullback Patrick Skov returned a short kickoff 29 yards to the Maryland 49. Hogan wasted no time by finding sophomore tight end Greg Taboada for a 28-yard completion to the 21, and Wright tallied his second touchdown on a 3-yard run around right tackle, lifting Stanford to a 14-7 advantage.

The Cardinal extended its lead on its next possession, swiftly moving 70 yards on five plays, with Wright earning his third touchdown on a 1-yard run, tying the San Francisco bowl game record for most rushing touchdowns in a game. Key plays were a 30-yard keeper off left tackle by Hogan, and a 37-yard pass from Hogan to Hooper that carried to the Maryland 3.

Following a Maryland punt, freshman running back Christian McCaffrey gave Stanford good field position again with a 28-yard punt return to his own 46. Wright extended the drive with a 3-yard run on fourth and 4 from the Maryland 45. McCaffrey again contributed and showed his elusiveness by shedding a tackle and reversing field after catching a short pass from Hogan and converted it into a 22-yard gain. Hogan and senior wide receiver Devon Cajuste did the rest, teaming up twice, the latter on an 8-yard slant pass on third and goal to give the Cardinal a 28-7 halftime cushion.

Stanford fumbled on its first possession of the third quarter, but the defense got the ball back on the next play. Fifth-year senior free safety Kyle Olugbode, who played high school football at nearby Bellarmine Prep, intercepted a Brown pass and returned it 16 yards to the Maryland 25. Two plays later, Hogan drilled a 9-yard scoring pass to Cajuste to increase the Cardinal lead to 35-7.

Stanford did not let up. On the Terrapins’ next possession, junior strong safety Dallas Lloyd blocked a Nathan Renfro punt and the Cardinal recovered at the Maryland 24. It was the first blocked punt of the season for Stanford and last since its first game against Arizona State last year. However, Stanford failed to capitalize when Williamson missed a 37-yard field goal.

The Cardinal continued to roll late in the quarter, getting a 15-yard run from McCaffrey and 21-yard hook up from Hogan to Cajuste. Fifth-year senior running back Ricky Seale capped the nine-play, 66-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring run, the first of his Stanford career.

On the ensuing kickoff, William Likely carted the ball 100 yards for a touchdown, the first allowed by the Cardinal since 2008, to make the score 42-14.

Hogan’s night was finished, as he gave way to senior Evan Crower.

McCaffrey seemed to be everywhere on the night, collecting 138 all-purpose yards. Not to be overlooked was a nifty 30-yard punt return in the fourth quarter that led to a Williamson field goal. With his father, Ed, a former standout Stanford wide receiver watching from the crowd, he eluded an initial tackler, found space near the Cardinal sideline, then hurdled another defender.

“He’s had a great season,” said Hogan. “You might see him in New York in a couple years. That’s how good he is.”