PULLMAN, Wash. – Stanford's hopes for the Pac-12 Championship Game and beyond were preserved by a missed field goal attempt as time expired.
No. 8 Stanford survived at Washington State, 30-28, in a pivotal Pac-12 North contest in the rain at Martin Stadium, overcoming two 12-point deficits and using a 19-yard field goal by Conrad Ukropina with 1:54 left to win.
Washington State drove to the Stanford 27 in the final seconds, giving Erik Powell a chance for his sixth field goal of the game – he had hit from as far as 47 and 46. But the 43-yard try from the left-footer hooked to the right allowing Stanford (7-1 overall), to maintain its perfect conference record (6-0) and emerge with a two-game lead over second-place Oregon and Washington State (5-3), both 3-2 in the North Division.
"We survived by the skin of our teeth," said David Shaw, Stanford's Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, to an ESPN television audience.
Stanford did so largely because the running of quarterback Kevin Hogan, despite being hampered by a lingering ankle injury. Hogan ran for two touchdowns and gained 39 on a crucial third-quarter run to set up another. Hogan passed for only 86 yards but ran 14 times for 112 – more than standout running back Christian McCaffrey, who had 107 on the ground.
"Our quarterback has one has one of the biggest hearts in college football," Shaw said.
McCaffrey was largely silenced, but carried for 30 yards to set up Ukropina's winner. The possession was set up by the second of two crucial interceptions by Quenton Meeks, each of which led to second-half touchdowns. They were the first interceptions in the freshman's collegiate career.
Stanford trailed 12-3 at halftime when Shaw said, "We haven't done anything well. We're going to have to play Stanford football. We need to play our game and play it better."
The Stanford coaches have been adept at mid-game adjustments and this was a perfect example.
"The passing game wasn't doing very well so we went to the running game," Shaw said afterward. In particular, the Cougar defense was selling out on McCaffrey. The response was Hogan.
On Stanford's first series of the second half, Hogan faked a pitch to McCaffrey, but instead carried himself, for 39 yards, to set up Remound Wright's two-yard touchdown run.
Though WSU answered quickly with another touchdown to build the lead to 22-10, the Hogan strategy was paying off. This time, Hogan used play-action to set himself up for a 59-yard run for a touchdown. He followed with a 6-yard TD run after Meeks' first interception and return to the WSU 17. Hogan's score capped a 17-point Stanford surge bridging the third and fourth quarters, all within a span of 4:20, for a 27-22 lead.
Hogan (10 of 19 passing with an interception) was sacked four times in the first half, but if you erase those losses from his total, he ran for 138 while earning his 31 victory as a starter, tying him with Andrew Luck for the most in Stanford history. McCaffrey ran for 107 on 22 carries, and gained 136 all-purpose yards. It was McCaffrey's sixth consecutive 100-yard rushing game.
However, Stanford's lead was short-lived. Washington State converting on fourth down during a touchdown drive that ended with a 1-yard pass from Luke Falk to River Cracraft with 7:56 left for a 28-27 lead. Kodi Whitfield's open-field tackle prevented a two-point conversion.
Stanford was stopped on its next series in its own territory and things looked bleak, judging by the way Washington State was moving the ball. But Meeks changed that with his interception in the right flat, reading a screen pass and leaping for the interception even as he was bear-hugged by a Cougar, at the WSU 39.
McCaffrey's tiptoe run down the left sideline enabled Stanford to drive deep into Cougar territory, but his third-and-goal run from the 4, gained only two yards and the Cardinal had no choice but to kick a field goal, and Ukropina made his second of the game.
There was plenty of time for Washington State, though the Stanford defense had the Cougars bottled up for a time. Washington State converted a short pass and then got a replay reversal after Falk appeared to fumble when hit by Solomon Thomas. Joey Alfieri landed on the loose ball. However, the "tuck rule" came into play and WSU retained possession.
Again, the Cougars appeared to be stopped, but on fourth-and-7 from its own 41, Falk (35 of 61 for 354) hit Dom Williams in stride on a post for 23 yards and apparently into Powell's field-goal goal range. But it wasn't to be for the Cougars.
Stanford now is clearly in the driver's seat for the Pac-12 Championship Game and remains the Pac-12's biggest and, perhaps only, hope for the College Football Playoff.