STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford took care of business in impressive fashion on Saturday by defeating Rice, 62-7, in the Sydney Cup in Sydney, Australia, on the opening weekend of the college football season. The Cardinal clicked on both sides of the ball, scoring the most first-game points since a 63-21 win against San Jose State in 1969.
Senior quarterback Keller Chryst showed no ill effects of a knee injury sustained in the Sun Bowl last December. Despite missing spring practice, he worked diligently with the athletic training staff and Shannon Turley, the Kissick Family Director of Sports Performance, and was back on the field for fall training camp.
Against Rice, Chryst completed 14 of 24 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
.@KellerChryst is back. Impressive performance in Sydney: 253 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT on 14-24 passing.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/SyNr7Wq3Jk
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) August 27, 2017
"It was great to see Keller come back and be completely healthy, and be able to run the show from the quarterback position," said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football.
Chryst, fifth-year senior Ryan Burns and sophomore K.J. Costello spread the ball around to eight receivers, and only once did Stanford go three-and-out. Costello also scampered for a 25-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
As expected, the tight ends were major contributors. Sophomore Kaden Smith, freshman Colby Parkinson, senior Dalton Schultz and sophomore Scooter Harrington accounted for eight receptions for 97 yards and three touchdowns. Smith led the way with four catches for 55 yards and a score.
Watch the play and remember the name: 6'7" freshman tight end @CJ51 scores a touchdown on his first play in college.#GoStanford #TightEndU pic.twitter.com/hJlAj5Arvy
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) August 28, 2017
Junior Bryce Love looked comfortable in his new role as the team's starting running back. On the first offensive play of the game, he raced 62 yards to set up the first Cardinal touchdown.
"We studied them on film and knew it would be a big play for us," Love said. "The offensive line did a great job."
Love finished with a career-high 180 yards on 13 carries and found the end zone once. His previous best was a 129-yard effort at Notre Dame last season.
Junior Cameron Scarlett ran for 68 yards on nine carries and scored three touchdowns, while sophomore Dorian Maddox added 28 yards on eight attempts.
The Cardinal averaged 8.0 yards per carry.
Defensively, the Cardinal was physical and active, blanking the Owls until the final six minutes. The unit surrendered only 241 total yards.
Fifth-year senior linebacker Peter Kalambayi shared the team lead in tackles with five, including a sack, and one of seven stops behind the line of scrimmage. Senior defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and junior inside linebacker Sean Barton also recorded five stops.
Four true freshmen saw action: Parkinson, wide receiver Connor Wedington, and offensive linemen Walker Little and Sarell Foster.
Wedington picked up where he left off in fall camp by catching a team-best six passes for 82 yards, including a 33-yarder. He is an exciting young player and has big play capability.
Sophomore kicker Jet Toner also got off to a strong start. He made both field attempts from 40 and 34 yards, and was 8-for-8 on extra points.
Stanford has a bye this week, then opens Pac-12 play on Sept. 9 at USC. The Trojans start their season on Saturday afternoon by hosting Western Michigan.
USC, ranked No. 4 by the AP, was the preseason pick to win the Pac-12 South. The Trojans are led by sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold, considered a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy.
Extra Points ... After a 13-hour flight, Stanford returned from Sydney on Monday morning ... Rice flew to Los Angeles, then to Dallas. Due to heavy flooding in the Houston area, the team will be temporary stationed at TCU ... The Cardinal has now scored in 135 consecutive games ... Stanford has recorded at least one tackle for loss in 87 straight contests ... The Cardinal has converted 177 consecutive extra points ... Stanford graduate and Consul General Valerie Crites Fowler was the team's honorary captain.
"Squeeze everything you can from each opportunity."
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) August 28, 2017
Thank you @CGSydney for leading us in Sydney. ????????#HonoraryCaptain pic.twitter.com/jruCy9o1Xt
Quotable ... "I think it was a great cultural exchange. We forget about foreign policy, forget about politics, forget about all of those things. When people can cross an ocean and communicate together, our world is a better place. We'll take a bit of Sydney with us when we leave, and hopefully we left a little bit of Stanford in Sydney." - David Shaw