STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford football team climbed two spots to No. 18 Sunday in the AP rankings after escaping Corvallis with an improbable but gritty 15-14 comeback win against Oregon State on Thursday night.
The Cardinal (6-2, 5-1 Pac-12) rallied in the closing 20 seconds on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Keller Chryst to JJ Arcega-Whiteside. It marked Stanford's first lead since 12:57 in the second quarter, when Jet Toner's 40-yard field goal lifted the Cardinal to a 3-0 advantage.
The winning points were set up when linebacker Peter Kalambayi stripped the ball from Oregon State running back Ryan Nall and defensive tackle Harrison Phillips recovered at the Beaver 40 with 2:30 remaining.
"They threw their best punch and we wore it and still got the win," said Phillips.
Sophomore tight end Kaden Smith made his biggest catch in a Stanford uniform by using his 6-5 frame to go up and snag a 25-yard toss across the middle from Chyrst on fourth-and-10, despite tight coverage from Oregon State safety Omar Hicks-Onu.
"He's made play after play and hasn't gotten a lot of reps," David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football said of Smith.
The triumph was the fifth straight by the Cardinal.
"As I told our players, we're not going to apologize for a win," said Shaw. "It's hard to win a conference game this late in the season on the road."
Stanford survived without junior running back Bryce Love, the nation's leading rusher.
"Hopefully, we'll get him back (for the Washington State game)," Shaw said.
Love's absence was reflected in many ways. The Cardinal collected a season-low 81 rushing yards against the 100th-ranked rushing defense in the country, 72 coming from junior Cameron Scarlett. Stanford's longest run was 12 yards.
By comparison, Love has produced 18 runs of 30 or more yards, 11 runs of 40 or more and nine of 50 or more. He has run for a touchdown of 50 or more yards in nine consecutive games and his lowest rushing output was 147 against Oregon despite missing most of the second half.
"He really brings something that no one else can," said Phillips. "Not to say that he's our only weapon, but that's just one less threat on the field."
Love continues to lead the nation in rushing with 1,387 yards, although Rashaad Perry of San Diego State is a close second with 1,368. Love is also tops in yards per game with 198.1, followed by Zach Abey of Navy at 163.1, and is No. 2 in yards per attempt (10.27) behind Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate (13.42).
For only the second time this season, Chryst went the distance at quarterback, completing 16 of 33 passes for 141 yards. Although he was intercepted only once, several throws were dropped by Beaver defenders and he never found his rhythm after playing the best game of his career the previous week against Oregon.
"There were some things that happened that were not Keller's fault and things he could have done better," Shaw said.
While the Stanford defense kept the game within reach for the struggling offense, four penalties extended Oregon State drives after third down stops.
Two additional points of emphasis will be third-down conversions and finding the end zone in the red zone. The Cardinal was five of 16 against Oregon State, and managed only one touchdown on three trips. Stanford has produced touchdowns 22 in 35 visits this season.
"A lot of things have to be looked at," said Shaw.
If there is a more athletic wide receiver in the country than Arcega-Whiteside, Shaw hasn't seen him. Arcega-Whiteside continues to play taller than his 6-3 height and has become adept at out-jumping defenders.
"He's plays like he's 6-4 or 6-5," Shaw said.
Arcega-Whiteside starred in basketball at Dorman High in Inman, South Carolina. In 2014, he was a McDonald's All-America nominee, all-state, and led his team to three regional championships.
Almost overlooked in the aftermath of Thursday's victory is that Stanford became bowl eligible for the ninth consecutive year. One more victory would guarantee a ninth straight winning season.
Where would that rank historically?
Fourth. From 1900 through 1917, the program recorded 18-straight winning seasons. Twice, Stanford has produced 13-game winning streaks: from 1923-35, primarily under the leadership of Glenn "Pop" Warner, and from 1968-78, spearheaded by John Ralston.
Also worth noting: the 15-14 winning score was a first for the Cardinal in 1,259 football games. The only other time that total resulted was in 1960, when Stanford sustained a 15-14 setback at Washington State.
The last time the Cardinal finished with 15 points was in 1917, when it defeated Santa Clara, 15-11, in rugby.
Once again, Toner and junior punter Jake Bailey were big contributors. On Stanford's second possession, Toner hooked a 34-yard field goal wide left, but atoned by converting his next three attempts from 40, 33 and 40. Bailey punted five times for a 46.0 average and all five kickoffs went for touchbacks.
Toner has made 15 of 17 field goals and 33 straight extra points, and leads the team in scoring with 78 points. Bailey has kicked off 50 times with 32 touchbacks.
The Cardinal has eight days to prepare for its final regular-season road game against No. 25 Washington State in Pullman. On Sunday, the game was selected for a 12:30 p.m. PT kickoff and it will be televised by FOX.
The Cougars (6-2, 4-2 Pac-12) were upset by host Arizona on Saturday night, 58-37. Going into the game, the Washington State defense was ranked in the top 20 in the country, but surrendered 585 yards and touchdown runs of 82, 79 and 62.
Unhappy with the play of redshirt senor quarterback Luke Falk, head coach Mike Leach replaced him late in the second quarter with redshirt sophomore Tyler Hilinski, and the latter played the entire second half. Hilinksi (45 of 61 for 502 yards) sparked the Cougars by throwing for two scores and ran for two, but was intercepted four times.
Falk (13 of 23 for 93 yards) needed 225 to become the Pac-12's all-time leading passer.
Hilinski has a stronger arm, a quicker release and is more mobile. He also rallied Washington State to a come-from-behind win against Boise State earlier this season.
Shaw will be looking for improvement across the board against the Cougars, admitting his team hasn't played well on the road. Both losses -- to USC and San Diego State -- occurred away from home.
"If we don't play well, they will run us out of the house," he said.
Following Washington State, the Cardinal concludes the regular season on home turf against No. 12 Washington (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) on Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. PT, Cal (4-5, 1-5 Pac-12) on Nov. 18, and No. 5 Notre Dame (7-1).
On Saturday, the Huskies beat UCLA, 44-23, Cal fell to Colorado, 44-28, and the Fighting Irish downed North Carolina State, 35-14.
The Cardinal defense forced three turnovers against Oregon State to increase its season total to 16 (12 interceptions, four fumble recoveries). Stanford is tied for eighth nationally in turnover margin and is plus-six through eight games.
Extra Points ... Phillips recorded a game-high nine tackles and leads the team with 59. Cornerback Quenton Meets added eight and inside linebacker Jordan Perez contributed seven ... Senior inside linebacker Joey Alfieri must sit out the first half against Washington State after being disqualified for targeting ... Former offensive line standout Chase Beeler '10, a senior associate for Altamont Capital Partners, served as honorary captain.
Quotable ... "That's why it's 60 minutes. We never held our heads down and kept fighting." - Junior cornerback Quenton Meeks.
