STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford's success in home openers has mirrored its rise as a football program. In 2008, Stanford began a winning streak in home openers that has reached 10. In those years, the Cardinal has accumulated a 98-35 record and reached bowl games the past nine seasons, including three Rose Bowls.
The following is a closer look at Stanford's home-opening streak:
Erik Lorig celebrates a takedown. Photo by Alex Oppenheimer.
Aug. 28, 2008: Stanford 36, Oregon State 28
Toby Gerhart ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in his first game back from a knee injury and Stanford took advantage of two bizarre fumbles. The first helped give the Cardinal the go-ahead lead on a safety late in the third quarter. The second came, with just 47 seconds remaining. Oregon State's Darrell Catchings tried to stretch the ball over the goal line when Stanford's Taylor Skaufel knocked it loose and the ball rolled out of the end zone for a touchback.
Richard Sherman scores on a punt return. Photo by Bob Drebin.
Sept. 19, 2009: Stanford 42, San Jose State 17
Chris Owusu set the tone and Stanford followed. The electrifying sophomore returned the opening kickoff 94 yards, providing the first of three Stanford scoring returns in the game, including a 48-yard punt return by Richard Sherman. In his first home game as a starter, sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck completed 9 of 12 passes for 170 yards and one touchdown. Toby Gerhart, who would become a Heisman Trophy finalist, rushed for 113 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Doug Baldwin hauls in a TD pass. Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos.
Sept. 4, 2010: Stanford 52, Sacramento State 17
Andrew Luck threw four touchdown passes in helping Stanford win its opener. Luck completed 17 of 23 passes for 316 yards, including an 81-yard scoring toss to Doug Baldwin and a 59-yard touchdown to Stepfan Taylor. Luck also threw TD passes of 15 yards to Baldwin and 5 yards to Zach Ertz to open a season that would conclude with an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech as a 12-1 record.
Henry Anderson returns a fumble for a TD. Photo by Don Feria/ISI Photos.
Sept. 3, 2011: Stanford 57, San Jose State 3
Andrew Luck gave the game ball to David Shaw after the coach's head-coaching debut. "As much as we wanted to win," Luck said, "We really wanted to win for him." Luck began his final collegiate season by completing 17 of 26 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another. "We really didn't get into a rhythm," Luck said. "We scored 57 points, but a large part of that was our defense and special teams. They put us in great position."
A Jordan Williamson field goal was the difference. Photo by Jim Shorin.
Aug. 31, 2012: Stanford 20, San Jose State 17
Josh Nunes succeeded the graduated Andrew Luck as Stanford's quarterback and helped the Cardinal to a narrow victory. Stanford jumped out to a 17-3 lead and seemed poised to put the Spartans away early. But San Jose State battled back to tie the game. Jordan Williamson's 20-yard field goal with 13:15 remaining provided the margin of victory. Stanford concluded the season with its first Rose Bowl victory in 41 years.
Jordan Richards makes the tackle. Photo by Richard C. Ersted/ISI Photos.
Sept. 7, 2013: Stanford 34, San Jose State 13
Safety Ed Reynolds intercepted a throwaway from San Jose State quarterback David Fales, under heavy duress early in the fourth quarter, and the Cardinal followed with a 52-yard touchdown drive to ensure the victory. Erstwhile minor-league outfielder Tyler Gaffney returned to college football by rushing for 104 yards on 20 carries and scored two touchdowns, including the clincher on a two-yarder with 11:08 left in the game. Stanford would win its second consecutive Pac-12 title and return to the Rose Bowl.
Andrus Peat provides protection. Photo by David Bernal/ISI Photos.
Aug. 30, 2014: Stanford 45, UC Davis 0
Stanford knew it had a star in Ty Montgomery, who scored on a punt return and a long pass, but he nearly got upstaged by freshman Christian McCaffrey, making his collegiate debut. McCaffrey was force on the kickoffs, making three tackles and a hit that led to another. He was a force on offense, catching a short pass out of the slot and splitting the defense for a 52-yard score on his first touch. Finally, he was a force on punt returns, sprinting 41 yards in the third quarter.
Kevin Hogan kick-starts the offense. Photo by Bob Drebin/ISI Photos.
Sept. 12, 2015: Stanford 31, UCF 7
Kevin Hogan threw three touchdown passes as Stanford rebounded from a season-opening road loss to Northwestern and launched an eight-game winning streak that put the Cardinal back in the national-championship chase. The Stanford offense sputtered until late in the first half when Hogan connected with Michael Rector on a flea-flicker for a 53-yard touchdown. From then until the end of the season, the offense rolled. Freshman running back Bryce Love picked up 143 yards on three touches and Christian McCaffrey had 166 all-purpose yards, not including an 80-yard punt return nullified by penalty.
Touchdown, Christian McCaffrey. Photo by Jim Shorin.
Sept. 2, 2016: Stanford 26, Kansas State 13
Christian McCaffrey scored on runs of 41 and 35 yards, but his biggest must-see-to-be-believed moment came on a play that didn't count. After fielding a punt on his own 3-yard line, McCaffrey wriggling out of the grasps of three would-be tacklers on a 97-yard punt return that was nullified by penalty. McCaffrey rushed for 126 yards and had 210 all-purpose yards. The Card defense totaled eight sacks, two interceptions and a safety, and got a fourth-down sack from Peter Kalambayi after Kansas State closed to within 19-13 late in the game.
Bryce Love, a defender's nightmare. Photo by Bob Drebin/ISI Photos.
Sept. 23, 2017: Stanford 58, UCLA 34
Bryce Love rushed for 263 yards and a touchdown, and K.J. Costello came off the bench and threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. In a game that featured 1,148 yards in offense, Stanford overcame an early 13-6 deficit by outscoring the Bruins, 31-7, during a stretch of 17 minutes bridging the second and third quarters. A field-goal block by Harrison Phillips ignited the surge and a forced fumble by Alijah Holder moved it along. Cameron Scarlett scored three touchdowns to help Stanford offset 480 yards passing by UCLA's Josh Rosen.