STANFORD, Calif. — K.J. Costello threw a pair of touchdown passes to JJ Arcega-Whiteside, fueling No. 9 Stanford to a 30-10 victory over UC Davis on Saturday at Stanford Stadium.
The Cardinal (3-0) remained unbeaten thanks to a balanced offense and another commanding defensive performance. Coupled with decisive wins over San Diego State (31-10) in the opener and No. 17 USC (17-3) last weekend, Stanford has limited three straight opponents to 10 points or fewer for the second time in three seasons.
Costello completed 17 for 30 passes for 214 yards while Arcega-Whiteside increased his season touchdown total to five. Trevor Speights compiled 87 yards on 11 carries, Kaden Smith finished with a career-high six catches for 68 yards and Jet Toner chipped in with three field goals.
Alameen Murphy finished with an interception and team-best seven tackles.
The Cardinal, which extended its winning streak to 21 over nonconference opponents, was playing its third straight game at Stanford Stadium and kicked off at 11 a.m., the earliest start for a home game in school history.
After Stanford punted on the opening drive, Costello threw an interception to Nas Anesi deep in his own territory to set up an early UC Davis field goal.
Costello found Arcega-Whiteside, who used his superior size to box out defenders, in the end zone on passes of 9 and 8 yards, building a 17-3 halftime lead.
Stanford, which was playing without running back Bryce Love, nearly went two straight games without allowing a touchdown before Hunter Rodrigues threw a 26-yard pass to C.J. Spencer on the final play of the game.
Stanford faces ranked opponents Oregon and Notre Dame on the road over the next two weeks before returning to The Farm on Oct. 6 to host Utah.
