JT406341JT406341
Football

Three-Game Homestand Continues with the Wildcats

    Stanford football continues a three-game home stand on Saturday with a 4 p.m. kickoff against the Arizona Wildcats. 

    The Cardinal looks for its first home win of the season after falling 30-23 in its home opener against Sacramento State. That loss by the Cardinal is its first against a non-FBS opponent since 2005 (UC Davis).

    Stanford lost its Pac-12 opener in Week 2 with a 56-10 loss at USC in what was the final matchup between the two rivals as Pac-12 conference opponents. This weekend’s matchup at Stanford Stadium will be Arizona’s first Pac-12 game of the season. 

    The Cardinal used some trickery against the Hornets on Saturday to steal an extra possession. After a 51-yard touchdown pass to Elic Ayomanor, Stanford recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. It was the first successful onside kick recovery by Stanford since Oct. 20, 2001 at No. 5 Oregon. 

    Stanford’s defense generated its first two turnovers of the season on Saturday night against Sacramento State, both coming in the second half. Scotty Edwards and Collin Wright both intercepted passes from Hornets quarterback Kaiden Bennett, representing the first interceptions in their respective careers. 

    Saturday’s matchup against the Wildcats is the first between Stanford and Arizona since 2019, and just the second since 2016. Stanford has won six straight against Arizona, scoring at least 34 points in all six of those games. 

    The rushing attack continues to be a huge strength of the Stanford offense. Through three games, the Cardinal is averaging 182.3 yards per game on the ground, a top-50 mark in the NCAA. It has also been a diverse attack, as no ball carrier has more than quarterback Justin Lamson’s 25 carries. 

    Get used to seeing a lot of the Cardinal at home. Stanford is in the midst of a stretch where it will play five out of six games at home, with a bye week in the middle. The only road trip through the end of October left for Stanford is a trip to Boulder, Colorado to take on Colorado.