2011 Stanford Cardinal football team

2011 Stanford Cardinal football
Pac-12 North Division Co-Champions
Big Game Champions
Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma State, L 38–41OT
Conference Pacific-12 Conference
North Division
Ranking
Coaches #7
AP #7
2011 record 11–2 (8–1 Pac-12)
Head coach David Shaw (1st as Head coach, 5th overall year)
Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton (1st coordinator, 2nd overall year year)
Offensive scheme West Coast Offense
Defensive coordinator Derek Mason (1st as coordinator, 2nd overall year)
Co-defensive coordinator Jason Tarver (1st year)
Base defense 3–4
Captain Andrew Luck
Captain Michael Thomas
Home stadium Stanford Stadium
(Capacity: 50,000)
2011 Pacific-12 football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Northern Division
#4 Oregon xy†   8 – 1         12 – 2  
#7 Stanford x‡   8 – 1         11 – 2  
Washington   5 – 4         7 – 6  
California   4 – 5         7 – 6  
Oregon State   3 – 6         3 – 9  
Washington State   2 – 7         4 – 8  
Southern Division
#6 USC*   7 – 2         10 – 2  
UCLA xy   5 – 4         6 – 8  
Utah   4 – 5         8 – 5  
Arizona State   4 – 5         6 – 7  
Arizona   2 – 7         4 – 8  
Colorado   2 – 7         3 – 10  
Championship: Oregon 49, UCLA 31
† – BCS representative as conference champion
‡ – BCS at-large representative
x – Division champion/co-champions
y – Championship game participant
  • USC ineligible for championship and post-season due to NCAA sanctions
    As of January 10, 2012; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Cardinal were led by former offensive coordinator and new head coach David Shaw, as Jim Harbaugh departed following the 2010 season in order to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. They played their home games at Stanford Stadium and are members of the North Division of the Pacific-12 Conference. They finished the season with 11–2 in overall record, 8–1 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie with Oregon for first place in the North Division. Due to their head-to-head loss to Oregon, they did not represent the division in the inaugural Pacific-12 Football Championship Game. They were invited the Fiesta Bowl, their second consecutive BCS game, where they were defeated by Oklahoma State 38–41 in overtime.

Roster

2011 Stanford Cardinal

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

  •  4 Michael Spanos – Sophomore
  • 22 Remound Wright – Freshman
  • 23 Jackson Cummings – Freshman
  • 25 Tyler Gaffney – Junior
  • 29 Andrew Stutz – Sophomore
  • 30 Ricky Seale – Freshman
  • 32 Anthony Wilkerson – Sophomore
  • 33 Stepfan Taylor – Junior
  • 34 Jeremy Stewart – Senior
  • 39 Kelsey Young – Freshman

Fullbacks

  • 10 Geoff Meinken – Sophomore
  • 36 Lee Ward – Freshman
  • 85 Ryan Hewitt – Sophomore

Centers

  • 61 Conor McFadden – Freshman
  • 64 Sam Schwartzstein – Junior
  • 65 Khalil Wilkes – Sophomore

Offensive Guards

  • 50 Cole Underwood – Freshman
  • 52 David DeCastro – Junior
  • 63 Kevin Reihner – Freshman
  • 66 Matt Bentler – Senior
  • 75 Dillon Bonnell – Freshman
  • 76 Kevin Danser – Sophomore

Offensive Tackles

  

Wide Receivers

  •  2 Corey Gatewood – Senior
  •  4 Drew Terrell – Junior
  •  13 Rollins Stallworth – Freshman
  •  17 Griff Whalen – Senior
  • 18 Jeff Trojan – Freshman
  • 20 Keanu Nelson – Freshman
  • 21 Jamal-Rashad Patterson – Junior
  • 44 John Flacco – Freshman
  • 80 Sam Knapp – Sophomore
  • 81 Chris Owusu – Senior
  • 84 Jemari Roberts – Sophomore
  • 87 Jordan Pratt – Freshman
  • 88 Ty Montgomery – Freshman
  • 89 Devon Cajuste – Freshman

Tight Ends

  • 9 Brandon Gottfried – Freshman
  • 11 Levine Toilolo – Sophomore
  • 46 Matt Kasner – Freshman
  • 82 Coby Fleener – Senior
  • 83 Davis Dudchock – Freshman
  • 86 Zach Ertz – Sophomore

Defensive Tackles

  • 56 Jacob Gowan – Sophomore
  • 58 David Parry – Freshman
  • 72 J.B. Salem – Freshman
  • 95 Lance Callihan – Freshman
  • 97 Anthony Hayes – Freshman
  • 99 Terence Stephens – Junior

Defensive Ends

  • 48 Kevin Anderson – Freshman
  • 49 Ben Gardner – Sophomore
  • 72 J.B. Salem – Freshman
  • 79 Alex Yazdi – Freshman
  • 90 Josh Mauro – Sophomore
  • 91 Henry Anderson – Freshman
  • 92 Charlie Hopkins – Freshman
  • 96 Eddie Plantaric – Freshman
  • 98 Matthew Masifilo – Senior
  

Linebackers

  • 7 Patrick Skov – Freshman
  • 9 James Vaughters – Freshman
  • 11 Shayne Skov – Junior
  • 17 A.J. Tarpley – Freshman
  • 35 Jarek Lancaster – Sophomore
  • 40 Joe Hemschoot – Freshman
  • 42 Alex Debniak – Junior
  • 43 Blake Lueders – Sophomore
  • 44 Chase Thomas – Junior
  • 50 Brent Etiz – Sophomore
  • 51 Sam Mercer – Freshman
  • 53 Torsten Rotto – Freshman
  • 57 Max Bergen – Senior
  • 93 Trent Murphy – Sophomore

Defensive Backs

  • 2 Wayne Lyons – Freshman
  • 8 Jordan Richards – Freshman
  • 23 Ronnie Harris – Freshman
  • 38 Ra’Chard Pippins – Freshman

Cornerbacks

  • 6 Terrence Brown – Sophomore
  • 15 Usua Amanam – Sophomore
  • 24 Quinn Evans – Junior
  • 27 Johnson Bademosi – Senior
  • 28 Harold Bernard – Junior
  • 31 Barry Browning – Sophomore
  • 37 Chris Gaertner – Freshman

Safeties

  • 3 Michael Thomas – Senior
  • 5 Devon Carrington – Sophomore
  • 15 Brent Seals – Sophomore
  • 22 Kyle Olugbode – Freshman
  • 26 Delano Howell – Senior
  • 29 Ed Reynolds – Sophomore
  • 41 Cason Kynes – Sophomore

Kickers

  • 19 Jordan Williamson – Sophomore
  • 46 Eric Whitaker – Sophomore
  • 47 Juan Castellanos – Freshman

Punters

  • 14 Ben Rhyne – Freshman
  • 36 Daniel Zychlinski – Junior
  • 38 David Green – Senior

Long Snappers

  • 45 Andrew Fowler – 6th year Senior
  • 62 Austin Tubbs – Freshman
Sources: 2011 Stanford Cardinal Football Media Guide, 2011 Stanford Cardinal Football Roster

Coaching staff

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 3 2:00 p.m. San Jose State* #7 Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (Bill Walsh Legacy Game) CSNBA W 57–3   47,816[1]
September 10 12:30 p.m. at Duke* #6 Wallace Wade Stadium • Durham, NC ESPNU W 44–14   24,785[2]
September 17 7:45 p.m. at Arizona #6 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ ESPN W 37–10   49,636[3]
October 1 7:30 p.m. UCLA #6 Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA FSN W 45–19   50,360[4]
October 8 4:30 p.m. Colorado #7 Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA Versus W 48–7   50,360[5]
October 15 4:30 p.m. at Washington State #7 Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA Versus W 44–14   30,843[6]
October 22 5:00 p.m. #22 Washingtondagger #7 Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA ABC/ESPN3 W 65–21   50,360[7]
October 29 5:00 p.m. at #20 USC #4 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA ABC/ESPN3 W 56–48 3OT  93,607[8]
November 5 12:30 p.m. at Oregon State #4 Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR ABC W 38–13   42,835[9]
November 12 5:00 p.m. #6 Oregon #3 Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA ABC L 30–53   50,360[10]
November 19 7:15 p.m. California #8 Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (114th Big Game/Stanford Axe) ESPN W 31–28   50,360[11]
November 26 5:00 p.m. #22 Notre Dame* #4 Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (Legends Trophy) ABC W 28–14   50,360[12]
January 2 5:30 p.m. vs. #3 Oklahoma State* #4 University of Phoenix Stadium • Glendale, AZ (Fiesta Bowl) ESPN L 38–41 OT  69,927[13]
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Pacific Time.

Game notes

San Jose State

1 234Total
San Jose State 0 300 3
• Stanford 10 171614 57

Known as the "Bill Walsh Legacy Game" (Bill Walsh was a graduate of San Jose State and a two-time head coach at Stanford), this game marked the 65th meeting between Stanford and San Jose State—the most times Stanford has faced a single non-Pac-12 opponent. Entering the game with a record-high #7 preseason ranking (this ties the 1950 team's #7 preseason ranking, the team's highest-ever ranking), the Cardinal achieved their 50th win in the series as 2011 Heisman Trophy runner-up Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third. In all, six Stanford players scored touchdowns, with running back Stepfan Taylor scoring twice on short rushes.[1][14]


Duke

1 234Total
• Stanford 7 101314 44
Duke 0 707 14

The Cardinal held a 10–0 lead late in the first half due to an Andrew Luck touchdown pass to Coby Fleener and a 40-yard Jordan Williamson field goal. Duke made a game of it after safety Lee Butler returned a deflected pass 76 yards for a touchdown and the Blue Devils recovered an onside kick on the next play. But Stanford held Duke to a single series, and following a short punt, scored another touchdown before halftime. The second half was all Stanford, as Luck threw two more touchdowns, Jonathan Stewart ran for a 30-yard score, and Tyler Gaffney added a one-yard plunge to rout the Blue Devils.[2]


Arizona

1 234Total
• Stanford 10 6714 37
Arizona 0 1000 10

Stepfan Taylor rushed for a career high 153 yards and Andrew Luck threw for 325 yards as the Cardinal held the Wildcats scoreless in the second half to win 37–10. Arizona quarterback Nick Foles completed his first 17 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown, but after that, he was 7 for 16 and 41 yards as the Cardinal began to break down the passing attack.[3] The victory was costly for the Cardinal, however, as junior linebacker and leading tackler Shayne Skov suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second quarter.[15]


UCLA

1 234Total
UCLA 0 766 19
• Stanford 7 101414 45

Coming into the game, Stanford trailed UCLA 45–33–3 in a series that dates back to 1925 and both teams had the same 19–19–2 record for games played at Stanford. Stanford's Coby Fleener scored on 18 and 51-yard receptions and Stepfan Taylor added two rushing touchdowns as the Cardinal downed UCLA 45–19. UCLA tight end Joseph Fauria caught two of the Bruin touchdown passes.[4]


Colorado

1 234Total
Colorado 0 700 7
• Stanford 13 14147 48

Andrew Luck threw for 370 yards—the second-most in his college career—and three touchdowns as the Cardinal routed Colorado, 48–7 and improved to 5–0 on the season, Stanford's best start since the 1951 season.[16] Stanford linebacker Max Bergen blocked a Colorado field goal attempt in the first quarter and ran back the ball 75 yards for Stanford's first score. Fullback Ryan Hewitt caught two of Luck's touchdown passes with Griff Whalen catching the other. Three different running backs scored for the Cardinal on one-yard rushes.[5]


Washington State

1 234Total
• Stanford 3 71420 44
Washington State 0 707 14

Andrew Luck threw an interception on his first pass of the game, but recovered to throw four second-half passes—two to tight end Levine Toilolo—as the Cardinal routed the Cougars, 44–14. At the end of the first half, Washington State had closed to within 10–7 on a two-yard run from Carl Winston, but that would end their scoring until a short touchdown dive with 14 seconds left in the game. On the ensuing kickoff of that final Cougar touchdown, Stanford's Ty Montgomery returned the kick 96 yards as time expired to give the Cardinal a 30-point win.[6] Stanford won its 14th consecutive game, setting a school record (breaking the marks set in 1904–1905 and 1939–1940–1941) and extending the nation's longest current winning streak.[17] The team won by its ninth consecutive 25+ point victory margin, the longest such streak in the BCS era since Boise State in 2002.[17]


Washington

1 234Total
Washington 7 707 21
• Stanford 10 281017 65

Stanford set a single-game school rushing record of 446 yards (breaking the previous record of 439 set against Oregon State in 1981, led by Darrin Nelson's 190 yards) as the Cardinal overpowered the visiting Huskies 65–21. Stepfan Taylor ran for 138 yards and a touchdown, Tyler Gaffney had 117 yards and a touchdown, and Anthony Wilkerson had 93 yards and two touchdowns. The Cardinal extended its streak of 15 consecutive wins (longest in school history, and longest current streak in the nation), as well as 10 consecutive wins by more than 25 points (longest streak in college football since the poll era began in 1936). Washington's Chris Polk had two long touchdown runs to highlight Washington's scoring.[7][18]


USC

Stanford at USC
1 234OT2OT3OTTotal
• Stanford 7 31410778 56
USC 3 31414770 48

The Cardinal outlasted the Trojans in a triple overtime thriller, winning 56–48, and remaining unbeaten and in the hunt for the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. The Cardinal led 10–6 at halftime, but on the first series of the second half, USC running back Curtis MacNeal broke free for a 61-yard touchdown run to put the Cardinal behind in a game for the first time all season. MacNeal added another score on USC's next series to put Stanford further in the hole. But Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck led the Cardinal right back, firing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Hewitt and adding a 2-yard rush of his own to put the Cardinal back up by 3 at the end of three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley put USC ahead on a 28-yard touchdown pass to Marqise Lee, which was followed by a Stanford field goal to tie the game at 27 apiece.[8]

With about 5 minutes remaining, Stanford began what they hoped would be a game-winning last drive, but Luck's pass was intercepted by Nickell Robey and returned for a USC score to put the Trojans on top. But the Cardinal recovered, and on the ensuing drive, Luck led the Cardinal for a tying Stepfan Taylor touchdown rush with 38 seconds left to send the game to overtime. After both teams scored in the first two overtime periods, the Cardinal had the ball first in the third overtime, scoring on a Taylor 5-yard run and converting on the mandatory 2-point conversion. On the first play of USC's possession, Barkley completed a 21-yard pass to Lee to put the Trojans on the 4-yard line. On the next play, Barkley handed off to MacNeal. Stanford defensive tackle Terrence Stephens reached up from the ground and stripped the ball, which rolled into the end zone where Stanford linebacker A.J. Tarpley pounced on it to end the game and secure a Stanford victory.[8]


Oregon State

1 234Total
• Stanford 0 17147 38
Oregon State 0 760 13

Stanford rushed for 300 yards behind strong performances from all its backs, led by Stepfan Taylor's 95 yards, to hold off the Beavers, 38–13. Andrew Luck threw for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Oregon State's Sean Mannion threw for 252 yards and one touchdown. Luck moved within 6 passing touchdowns of both the Stanford single-season mark of 32 (set by Luck in 2010) and of the Stanford career touchdown mark of 77 held by John Elway.[9]


Oregon

1 234Total
• Oregon 8 141417 53
Stanford 0 1677 30

Oregon's LaMichael James rushed for 146 yards and 3 touchdowns as the #6 Ducks defeated the #3 Cardinal 53–30. After falling behind early in the first half, the Cardinal closed to within a touchdown on an Andrew Luck touchdown pass to Griff Whalen shortly before halftime. The Ducks blew the game open in the second half, with two short touchdowns by James and a Boseko Lokombo interception of a Luck pass returned 40 yards for a touchdown.[10] Stanford did not lose at home again until the second game of the 2014 season, when it lost 13-10 to visiting USC, ending the longest home winning streak in the nation at 17.

California

California at #9 Stanford
1 234Total
California 10 3015 28
• Stanford 7 7143 31

In a rain-soaked game, the Cardinal held on to defeat the Bears 31–28. The Cardinal scored on the third play from scrimmage on a reverse to Ty Montgomery, who ran 34 yards for the score. The Bears added two Giorgio Tavecchio field goals and a 17-yard touchdown pass from Zack Maynard to Keenan Allen to move in front 13–7, before a Tyler Gaffney run gave Stanford back the lead in the middle of the third quarter. Touchdown passes to Levine Toilolo and Ryan Hewitt in the third quarter extended the lead. The Bears scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to move within 3 points with seconds to play, but Stanford recovered the onside kick to retain possession of the Axe for another year.[11]


Notre Dame

#22 Notre Dame at #4 Stanford
1 234Total
Notre Dame 0 077 14
• Stanford 7 1407 28
See also: 2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and Notre Dame – Stanford rivalry

Powered by four Andrew Luck touchdown passes, the Cardinal defeated the Fighting Irish in Luck's final home game at Stanford 28–14. With the first score, Luck tied John Elway's Stanford career touchdown total, and surpassed it. The Stanford defense held Notre Dame scoreless until midway through the third quarter, forcing a fumble and recording two interceptions. The Cardinal won its third in a row against Notre Dame, extending its longest winning streak in the rivalry that dates to 1925.[12]


Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma State

#4 Stanford vs. #3 Oklahoma State
1 234OTTotal
Stanford 7 147100 38
• Oklahoma State 0 213143 41

In a back-and-forth thriller, the Cardinal fell to the Cowboys in overtime, 41–38, after kicker Jordan Williamson missed two late field goals, one at the end of regulation and one in overtime. Stanford rolled up 590 yards of total offense, including 347 passing yards and two touchdown passes from Andrew Luck and 177 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Stepfan Taylor, but Oklahoma State kept them close, forcing four ties but never taking the lead until the game's final play. Cowboys' quarterback Brandon Weeden and receiver Justin Blackmon connected for three touchdown passes, but ultimately, the game was decided by special teams, with Oklahoma State kicker Quinn Sharp connecting on a 22-yard field goal in overtime shortly after Williamson missed his attempt from 43 yards.[13]


Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final 
AP 7 6 6 5 6 7 7 7 4 4 3 8 4 4 4 7 
Coaches' 6 6 6 5 4 4 5 5 3 3 2 9 5 4 4 7 
Harris Not released 7 (1) 7 (1) 4 (1) 4 (1) 3 (2) 7 4 3 4 Not released 
BCS Not released 8 6 4 4 9 6 4 4 Not released

Statistics

Scores by quarter (all opponents)

1 2 3 4OT2OT3OT Total
Stanford 88 163 144 144778 561
All Opponents 28 96 50 941070 285

Scores by quarter (Pac-12 opponents)

1 2 3 4OT2OT3OT Total
Stanford 57 108 108 99778 394
Pac-12 Opponents 28 62 43 66770 213

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "San Jose State Spartans vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN. September 3, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Stanford Cardinal vs. Duke Blue Devils Box Score". ESPN. September 10, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Stanford Cardinal vs. Arizona Wildcats Box Score". ESPN. September 17, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "UCLA Bruins vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN. October 1, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Colorado Buffaloes vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN. October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Stanford Cardinal vs. Washington State Cougars Box Score". ESPN. October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Washington Huskies vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN. October 22, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Stanford Cardinal vs. USC Trojans Box Score". ESPN. October 29, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Stanford Cardinal vs. Oregon State Beavers Box Score". ESPN. November 5, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Oregon Ducks vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN. November 12, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "California Golden Bears vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN. November 19, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN. November 26, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Stanford Cardinal vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys Box Score". ESPN. January 2, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  14. ↑ Gemmell, Kevin (September 2, 2011). "Stanford vs. SJSU Things to Know". ESPN. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Stanford LB Shayne Skov Out for 2011". ESPN. September 19, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  16. ↑ Blanchat, Jack (October 10, 2011). "Card Cruises Over Colorado". The Stanford Daily (Stanford University). Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Gemmell, Kevin (October 16, 2011). "Stanford News and Notes". ESPN. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  18. ↑ Peters, Keith (October 24, 2011). "An Award Winning Day for Stanford on Its Homecoming". Palo Alto Weekly. Retrieved October 24, 2011.

External links