Oregon Coast

Stanford Season Wrap 2009

Gone are the days of Stanford being the laughingstock of the Pac-10 conference. John Harbaugh has improved a program that fell on hard times for most of the 2000′s. He has pulled off several major upsets, including a memorable upset of USC in 2007 in which the Cardinal was an astounding 41 point underdog. Stanford finished a poor 4-8 that season. But they announced that they were building for more in the future. 2009 was another step towards that future, as the Cardinal notched several more big wins, made a bowl game, and stayed in the Pac-10 race for the Rose Bowl for most of the year.

A major reason the Cardinal was able to stay in that race is because they had the nation’s leading rusher and a Heisman Trophy Finalist at running back. Toby Gerhart took the nation by storm this year. The senior running back ran for a college football high 1,871 yards and 27 touchdowns to be the heartbeat of the Cardinal offense. He was helped by the development of freshman quarterback Andrew Luck, who is a solid piece to build around for the future. Luck threw for 2,575 yards and 13 touchdowns, emerging as a promising quarterback ahead of the experienced Tavita Pritchard.

Stanford got off to a hot start in conference play by facing last place Washington State in the opener. Stanford won easily on the road 39-13, but had to cross the country for its second game of the season at Wake Forest. As many west coast teams do, Stanford struggled in playing the Demon Deacons after the long trip, losing 24-17 in a close contest. Stanford then finally got to begin the home portion of its schedule against nearby San Jose State. That home opener was a nice 42-17 win over the Spartans, and it set the stage for wins over Washington (34-14), and UCLA (24-16)

Stanford’ Pac-10 title dreams took a big hit in the following game, as Oregon State held serve at home for a 38-28 win. Stanford was in control the next week against Arizona, but the defense faltered big time in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats scored a pair of touchdowns in the final period, including a 57 yard run by Nic Grigsby with 2:57 left, to come away with a 43-38 win. That loss would prove to be the difference in the Pac-10 race, but it did not end the season.

Stanford rebounded with a 33-14 win over Arizona State, then stunned many with its next two wins. Gerhart and the Cardinal ran all over eventual conference champion Oregon in a 51-42 home win after beating the Sun Devils. Even more impressive, the Cardinal went to former conference power USC and absolutely throttled the Trojans 55-21. A loss to rival Cal followed (34-28), but Stanford finished it regular season on a high note by beating Notre Dame 45-38. The Cardinal was award a berth in the Sun Bowl against Oklahoma, but Gerhart struggled to get anything going in a 31-27 loss.

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