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The Big Game!
Nov. 16, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
Game #10 - California (6-6, 4-3) at Stanford (4-5, 2-5) The Cardinal: Stanford's two-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday when the Cardinal lost at Oregon State to run its record to 4-5 overall and 2-5 in th Pac-10. Stanford will host California in the 106th playing of one of the oldest and most storied rivalries in college football. The Bears enter the game with a 6-6 record and a 4-3 conference mark. Both teams are still in the bowl picture with Cal needing one win to become bowl eligible and the Cardinal needing to win its final two games to reach post-season play. In fact, this will be the first Big Game since 1996 in which both teams are still in the bowl picture. Cal won last year's Big Game to snap Stanford's Big Game winning streak at seven. The Cardinal, however, has won seven of the last eight games with Cal and 11 of the last 14. Stanford has also won the last four Big Games played at Stanford Stadium. A crowd of over 70,000 is expected. Media Coverage: The 106th Big Game between Stanford and Cal will be broadcast live on KGO (ABC local) in the Bay Area. The game will also be part of ESPN's GamePlan on a national basis (pay-per-view). Fox Sports Bay Area will broadcast the game on a tape delay basis on Monday, November 24 at 9:30 am and again on Wednesday, November 26 at 12:00 pm . Stanford's flagship radio station, Talk 910 KNEW, will carry the game live with Ted Robinson and Bob Murphy. The pre-game show begins at 11:00 pm. Live game audio and live in-game stats are available at www.gostanford.com. In addition, the Stanford Farm Report is broadcast every Saturday at 8:30 am on Fox Sports Bay Area. What's At Stake: For the first time since the 1996 season, both Stanford and Cal enter Big Game week with bowl aspirations. The loser of Saturday's game will be eliminated from post-season consideration. A Cal win will make the Bears bowl eligible while a Stanford win will put the Cardinal one win away from bowl consideration. In '96, Stanford entered the game with a 5-5 record and needed a win to advance to a bowl game while the Bears were 6-4 and had already become bowl eligible. Stanford beat Cal 42-21 to finish 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the Pac-10, sending them to the Sun Bowl. The Bears also finished 6-5 and went on to play in the Aloha Bowl. Bowl Eligible: At 4-5, Stanford needs to win its last two games to become bowl eligible. The Cardinal is the only team in the Pac-10 to have just 11 games scheduled and a minimum six wins will make Stanford eligible to play in post-season bowl game. Stanford must beat both Cal and Notre Dame to be considered for a post-season bowl game. The Pac-10 Conference has committments wth six bowl games, including the Rose, Holiday, Sun, Insight, Las Vegas and Silicon Valley.
Big Game Events The Head Coach: Forty-six year old Buddy Teevens is in his second season at Stanford after being named the Cardinal's head coach on January 9, 2002. Teevens' 23-year career prior to coming to Stanford included 12 seasons as a head coach. A 1979 graduate of Dartmouth College, he had previously held the head coaching position at the University of Maine, Dartmouth and Tulane. Teevens spent three seasons at Florida (1999-2001) working under Steve Spurrier. Teevens was the head coach at Maine for two years (1985-86), Dartmouth for five years (1987-91) and at Tulane for five seasons (1992-96). Stanford-Oregon State Game Notes
The Big Game: The Cardinal and Golden Bears have met 105 times on the gridiron, with Stanford holding a 54-40-11 advantage ... The Cardinal has won seven of the last eight games with Cal and 11 of the last 14 from 1989-02Š Stanford has also won the last four games at Stanford Stadium (1995, '97, '99, '01) and eight of the last nineŠ The Big Game is tied for the 10th longest rivalry in college football. Stanford and Cal have met every year since 1892 with the exception of 1915-18 and 1943-45. Since 1961, Stanford leads the series 29-12-1. Only 125 points separates the two teams in the previous 105 meetings. Big Game Streak: Stanford's Big Game record of seven consecutive wins in the series was snapped last year when Cal beat the Cardinal 30-7 in Memorial Stadium. It broke the Cardinal's previous Big Game record of six consecutive wins, which was established from 1961-66. Only one time in Big Game history has a team gone eight years without a win. Cal went 6-0-2 against Stanford from 1947-54. Cal's longest winning streak in The Big Game is five from 1919-23. Close Calls: The Stanford-California rivalry has proven to be one of the most exciting in college football since it began in 1892 ... Of the 105 games, an amazing 50 have been decided by seven points or less, with Stanford holding a 23-16-11 advantage in those games ... Even more impressive, 29 Big Games have been decided by three points less, with Stanford enjoying a 10-8-11 edge. The Big Game has also produced an NCAA-best five "cliffhangers," which are games decided on the final play (1972, 1974, 1982, 1990, 2000). The Final Play: Five Big Games have been decided on the game's final play: 1972 - Vince Ferragamo-Steve Sweeney TD pass for 24-21 Cal win; 1974 - Mike Langford 50-yard field goal for 22-20 Stanford win; 1982 - "The Play" gives Cal 25-20 win; 1990 - John Hopkins' 37-yard field goal for 27-25 Cardinal win; 2000 - Randy Fasani-Casey Moore touchdown pass in overtime gives Stanford 36-30 victory. Big Game Rivalry: The Big Game is tied for the 10th longest rivalry in NCAA Division 1-A college football history. This year's 106th meeting puts the Big Game tied with Purdue-Indiana for 10th on the all-time list. Youth Be Served: Stanford may be the youngest team in the nation. Consider that of the Cardinal's 94 players, 47 are either true or redshirt freshman. Stanford has just 14 seniors and 14 juniors on its 2003 roster. The Cardinal has a true freshman class of 30 and a redshirt freshman class of 17. Atogwe's Way: In his second season in the starting lineup, junior Oshiomogho Atogwe has earned the reputation as not only one of the Cardinal's defensive leaders, but one of the top safeties in the Pac-10 Conference. As a strong safety in 2002, Atogwe led the team with 71 total tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. After making the switch to free safety, Atogwe is once again a force for the Stanford defense. He currently leads the team in total tackles (77), forced fumbles (6), fumble recoveries (4), is tied for the team lead in interceptions (2) and is tied for secod in pass breakups (7). He is tied for third in the Pac-10 in tackles per game (8.6), he leads the league in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries and is tied for ninth in passes defensedŠ His 14 tackles last Saturday at Oregon State is the most by a Stanford defender this season. Against USC (Oct. 11), he scored his first career TD when he stripped Trojan return man Marcel Allmond on a kickoff return and raced 22-yards to the end zone. He also had 12 tackles vs. the Trojans. Against Washington a week later (Oct. 18), he posted 12 tackles while also accounting for a forced fumble, fumble recovery and pass break up. He had six total tackles, a forced fumble and fumble recovery at Oregon (Oct. 25) and vs. UCLA (Nov. 1), he led the team with eight total tackles while also recording one pass break up and one fumble recovery. He turned in another outstanding game a week ago against Arizona State as he tallied 11 tackles, forced two fumbles, had two pass break-ups one tacklke for loss. Atogwe has put himeself in position for post-season honors. Rush Defense: Stanford's 2003 run defense has recorded two of the top eight marks in school history for fewest rushing yards allowed in a single game. In the season opener, the Cardinal allowed San Jose State just nine net yards rushing, the eighth lowest total in school history. The next game, Stanford held BYU to (-5) yards on the ground, largely due to five sacks. That total ranks as the fourth best single game effort in school history. Stanford has held its opponents to under 100-yards rushing five times in nine games this season (San Jose State, BYU, Washington State, UCLA, ASU). Powell's Play: FL Luke Powell began the year in impressive fashion as he caught 12 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener vs. San Jose State. He continues to be one of Stanford's top offensive threats and one of the most dangerous players in college football. He leads the team with 36 receptions for 411 yards and two receiving touchdowns through nine games. He also has 34 punt returns for 320 yards and one TD, that coming against UCLA on Nov. 1. Powell returned a punt 90-yards for a touchdown against the Bruins, which went in the record book as the second longest in school history. He also had a 68-yard return at BYU. Powell, who was limited last year with an ankle injury, recorded career highs in both receptions and receiving yards against San Jose State in the season opener . His 12 catches tied for the ninth best single game performance in school history while his 172 receiving yards ranked tied for 15th. He caught touchdown passes from 20 and 30 yards out from quarterback Trent Edwards against the Spartans, giving him 13 career receiving TDs. Powell now has 119 career receptions for 1,971 yards and 15 touchdowns (13 by receiving, two punt returns). His 16.6 yards per reception average is ninth on Stanford's all-time list. A former First-Team All-American (as a KOR in 2001), Powell is the only player in school history to have three touchdown receptions of 75 yards or more.He also has 18 catches over 30 yards in his career, which include two from 50-59 yards and two others from 60-69 yards. As a kick returner, he is among the school's all-time best in punt returns (81), punt return yards (873) and punt return average (10.8). Powell Nearing Top-10: Senior Luke Powell needs 126 yards in all-purpose running to move into the school's all-time top-10. Powell currently has 2,939 in all-purpose running. No. 10 on the list is Ryan Wells, who gained 3,065 yards during his career (1999-2002). Powell has gained 1,971 yards in receiving yards, 873 in punt returns, 64 on kickoff returns and 31 rushing yards. Captain Kirk: The leader of the Cardinal's offensive line is also the only player with starting experience heading into the 2003 campaign - senior Kirk Chambers. With a young and inexperienced offensive line, Chambers is the unquestioned leader of a group that will need his maturity and knowledge to help it develop into a quality unit. Chambers, who is the oldest player on the team at 24, has started all 43 games in his Cardinal career and is attempting to do what few players in school history have accomplished - and that's to start every game. He has been the team's No. 1 left tackle the past four seasons (2000-03). After an All-American prep career at Provo High School, Chambers signed with Stanford then spent the 1998 and '99 seasons on a Mormon Mission in Berlin, Germany. He married Marilyn Ord on June 23, 2001 and the couple gave birth to their first child, Marianne Deniece, on July 7, 2003.. An honors candidate in 2003, Chambers was recently named First-Team District-8 Academic All-America. Tolon's Tale: Junior running back Kenneth Tolon surpassed the 1,000 yard mark vs. USC on October 11. Tolon, from Albuquerque, NM, has now gained 1,156 yards on 254 carries (4.6 ypc) . In back-to-back games vs. BYU and Washington, he carried the Cardinal running game on his back as he has recorded 61 carries for 228 yards and one TD. In those two games, all other Cardinal running backs had six carries for 15 yards. He established career bests in carries (32) and yards rushing (141) at BYU on Sept. 20. Tolon became the team's top offensive threat against the Cougars, gaining 141 of the team's 144 yards on the ground and accounting for more than half of Stanford's 200 yards in total offense. His 32 carries were also the most on The Farm since the Big Game in 1991, when Tommy Vardell set a school record with 39 carries. His 141 yards rushing were the most at Stanford since Brian Allen gained 143 vs. Arizona in 2001. A week later at Washington, he carried 29 times for 87 yards. He carried the ball 24 times for 87 yards against UCLA. He is tied for fourth on the team with 15 receptions and he has nine kickoff returns for 187 yards (20.8 average). Lemon Takes Advantage: Sophomore running back J.R. Lemon has made the most of his oportunities in 2003. With starter Kenneth Tolon limited in the season opener against San Jose State, Lemon carried the day with a career best 18 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Lemon played a reserve role for several weeks in mid-season with Tolon getting the majority of the carries, but with Tolon again slowed by injury against Arizona State (Nov. 8), Lemon made the most of his opportunity. He wound up setting career bests again with 34 carries for 151 yards and two toucdowns. The 34 carries tied for the fourth highest single game total in school history and his 151 yards gained was the most by a Cardinal back since Mike Mitchell in 1994 (179 yards vs. San Jose State). In those two games in which he was the primary ball carrier (San Jose State and Arizona State), Lemon rushed for 254 yards on 52 carries (4.9 ypc) while scoring four touchdowns. For the season, Lemon has gained 373 yards and scored a team leading four rushing touchdowns. Trent's Time: Redshirt freshman quarterback Trent Edwards earned the starting quarterback assignment after his performance in the season opener vs. San Jose State on Sept. 6. Three days later, head coach Buddy Teevens named Edwards the team's starter. Edwards, who completed 21-of-37 for 278 yards and two touchdowns against the Spartans, made his starting debut on September 20 at BYU. He led the team to an 18-14 victory, becoming the first freshman quarterback at Stanford to win his starting debut since Steve Stenstrom beat Cornell in 1991. He has started the four games this season - vs. BYU, Washington, USC and Washington State. He suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter against WSU on October 18 and did not return.He did not play against Oregon and UCLA and came in in a reserve role against Arizona State and Oregon State the past two weeks. Edwards, who redshirted as a true freshman in 2002, made his Cardinal debut vs. San Jose State in the season opener. He came off the bench in relief of starter Chris Lewis and led the Cardinal to 31 unanswered points. Against the Spartans, he threw touchdown passes of 20 and 30 yards to Luke Powell. In the second quarter, in which the Cardinal outscored SJS 21-0, Edwards completed nine-of-11 for 130 yards and two TDs. In his starting debut at BYU, Edwards scored the game winning touchdown on a 14-yard run with 3:51 to play. A second-year player from Los Gatos High School, Edwards came to Stanford a year ago as one of the most highly sought-after preps in the nation. He was ranked by some as the No. 1 prep QB in the country in 2001. During his junior and senior seasons, he completed 279-of-373 for 5,064 yards, 58 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. His completion percentage was an eye-opening .747. Lewis' Legacy: Fifth-year senior QB Chris Lewis, who has led the Cardinal to some of its most impressive victories in recent years, has started the past four games vs. Oregon, UCLA, Arizona State and Oregon State. Lewis returned to the starting lineup after Trent Edwards was knocked out of the WSU game (Oct. 18) . Against Oregon (Oct. 25), Lewis completed 12-of-26 for 188 yards. He was 12-of-20 for 91 yards against UCLA, including a touchdown pass and the first rushing TD of his career. In Stanford's 38-27 win over ASU (Nov. 8), Lewis completed 18-of-34 for 279 yards and two touchdowns while also running for another TD. It was the second best passing day of his career, surpassed only by his 390 yard effort in the 2001 Big Game vs. Cal. Lewis started the season opener vs. San Jose State on September 6, but then gave way to Edwards as the starter in the next four games. Lewis did not play against BYU or Washington, but came off the bench vs. USC and Washington State. For his career, has completed 324-659 for 4,017 yards and 30 TDs. He is now No. 8 all-time in career touchdown passes, No. 9 in total offense (4,004 yards) and No. 10 in passing Starting Tight Ends: A glance at the Cardinal's depth chart will find two starting tight ends - Brett Pierce and Alex Smith - and no fullback. That's because the Cardinal is utilizing its talented tight end corps in its "basic" offensive formation. Pierce is listed as one starting tight end with redshirt freshman Matt Traverso No. 2. At the other tight end spot, Smith's backup is true freshman Patrick Danahy. Through nine games, Cardinal tight ends have accounted for 30 catches for 234 yards and five touchdowns. Smith leads all tight ends with 20 catches for 161 yards and three touchdowns, while Pierce has recorded eight receptions for 70 yards and Traverso and Danahy each have one reception for one touchdown. A year ago, Pierce and Traverso suffered through injury-riddled seasons while Smith came to the forefront to put together an outstanding year (30 receptions, 380 yards, two TDs) as the team's only true tight end. This season, however, Pierce (ACL) and Traverso (ankle) have remained healthy. Pierce caught 19 balls for 258 yards and three TDs in 2001, but suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter of the season opener last year at Boston College. Both Pierce and Smith received pre-season honors as being among the top tight ends in the conference and the nation. Pierce, who has caught 35 passes in his career for 377 yards and three TDs, was a pre-season First-Team All-Pac-10 selection while Smith garnered Second-Team pre-season All-America honors. Smith's Status: By the time junior Alex Smith concludes his Cardinal career at the end of the 2004 season, his name will likely appear on a list of the best tight ends in school history. That's because Smith has been one of the most prolific tight ends on The Farm in the past 25 years, and potentially of all-time. The Denver, Colorado native and son of former NFL player Edwin, Smith already has 51 career receptions for 561 yards and five touchdowns - numbers that rank among the best in school history for tight ends. Smith caught one pass as a redshirt freshman in 2001 as a backup, then recorded 30 (for 380 yards and two TDs) as a starter in 2002.He has caught 20 balls in '03 thus far. Over the past 25 years, the only Cardinal tight ends with similar or better numbers than Smith are Greg Baty (85 receptions, 1982-85), Jim Price (79, 1985-89), Tony Cline (51, 1989-92) and Greg Clark (43, 1995-96). All four went on to play in the NFL. O-Line Story: The story of the Cardinal's offensive line can be summed up in one word: young.Senior Kirk Chambers is starting at left tackle for the fourth straight year, but the remaining starters are young and inexperienced. Here were the hard facts prior to the 2003 campaign: of the 16 offensive lineman on the Stanford's roster, 12 (five true freshman, seven redshirt freshman) had never played for the Cardinal, two had seen limited playing time (senior Mike Sullivan and sophomore Brian Head) and one (senior Drew Caylor) had received some playing time as an offensive lineman, but had been a defensive lineman the past two years. Chambers (LT) and redshirt freshmen Ismail Simpson (LG) have started all nine games for the Cardinal while RG and redshirt freshman Jeff Edwards started the first eight before suffering a knee injury vs. Arizona State on Nov. 8Š Head started the first four games before a season-ending knee injury at USC (Oct. 11) forced converted defensive end Drew Caylor into the starting role. Redshirt freshman Jon Cochran has started two games in place of senior Mike Sullivan. Stanford's current two-deep with game experience listed below:
Pos - Starter, backup (game experience prior to 2003) True Freshman: Seven true freshman have played for the Cardinal in 2003. Offensively, FL Mark Bradford (Los Angeles, Calif.), RB David Marrero (Parkland, Fla.), WR Evan Moore (Brea, Calif.) and TE Patrick Danahy (Sarasota, Fla.) have all contributed this season. On defense, OLB Michael Okwo (Redondo Beach, Calif.), NT Nick Frank (New Orleans, LA) and SS Brandon Harrison (Baton Rouge, LA) have seen playing time in '03. More Freshman: Not only have the seven true freshman played, but they have made significant contributions and become a major part of the 2003 Cardinal. Mark Bradford has played in all nine games and started the past six. He is second on the team with 25 receptions. Evan Moore has caught eight balls for 150 yards and one touchdown while TE Patrick Danahy recorded his first TD reception at USC (Oct. 11) . RB David Marrero has carried the ball 31 times for 86 yards and has shown flashes of what's to come. He scored his first TD as a Cardinal at USC on a nifty 15-yard run. Michael Okwo, Nick Frank and Brandon Harrison have contributed in a reserve role on defense and on special teams.
True Freshman Receivers: Mark Bradford, who established career bests at Oregon (Oct. 25) with seven catches for 153 yards, and Evan Moore, give the Cardinal two of the best true freshman receivers in the Pac-10. Bradford is second on the team with 25 receptions for 387 yards and an impressive 15.5 average . Moore, who suffered injuries to his shoulder and ankle on Nov. 8 vs. Arizona State and did not play Nov. 15 at Oregon State, has eight catches for 150 yards and one TD. More Bradford: Mark Bradford's 25 receptions is the most in recorded history for receptions by a true freshman receiver. Bradford's total surpassed the 1993 numbers put up by Brian Manning, who had 17 catches for 382 yards and four touchdowns for the entire season. Bradford's 153 receiving yards at Oregon was the first 100-plus receiving day by a true freshman receiver since Manning in '93. In the last five games vs. Washington State, Oregon, UCLA, Arizona State and Oregon State, Bradford has been the team's top receiver with 19 catches for 295 yards and one TDŠ A 6-2, 190-pounder from Fremont High School in Los Angeles,, Bradford was a consensus prep All-America last year and one of the most highly sough-after recruits in the nation.
Corner Trio: Stanford's three man rotation at cornerback continues to improve and become a force in the Pac-10. Juniors Leigh Torrence and Stanley Wilson along with sophomore T.J. Rushing have provided the Cardinal with quality play in the defensive backfield. Torrence is among the league leaders with 11 pass breakups and is first among CBs on the team with 51 total tackles. Rushing, who has 12 tackles and quarterback sack the past two games, has 34 tackles and five breakups while Wilson has 21 tackles, one interception and five breakups. The trio have shared the two cornerback position all season long with Torrence starting seven games, Wilson six and Rushing five. All three will return for the Cardinal in 2004. Jared's Journey: Junior outside linebacker Jared Newberry came to Stanford in 2000 as a walk-on from Minneapolis Minn.. In his first three years as a Cardinal, Newberry played inside linebacker, fullback, outside linebacker and special teams. He started three games at OLB a year ago and his continued improvement earned him a starting role in 2003. After recording six tackles and one tackle for loss October 11 at USC, he recorded a career-best 10 total stops vs. Washington State the following week. Against Oregon, he had eight tackles, two tackles for loss and one quarterback sack and against UCLA on Nov. 1, he added seven tackles, forced one fumble, had one pass break up, one sack and one tackle for loss. He had an interception, two pass break ups and six tackles at Oregon State on Nov. 15. Newberry, who has started all nine games this season, is tied for second on the team with 51 tackles. He leads the team with nine tackles for loss. Craven Returns to Lineup: Sophomore Michael Craven began his redshirt freshman season in 2002 as a starter at outside linebacker, but after four games he was moved into a reserve role where he remained for the final seven games. After beginning the '03 season as a reserve for the first six games, the 6-1, 230 pounder from La Quinta, Calif., was inserted into the starting lineup against UCLA on Nov. 1. And Craven did not dissapoint as he accounted for seven tackles, which included three tackles for loss and two sacks against the Bruins. For his efforts, Craven was named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week. He played well at Oregon on Oct. 25 as he recorded five tackles in a reserve role. Craven was a consensus First-Team Prep All-America in 2000 out of La Quinta High School. Gordon's Game: Junior Amon Gordon has played inside linebacker, defensive end and defensive tackle the past three years, but may have found a home at defensive tackle in 2003. A starter last year at DE, Gordon, 6-3, 285 pounds from San Diego, Calif., was converted to tackle last spring and has been impressive in 2003. He leads all Cardinal defensive lineman wiht 25 total tackles.He has also accounted for five tackles for loss, two quarterback sacks, three pass deflections, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. Gordon is Stanford's most experienced defensive lineman with 16 career starts. Baba: Sophomore nose tackle Babatunde Oshinowo, nickname Baba, is proving to be one of the best young, defensive lineman in the Pac-10. Now in his first season as a starter, Oshinowo has made his presence known in the middle of the Cardinal's defensive line. He is second among Cardinal defensive lineman with 24 total tackles and he leads all lineman - and the team - with four quarterback sacks. He is second on the team - first among linemen - with eight tackles for loss. He recorded a career-high seven tackles at Oregon State on Nov. 15. Against Washington, Oshinowo had five tackles, including one sack and two tackles for loss. He had three tackles, which included two sacks and two tackles for loss, against UCLA on Nov. 1. A third year player out of Naperville, Illinois, Oshinowo started one game and played in all 11 a year ago as a redshirt freshman, accounting for 23 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks. Walk-on: The 2003 Stanford Cardinal has three former walk-ons either starting or playing key roles. The group includes outside linebacker Jared Newberry (redshirt junior), punter Eric Johnson (fifth-year senior from Antioch, Calif.) and flanker Greg Camarillo (redshirt junior from Menlo Park, Calif.). In the Middle: Junior David Bergeron, who sits in the middle of the Cardinal defense, has started the past 18 games at MLB, is one of the team's most experienced players and has developed into one of the team leaders on defense. After recording six tackles and a forced fumble last week at Oregon, Bergeron now has 49 total tackles in 2003 to go along with four tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and three pass breakups. He had a career-high with 10 tackles against the Trojans and eight vs. Washington State. A second year starter, Bergeron started 10 games in '02 at outside linebacker, but was moved to the middle linebacker spot for the 2003 campaign . Bergeron redshirted the 2000 season, played on special teams and as a reserve in '01 before moving into the starting lineup in game two of the 2002 season. Punting Records: Fifth-year senior punter Eric Johnson is on the verge of breaking Cardinal single season records for most punts and most punting yardage. The Antioch, Calif., native is having one of the finest seasons in school history. His current average of 43.3 is not only among the best in the nation, but in the Cardinal record book only three punters in school history have enjoyed better seasons Š His 2003 season totals of 70 punts for 3,031 yards is nearing the school's single season records of 82 punts for 3,427 yards, both set by Paul Stonehouse in 1992. Johnson almost broke one of the oldest records in the Cardinal record book last Saturday when his punted for 516 yards. The school record for most punting yardage in a game is 565 set by the great Ernie Nevers vs. USC in 1925. This Week's Opponent - California Bears (6-6, 4-3)
About the Bears: Cal set a school record last Saturday by gaining 729 yards in total offense in its 54-7 win over Washington. The Bears need a win over Stanford to advance to their first bowl game since 1996. Cal enters the game No. 2 in the Pac-10 in rushing offense (170 ypg) and No. 3 in total offense (416 ypg). Cal has lost four games by a touchdown or less. WR Geoff McArthur ranks No. 2 in the Pac-10/No. 6 in the NCAA in receiving yds/gm (104.9). Stanford-Cal Series: The Cardinal and Bears meet for the 106th edition of the Big Game on Saturday, November 22 with Stanford holding 54-40-11 lead a series that dates back to 1892. As noted earlier, the Big Game is tied for the 10th longest rivalry in college football. Stanford has held a significant edge over the Bears since 1961, posting a 29-12-1 record vs. Cal. Since 1989, Stanford is 11-3 vs. the Bears. In recent Big Games played at Stanford Stadium, the Cardinal has won the last four and eight of the last nine. Cal's last Big Game win at Stanford Stadium was a 46-17 decision in 1993. The Bears won last year's game at Cal 30-7 and are attempting to win back-to-back Big Games for the first time since the '93-94 seasons. Last Year's Game: The Bears snapped Stanford's seven game winning streak in the Big Game with a 30-7 victory at Memorial Stadium. The Cardinal scored first on an eight-yard scoring pass from QB Kyle Matter to WR Teyo Johnson on its first possession of the game to take an early 7-0 lead. But the Bears came back to score 30 unanswered points to record their first win over Stanford since 1994. All four of the Bear's touchdowns came from at least 22 yards out. QB Kyle Boller and receiver Lashaun Ward hooked up on TD passes from 31 and 22 yards out, RB Joe Igber scored on a 42-yard run and Jameel Powell concluded the scoring with an 84-yard punt return in the third quarter. Head Coach Jeff Tedford: Jeff Tedford is in his second season at Cal after spending four years as the offensive coordinator at Oregon (1998-2001). Tedford's record at Cal stands as 13-11. He was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year last season after guiding the Bears to a 7-5 record. Prior to his four-year stint at Oregon, Tedford spent six years at Fresno State (1992-97), the last five as offensive coordinator. He coached for three years (1989-91) in Calgary of the CFL as an offensive assistant. Turnover Table Game Facts
Opponent: California Bears
Notebook
Big Game History
Great Big Games
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