2012 Stanford Cardinal football team

2012 Stanford Cardinal football
Pac-12 champion Pac-12 North Division co-champion Rose Bowl champion
Pac-12 Championship Game, W 27–24 vs. UCLA
Rose Bowl, W 20–14 vs. Wisconsin
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
Division	North Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 6
AP	No. 7
Record	12–2 (8–1 Pac-12)
Head coach	David Shaw (2nd as head coach, 6th overall season)
Offensive coordinator	Pep Hamilton (2nd as coordinator, 3rd overall year season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Derek Mason (2nd as coordinator, 3rd overall year season)
Base defense	3–4
Captains	Chase Thomas Stepfan Taylor Sam Schwartzstein
Home stadium	Stanford Stadium
Seasons ←  2011 2013  →

2012 Pac-12 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
North Division
No. 7 Stanford xy$		8	–	1					12	–	2
No. 2 Oregon x%		8	–	1					12	–	1
No. 20 Oregon State		6	–	3					9	–	4
Washington		5	–	4					7	–	6
California		2	–	7					3	–	9
Washington State		1	–	8					3	–	9
South Division
UCLA x		6	–	3					9	–	5
Arizona State		5	–	4					8	–	5
USC		5	–	4					7	–	6
Arizona		4	–	5					8	–	5
Utah		3	–	6					5	–	7
Colorado		1	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: Stanford 27, UCLA 24
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2012 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinal were led by second-year head coach David Shaw. They played their home games at Stanford Stadium and were members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

The Cardinal won their first Pac-12 championship since 1999 after defeating UCLA in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game. They represented the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl, where they defeated Wisconsin to win their first Rose Bowl championship since 1972. This was Stanford's third consecutive year playing in a BCS bowl game. They finished the season with a 12–2 record (8–1 Pac-12).

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	7:00 p.m.	San Jose State *	No. 21	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Bill Walsh Legacy Game)	P12N	W 20–17	40,577 [1]
September 8	7:30 p.m.	Duke *	No. 25	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	P12N	W 50–13	44,016 [2]
September 15	4:30 p.m.	No. 2 USC	No. 21	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	FOX	W 21–14	50,360 [3]
September 27	6:00 p.m.	at Washington	No. 8	CenturyLink Field Seattle, WA	ESPN	L 13–17	55,941 [4]
October 6	12:00 p.m.	Arizona	No. 18	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	FOX	W 54–48 OT	48,204 [5]
October 13	12:30 p.m.	at No. 7 Notre Dame *	No. 17	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (Legends Trophy) (College GameDay)	NBC	L 13–20 OT	80,795 [6]
October 20	12:00 p.m.	at California	No. 22	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA (115th Big Game/Stanford Axe)	FOX	W 21–3	61,024 [7]
October 27	3:15 p.m.	Washington State	No. 19	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	P12N	W 24–17	41,496 [8]
November 3	11:00 a.m.	at Colorado	No. 15	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	FX	W 48–0	44,138 [9]
November 10	12:00 p.m.	No. 13 Oregon State	No. 16	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	FOX	W 27–23	47,127 [10]
November 17	5:00 p.m.	at No. 1 Oregon	No. 14	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR (College GameDay)	ABC	W 17–14 OT	58,792 [11]
November 24	3:30 p.m.	at No. 15 UCLA	No. 11	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	FOX	W 35–17	68,228 [12]
November 30	5:00 p.m.	No. 17 UCLA	No. 8	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Pac-12 Championship Game)	FOX	W 27–24	31,622 [13]
January 1, 2013	2:10 p.m.	vs. Wisconsin *	No. 8	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) (College GameDay)	ESPN	W 20–14	93,359 [14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

Roster

2012 Stanford Cardinal roster
Quarterbacks  5 Evan Crower – Freshman  6 Josh Nunes – Junior  7 Brett Nottingham – Sophomore  8 Kevin Hogan – Freshman 10 David Olson – Sophomore 13 Robbie Picazo – Junior 19 Adam Brzeczek – Freshman Running backs 26 Barry J. Sanders – Freshman 22 Remound Wright – Freshman 23 Jackson Cummings – Sophomore 25 Tyler Gaffney – Senior 29 Andrew Stutz – Junior 30 Ricky Seale – Sophomore 32 Anthony Wilkerson – Junior 33 Stepfan Taylor – Senior 39 Kelsey Young – Freshman Fullbacks 10 Geoff Meinken – Junior 36 Lee Ward – Sophomore 85 Ryan Hewitt – Junior Centers 61 Conor McFadden – Sophomore 64 Sam Schwartzstein – Senior 65 Khalil Wilkes – Junior Offensive guards 50 Cole Underwood – Sophomore 63 Kevin Reihner – Freshman 75 Dillon Bonnell – Sophomore 76 Kevin Danser – Junior Offensive tackles 54 David Yankey – Sophomore 60 Brian Moran – Freshman 73 Cameron Fleming – Sophomore 74 Brendon Austin – Freshman		Wide receivers  4 Drew Terrell – Senior 13 Rollins Stallworth – Freshman 18 Jeff Trojan – Sophomore 20 Keanu Nelson – Sophomore 21 Jamal-Rashad Patterson – Senior 44 John Flacco – Sophomore 80 Sam Knapp – Junior 84 Jemari Roberts – Junior 87 Jordan Pratt – Freshman 88 Ty Montgomery – Sophomore 89 Devon Cajuste – Freshman Tight ends  9 Brandon Gottfried – Sophomore 11 Levine Toilolo – Junior 46 Matt Kasner – Freshman 83 Davis Dudchock – Sophomore 86 Zach Ertz – Junior Defensive tackles 56 Jacob Gowan – Junior 58 David Parry – Sophomore 72 J.B. Salem – Freshman 95 Lance Callihan – Freshman 97 Anthony Hayes – Freshman 99 Terence Stephens – Senior Defensive ends 48 Kevin Anderson – Freshman 49 Ben Gardner – Junior 69 Eddie Plantaric – Sophomore 72 J.B. Salem – Freshman 79 Alex Yazdi – Freshman 90 Josh Mauro – Junior 91 Henry Anderson – Sophomore 92 Charlie Hopkins – Freshman		Linebackers  7 Patrick Skov – Freshman ILB  9 James Vaughters – Sophomore OLB 11 Shayne Skov – Senior ILB 17 A. J. Tarpley – Sophomore ILB 24 Cameron Vanderwall – Freshman OLB 35 Jarek Lancaster – Junior ILB 40 Joe Hemschoot – Sophomore ILB 42 Alex Debniak – Senior ILB 43 Blake Lueders – Junior OLB 44 Chase Thomas – Senior OLB 50 Brent Etiz – Junior ILB 51 Sam Mercer – Freshman ILB 53 Torsten Rotto – Freshman OLB 93 Trent Murphy – Junior OLB Defensive backs  2 Wayne Lyons – Sophomore  8 Jordan Richards – Sophomore 23 Ronnie Harris – Freshman 38 Ra’Chard Pippens – Freshman Cornerbacks  6 Terrence Brown – Junior 15 Usua Amanam – Junior 24 Quinn Evans – Senior 28 Harold Bernard – Senior 31 Barry Browning – Junior 37 Chris Gaertner – Sophomore Safeties  5 Devon Carrington – Junior FS 15 Brent Seals – Junior SS 22 Kyle Olugbode – Sophomore SS 29 Ed Reynolds – Sophomore SS 41 Cason Kynes – Junior SS 47 Myles Muagututia – Junior SS Kickers 19 Jordan Williamson – Sophomore 47 Spencer Summers – Freshman 46 Eric Whitaker – Junior Punters 14 Ben Rhyne – Sophomore 36 Daniel Zychlinski – Senior Long snappers 62 Austin Tubbs – Freshman
Sources: 2012 Stanford Cardinal Football Spring Roster [ permanent dead link ]

Coaching staff

• David Shaw – Head coach (Bradford M. Freeman director of football)
• Derek Mason – Associate head coach/defensive coordinator
• Pep Hamilton – Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks (Andrew Luck director of offense)
• David Kotulski – Inside linebackers
• Randy Hart – Assistant coach – defensive line
• Mike Bloomgren – Running game coordinator/offensive line
• Mike Sanford Jr. – Assistant coach – Running backs/recruiting coord.
• Lance Anderson – Assistant coach–outside linebackers/admissions Liaison
• Pete Alamar – Special teams coordinator
• Ron Crook – Tight ends/offensive tackles
• Shannon Turley – Head strength coach
• Nick Holz – Offensive assistant
• Aaron Moorehead – Offensive assistant
• Morgan Turner – Offensive assistant
• Tavita Pritchard – Defensive assistant

Game summaries

San Jose State

1 2 3 4 Total Spartans 0 3 14 0 17 •#21 Cardinal 14 3 0 3 20 Date: August 31 Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA Game start: 7:00 PM PDT Television network: Pac-12 Network

Scoring summary 1 8:28 STAN Stepfan Taylor 1-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 7–0 1 4:23 STAN Drew Terrell 11-yard pass from Josh Nunes (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 14–0 2 10:23 SJSU Austin Lopez 38-yard field goal STAN 14–3 2 0:00 STAN Jordan Williamson 46-yard field goal STAN 17–3 3 11:08 SJSU Blake Jurich 3-yard run (Austin Lopez kick) STAN 17–10 3 2:17 SJSU Noel Grigsby 21-yard pass from David Fales (Austin Lopez kick) STAN 17–17 4 13:15 STAN Jordan Williamson 20-yard field goal STAN 20–17

See also: 2012 San Jose State Spartans football team

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 66th meeting between Stanford and San Jose State—the most times Stanford has faced a single non-Pac-12 opponent. In their first game after the Andrew Luck era, the Cardinal struggled offensively, but persevered over the Spartans, taking a 20–17 victory. Luck's successor at quarterback, Josh Nunes, threw one touchdown pass and running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for 116 yards and scored Stanford's other touchdown in the first quarter. The Spartans added two third-quarter touchdowns—a Blake Jurich run and a David Fales to Noel Grigsby completion—to tie the score. A fourth-quarter field goal from Jordan Williamson put the Cardinal in front to stay. ^[1]

Duke

1 2 3 4 Total Blue Devils 0 3 10 0 13 •#25 Cardinal 13 10 20 7 50 Date: September 8 Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA Game start: 7:30 PM PDT Television network: Pac-12 Network

Scoring summary 1 13:53 STAN Drew Terrell 76-yard punt return (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 7–0 1 8:52 STAN Jordan Williamson 35-yard field goal STAN 10–0 1 1:23 STAN Jordan Williamson 32-yard field goal STAN 13–0 2 11:47 STAN Stepfan Taylor 13-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 20–0 2 8:52 STAN Jordan Williamson 22-yard field goal STAN 23–0 2 0:12 DUKE Ross Martin 29-yard field goal STAN 23–3 3 12:46 STAN Drew Terrell 19-yard pass from Josh Nunes (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 30–3 3 10:41 STAN Levine Toilolo 3-yard pass from Josh Nunes (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 37–3 3 7:20 DUKE Ross Martin 29-yard field goal STAN 37–6 3 4:15 STAN Ed Reynolds 71-yard interception return (Kick blocked) STAN 43–6 3 0:53 DUKE Brandon Connette 4-yard run (Ross Martin kick) STAN 43–13 4 14:18 STAN Jamal-Rashad Patterson 27-yard pass from Josh Nunes (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 50–13

See also: 2012 Duke Blue Devils football team

Drew Terrell returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown and caught a Josh Nunes pass for another as Stanford routed Duke, 50–13. Nunes completed 16 of 30 passes for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Cardinal defense stifled the Blue Devils, holding them to just 27 rushing yards. Stanford defensive back Ed Reynolds intercepted Duke quarterback Sean Renfree twice, returning one 71 yards for another touchdown. ^[2]

USC

1 2 3 4 Total #2 Trojans 7 7 0 0 14 •#21 Cardinal 7 0 7 7 21 Date: September 15 Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA Game start: 4:30 PM PDT Television network: FOX

Scoring summary 1 9:40 USC Silas Redd 1-yard run (Alex Wood kick) USC 7–0 1 6:43 STAN Stepfan Taylor 59-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) Tied 7–7 2 11:19 USC Silas Redd 1-yard run (Alex Wood kick) USC 14–7 3 0:10 STAN Stepfan Taylor 23-yard pass from Josh Nunes (Jordan Williamson kick) Tied 14–14 4 10:20 STAN Zach Ertz 37-yard pass from Josh Nunes (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 21–14

See also: 2012 USC Trojans football team

Stanford's defense held USC to just 26 rushing yards and sacked Matt Barkley 5 times as the Cardinal came from behind to upset the second-ranked Trojans, 21–14. Stanford won its fourth in a row against USC, its longest winning streak in the rivalry that dates to 1905. Stanford's Stepfan Taylor rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass from Josh Nunes that tied the game in the third quarter. Nunes later connected on a fourth-quarter strike to tight end Zach Ertz to put the Cardinal ahead to stay. Barkley, who likely finished his college career winless against Stanford, threw two interceptions as USC failed to score in the second half. ^[3] Stepfan Taylor was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts, and Stanford defensive end Ben Gardner, who recorded six tackles (3.5 tackles for losses) and a sack, was the conference Defensive Player of the Week. ^[15]

Washington

1 2 3 4 Total #8 Cardinal 3 3 7 0 13 •Huskies 3 0 7 7 17 Date: September 27 Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA Game start: 6:00 PM PDT Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary 1 9:12 STAN Jordan Williamson 31-yard field goal STAN 3–0 1 6:43 UW Travis Coons 43-yard field goal Tied 3–3 2 1:10 STAN Jordan Williamson 28-yard field goal STAN 6–3 3 2:51 STAN Trent Murphy 40-yard interception return (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 13–3 4 0:00 UW Bishop Sankey 61-yard run (Travis Coons kick) STAN 13–10 4 4:53 UW Kasen Williams 35-yard pass from Keith Price (Travis Coons kick) UW 17–13

See also: 2012 Washington Huskies football team

Stanford failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time since 2007 as the Huskies beat the Cardinal 17–13. The Husky defense held the Cardinal to just 235 yards of total offense. Stanford's defense was stingy in the first half, and gave the Cardinal its only touchdown of the day when linebacker Trent Murphy tipped and returned a Keith Price pass 40 yards for the score. But the Huskies broke through on the last play of the third quarter, when Bishop Sankey broke free on a fourth down play for a 61-yard touchdown run. Price connected with Kasen Williams for a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to seal the game for the Huskies. ^[4]

Arizona

1 2 3 4 OT Total Wildcats 0 13 20 15 0 48 •#18 Cardinal 7 7 20 14 6 54 Date: October 6 Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA Game start: 12:00 PM PDT Game attendance: 48,204 Television network: FOX

Scoring summary 1 9:28 STAN Zach Ertz 11-yard pass from Josh Nunes (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 7–0 2 12:06 ARIZ Ka'Deem Carey 13-yard run (John Bonano kick) Tied 7–7 2 6:20 ARIZ John Bonano 33-yard field goal ARIZ 10–7 2 2:48 STAN Levine Toilolo 12-yard pass from Josh Nunes (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 14–10 2 0:15 ARIZ John Bonano 33-yard field goal STAN 14–13 3 13:06 ARIZ Ka'Deem Carey 1-yard run (John Bonano kick) ARIZ 20–14 3 10:51 STAN Josh Nunes 2-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 21–14 3 8:17 ARIZ Austin Hill 12-yard pass (John Bonano kick) ARIZ 27–21 3 2:28 STAN Stepfan Taylor 6-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 28–27 3 1:11 ARIZ Austin Hill 17-yard pass from Matt Scott (two-point conversion failed) ARIZ 33–28 3 0:28 STAN Kelsey Young 55-yard run (two-point conversion failed) STAN 34–33 4 12:29 ARIZ Ka'Deem Carey 8-yard run (Matt Scott pass to Austin Hill for two-point conversion) ARIZ 41–34 4 9:13 ARIZ Terrence Miller 10-yard pass from Matt Scott (John Bonano kick) ARIZ 48–34 4 6:34 STAN Josh Nunes 1-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) ARIZ 48–41 4 0:45 STAN Josh Nunes 3-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) Tied 48–48 OT STAN Stepfan Taylor 21-yard run STAN 54–48

See also: 2012 Arizona Wildcats football team

Coming off a lackluster performance the previous week in which Stanford failed to score an offensive touchdown, Stanford's Josh Nunes threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for three more as the Cardinal came back from a 14 point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Wildcats in overtime, 54–48. For the Wildcats, Ka'Deem Carey ran for three touchdowns and quarterback Matt Scott completed 45 of 69 passes (school records for attempts and completions), including three touchdown passes. However, on the first possession in overtime, Scott's pass was intercepted by Chase Thomas, setting up a 21-yard Stepfan Taylor touchdown run to win the game. ^[5]

At Notre Dame

See also: 2012 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and Legends Trophy

#17 Stanford Cardinal (4–1) at #7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Stanford	0	10	0	3	0	13
Notre Dame	3	0	0	10	7	20

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

• Date: October 13, 2012
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Rain, 53 °F (12 °C)
• Game attendance: 80,795
• Referee: Shawn Hochuli
• TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock, and Alex Flanagan
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter ND – Kyle Brindza 29-yard field goal, 0:36. Notre Dame 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 0:51. Second quarter STAN – Fumble recovered in end zone by Chase Thomas (Jordan Williamson kick), 6:06. Stanford 7–3. STAN – Jordan Williamson 48-yard field goal, 0:00. Stanford 10–3. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 1:34. Fourth quarter ND – Tyler Eifert 24-yard pass from Everett Golson (Kyle Brindza kick), 14:15. Tie 10–10. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 4:18. STAN – Jordan Williamson 27-yard field goal, 6:12. Stanford 13–10. Drive: 16 plays, 65 yards, 8:03. ND – Kyle Brindza 22-yard field goal, 0:20. Tie 13–13. Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 5:52. Overtime ND – TJ Jones 7-yard pass from Tommy Rees (Kyle Brindza kick). Notre Dame 20–13. Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards. Top passers STAN – Josh Nunes – 12/25, 125 yards, 2 int ND – Everett Golson – 12/24, 141 yards, TD Top rushers STAN – Stepfan Taylor – 28 rushes, 102 yards ND – Cierre Wood – 12 rushes, 66 yards Top receivers STAN – Zach Ertz – 4 receptions, 55 yards ND – Tyler Eifert – 4 receptions, 57 yards, TD

In a defensive struggle with a controversial ending, Stanford fell to Notre Dame in overtime, 20–13. For the second time in three weeks, the Cardinal failed to score an offensive touchdown, with its lone touchdown coming as Chase Thomas recovered an Everett Golson fumble in the end zone. Stanford's defense later knocked Golson out of the game and replaced him with Tommy Rees. Notre Dame would tie the score on a Kyle Brindza field goal with 20 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Notre Dame got the ball first and Rees connected with TJ Jones on a 7-yard touchdown pass. Stanford quickly moved the ball to first-and-goal from the four, and after three Notre Dame stops, had the ball inside the one on fourth down. On the game's final play, Stepfan Taylor dove for the end zone, but his initial rush was stopped. Although he eventually reached the end zone, officials ruled that his forward progress had been stopped. An official review did not overturn the decision and Notre Dame took back the Legends Trophy. ^[6]

California

115th Big Game

1 2 3 4 Total •#22 Cardinal 7 14 0 0 21 Golden Bears 0 3 0 0 3 Date: October 20 Location: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA Game start: 12:00 PM PDT Game attendance: 61,024 Television network: FOX

Scoring summary 1 4:42 STAN Stepfan Taylor 7-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 7–0 2 13:47 CAL Vincenzo D'Amato 21-yard field goal STAN 7–3 2 12:12 STAN Levine Toilolo 9-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 14–3 2 8:15 STAN Zach Ertz 20-yard pass from Josh Nunes (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 21–3

See also: 2012 California Golden Bears football team, Big Game (American football), and Stanford Axe

The Cardinal defense held the Bears to 3 yards rushing on the way to a 21–3 victory, their third straight Big Game win. Quarterback Josh Nunes threw for 214 yards and a touchdown. Backup quarterback Kevin Hogan threw and completed his first career pass for the Cardinal, a touchdown to Levine Toilolo. Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for 189 yards (a career-high) and a touchdown. He moved past Toby Gerhart for second place overall among Stanford's career rushing list. Taylor's 3,616 yards trails only Darrin Nelson. ^[7]

This marked the first time that the Big Game was played in October. The game was moved due to scheduling issues created with the expansion of the conference and the television programming requirements of the Pac-12 Network. ^[7]

Washington State

1 2 3 4 Total Cougars 0 10 0 7 17 •#19 Cardinal 3 7 7 7 24 Date: October 27 Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA Game start: 3:15 PM PDT Game attendance: 41,496 Television network: Pac-12 Network

Scoring summary 1 8:23 STAN Jordan Williamson 42-yard field goal STAN 3–0 2 8:13 WSU Dominique Williams 3-yard pass from Jeff Tuel (Andrew Furney kick) WSU 7–3 2 7:26 STAN Jamal-Rashad Patterson 70-yard pass from Josh Nunes (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 10–7 2 0:00 WSU Andrew Furney 24-yard field goal Tied 10–10 3 8:04 STAN Ryan Hewitt 1-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 17–10 4 10:43 STAN Ed Reynolds 25-yard interception return (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 24–10 4 6:29 WSU Kristoff Williams 10-yard pass from Jeff Tuel (Andrew Furney kick) STAN 24–17

See also: 2012 Washington State Cougars football team

Washington State, winless in Pac-12 play, kept Stanford close, but the Cardinal prevailed, 24–17. The Cardinal offense sputtered all day, with just 12 first downs on the day and converting only 5 of 12 third downs. Stepfan Taylor managed only 58 yards on 21 carries and no scores, while quarterback Josh Nunes completed just 7 of 15 passes and a lone touchdown pass to Jamal-Rashad Patterson. For Washington State, quarterback Jeff Tuel threw for 401 yards and two touchdown passes, but was sacked by the Cardinal defense 10 times, leading to an overall rushing yardage loss of 16 yards. Tuel also threw a fourth quarter interception that was returned for a touchdown by Stanford safety Ed Reynolds, which provided the final winning margin. ^[8]

Colorado

1 2 3 4 Total •#15 Cardinal 7 28 10 3 48 Buffaloes 0 0 0 0 0 Date: November 3 Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO Game start: 11:00 AM PDT

Scoring summary 1 8:18 STAN Ed Reynolds 52-yard interception return (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 7–0 2 14:30 STAN Stepfan Taylor 26-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 14–0 2 8:26 STAN Remound Wright 1-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 21–0 2 3:23 STAN Zach Ertz 1-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 28–0 2 0:08 STAN Stepfan Taylor 2-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 35–0 3 10:28 STAN Jordan Williamson 31-yard field goal STAN 38–0 3 5:08 STAN Levine Toilolo 19-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 45–0 4 9:52 STAN Jordan Williamson 35-yard field goal STAN 48–0

See also: 2012 Colorado Buffaloes football team

Stanford head coach David Shaw turned over his offense to quarterback Kevin Hogan late in the first quarter as Stanford gave Colorado its first shutout at home in 26 years, 48–0. Whereas in previous weeks, quarterback Josh Nunes had looked ineffective, Hogan was extremely effective, running for 48 yards and throwing for 184 more and two touchdowns. Stepfan Taylor added two touchdown runs, and Ed Reynolds returned an interception for a touchdown, his third of the season. ^[9]

Oregon State

1 2 3 4 Total #13 Beavers 0 10 13 0 23 •#16 Cardinal 14 0 7 6 27 Date: November 3 Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA Game start: 12:00 PM PDT Game attendance: 47,127 Television network: FOX

Scoring summary 1 5:41 STAN Stepfan Taylor 1-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 7–0 1 0:31 STAN Ryan Hewitt 12-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 14–0 2 10:51 ORST Terron Ward 7-yard run (Trevor Romaine kick) STAN 14–7 2 2:21 ORST Trevor Romaine 19-yard field goal STAN 14–10 3 10:17 ORST Markus Wheaton 22-yard pass from Cody Vaz (Trevor Romaine) ORST 17–14 3 7:34 ORST Trevor Romaine 42-yard field goal ORST 20–14 3 3:30 ORST Trevor Romaine 44-yard field goal ORST 23–14 3 0:00 STAN Stepfan Taylor 40-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Jordan Williamson kick) ORST 23–21 4 5:07 STAN Zach Ertz 13-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (two-point conversion failed) STAN 27–23

See also: 2012 Oregon State Beavers football team

In his first start as quarterback, Kevin Hogan connected for two late touchdown passes to lead the Cardinal to a comeback victory over the Beavers, 27–23. Stanford had taken an early lead on a Stepfan Taylor run and a Hogan pass to Ryan Hewitt, but the Beavers took momentum into halftime on a Terron Ward run and a short field goal, and continued to control the game in the third quarter, taking the lead on a Cody Vaz touchdown pass to Markus Wheaton and padding it with two more Trevor Romaine field goals. But on the last play of the third quarter, Stanford's Taylor caught a short pass from Hogan and took it 40 yards to bring the Cardinal within 2 points. After Hogan's third touchdown pass of the day to Zach Ertz gave the Cardinal back the lead, quarterback Vaz fumbled on Oregon State's next possession and Stanford ran out most of the clock to secure the victory. ^[10]

Oregon

1 2 3 4 OT Total •#14 Cardinal 0 7 0 7 3 17 #1 Ducks 0 7 7 0 0 14 Date: November 17 Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR Game start: 5:00 PM PST Game attendance: 58,792 TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit, (color), Heather Cox (sideline)

Scoring summary 2 12:39 STAN Kevin Hogan 1-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 7–0 2 3:26 ORE Keanon Lowe 28-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Alejandro Maldonado kick) Tied 7–7 3 6:35 ORE De'Anthony Thomas 6-yard run (Alejandro Maldonado kick) ORE 14–7 4 1:35 STAN Zach Ertz 10-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Jordan Williamson kick) Tied 14–14 OT STAN Jordan Williamson 37-yard field goal STAN 17–14

See also: 2012 Oregon Ducks football team

In an overtime thriller, Stanford upset #1-ranked Oregon 17–14, all but ending the Ducks' hopes for a return to the BCS National Championship Game and putting the Cardinal in the driver's seat for the Pac-12 Championship Game and the Rose Bowl. Stanford's defense limited Oregon's rushing attack, then ranked third in the nation, to just 198 rushing yards, and held its leading rusher, Kenjon Barner, to just 66 yards. Oregon led 14–7 with less than two minutes to go before Kevin Hogan found Zach Ertz in the end zone for a touchdown catch that was initially ruled incomplete; further official review overturned the call, saying that Ertz controlled the ball before rolling out of bounds. In the first possession of overtime, Ducks kicker Alejandro Maldonado missed a 41-yard field goal. In Stanford's possession, kicker Jordan Williamson, who had been inconsistent most of the year and who had missed a game-winning attempt in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, kicked a 37-yard field goal to give the Cardinal the win. ^[11]

UCLA

1 2 3 4 Total •#11 Cardinal 7 14 14 0 35 #15 Bruins 7 3 7 0 17 Date: November 24 Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA Game start: 3:30 PM PST Television network: FOX

Scoring summary 1 10:21 STAN Drew Terrell 11-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 7–0 1 8:21 UCLA Joseph Fauria 13-yard pass from Brett Hundley (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick) Tied 7–7 2 8:22 STAN Anthony Wilkerson 10-yard rush (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 14–7 2 6:43 STAN Stepfan Taylor 49-yard rush (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 21–7 2 1:37 UCLA Ka'imi Fairbairn 48-yard field goal STAN 21–10 3 7:41 STAN Stepfan Taylor 1-yard rush (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 28–10 3 7:28 STAN Usua Amanam 11-yard fumble return on kickoff return (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 35–10 3 1:53 UCLA Johnathan Franklin 11-yard rush (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick) STAN 35–17

See also: 2012 UCLA Bruins football team

Stanford defeated UCLA 35–17 to clinch the Pac-12 North Division title, setting up a rematch with UCLA in the 2012 Pac-12 Football Championship Game. Stepfan Taylor rushed for two touchdowns, Anthony Wilkerson rushed for another, and Kevin Hogan threw a touchdown pass to Drew Terrell in a balanced offensive performance. Usua Amanam recovered a fumble following a kickoff and returned it for the final Stanford touchdown. ^[12]

UCLA (Pac-12 Championship Game)

Pac-12 Championship Game

1 2 3 4 Total #17 Bruins 14 0 10 0 24 •#8 Cardinal 7 10 0 10 27 Date: November 30 Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA Game start: 5:00 PM PST Game attendance: 31,622 Television network: FOX

Scoring summary 1 11:35 UCLA Johnathan Franklin 51-yard run (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick) UCLA 7–0 1 6:07 STAN Kevin Hogan 1-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) Tied 7–7 1 3:40 UCLA Brett Hundley 5-yard run (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick) UCLA 14–7 2 12:57 STAN Stepfan Taylor 1-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) Tied 14–14 2 0:00 STAN Jordan Williamson 37-yard field goal STAN 17–14 3 8:20 UCLA Ka'imi Fairbairn 31-yard field goal Tied 17–17 3 1:04 UCLA Johnathan Franklin 20-yard run (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick) UCLA 24–17 4 11:21 STAN Drew Terrell 26-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Jordan Williamson kick) Tied 24–24 4 6:49 STAN Jordan Williamson 36-yard field goal STAN 27–24

Main article: 2012 Pac-12 Football Championship Game

The Cardinal earned its first Rose Bowl appearance in 13 years with a comeback 27–24 victory over the Bruins, whom they had met just six days earlier in their final regular season game. The Cardinal's rushing defense, ranked among the nation's best, gave up the most yards it had all season as the Bruins rushed for 284 yards, 194 of which came from Johnathan Franklin, who also scored two touchdowns. ^[13] Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan threw for 155 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown to tie the score. Hogan also ran for Stanford's first touchdown. Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson had two field goals, including the game winner with less than 7 minutes remaining in the game. UCLA kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn missed a 52-yard field goal that would have tied the game with 39 seconds left to send Stanford to its third straight BCS bowl appearance. ^[13]

Wisconsin (Rose Bowl)

#23 Wisconsin vs. #8 Stanford

1 2 3 4 Total #23 Wisconsin 0 14 0 0 14 •#8 Stanford 14 3 0 3 20 Date: January 1 Location: Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA Game start: 3:00 PM Elapsed time: 3:06 Game attendance: 93,359 Game weather: Partly Cloudy Referee: Jerry McGinn (Big East) TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (Analyst), Heather Cox & Tom Rinaldi (Sidelines)

Scoring summary 1 11:35 STAN Kelsey Young 16-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 7–0 1 11:24 STAN Stepfan Taylor 3-yard run (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 14–0 2 9:05 WISC Montee Ball 11-yard run (Jack Russell kick) STAN 14–7 2 6:19 STAN Jordan Williamson 47-yard field goal STAN 17–7 2 0:19 WISC Jordan Frederick 4-yard pass from Curt Phillips (Jack Russell kick) STAN 17–14 4 4:23 STAN Jordan Williamson 22-yard field goal STAN 20–14

See also: 2013 Rose Bowl and 2012 Wisconsin Badgers football team

Stanford defeated Wisconsin in the 2013 Rose Bowl

Stanford won its first Rose Bowl in 41 years, winning 20–14 over Wisconsin, which lost its third Rose Bowl in as many years. The Cardinal appeared poised to run away with the game, scoring quickly on its first possession following a trick play where wide receiver Drew Terrell threw a 34-yard pass to Jamal-Rashad Patterson. Stepfan Taylor added a three-yard run on Stanford's next possession. Stanford held Wisconsin out of the end zone on fourth and goal from the one yard line but after punting from their own end zone, were unable to stop the Badgers' Montee Ball on an 11-yard touchdown run. Stanford's Jordan Williamson added a long field goal, and then Wisconsin scored just before halftime to close within three points. In the third quarter, teams exchanged punts as both defenses held firm and allowed no scoring. In the fourth quarter, Stanford drove inside the Wisconsin 10, but the Badgers forced a field goal keeping the game within a single score. But Stanford's Usua Amanam intercepted Curt Phillips on the next series, icing the game for the Cardinal. ^[14]

Rankings

See also: 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	21	25	21	9	8	18	17	22	19	15	16	14	11	8	8	7
Coaches	18	21	16	11	9	18	17	23	19	15	15	13	11	9	8	6
Harris	Not released						16	20	18	14	14	13	11	8	7	Not released
BCS	Not released							20	17	14	14	13	8	8	6	Not released

Statistics

Scores by quarter (all opponents)

1 2 3 4 Total Stanford 82 103 92 57 334 All Opponents 20 59 78 39 196

Scores by quarter (Pac-12 opponents)

1 2 3 4 Total Stanford 55 80 72 44 251 Pac-12 Opponents 17 53 54 29 153

References

1. "San Jose State Spartans vs. Stanford Cardinal". ESPN.com . August 31, 2012.
2. "Duke Blue Devils vs. Stanford Cardinal". ESPN.com . September 8, 2012.
3. "USC Trojans vs. Stanford Cardinal". ESPN.com . September 15, 2012.
4. "Stanford Cardinal vs. Washington Huskies". ESPN.com . September 27, 2012.
5. "Arizona Wildcats vs. Stanford Cardinal". ESPN.com . October 6, 2012.
6. "Stanford Cardinal vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish". ESPN.com . October 13, 2012.
7. "Stanford Cardinal vs. California Golden Bears". Stanford Athletics. October 20, 2012.
8. "Washington State Cougars vs. Stanford Cardinal". ESPN.com . October 27, 2012.
9. "Stanford Cardinal vs. Colorado Buffaloes". ESPN.com . November 3, 2012.
10. "Stanford Cardinal vs. Oregon State Beavers". ESPN.com . November 10, 2012.
11. "Stanford Cardinal vs. Oregon Ducks". ESPN.com . November 17, 2012.
12. "Stanford Cardinal vs. UCLA Bruins". ESPN.com . November 24, 2012.
13. "Stanford Cardinal vs. UCLA Bruins". ESPN.com . November 30, 2012.
14. "Wisconsin Badgers vs. Stanford Cardinal". ESPN.com . January 1, 2013.
15. "Stanford's Taylor, Stanford's Gardner and Utah's Hackett named Pac-12 players of the week" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. September 17, 2012. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2012.