Hey, it’s Big Game week! For Stanford, this game is big in every sense of the word. It’s an opportunity for the Cardinal to put the brakes on their two-game losing skid, and it’ll determine whether they go into the final week of the season above or below .500. Also, with UCLA on the horizon, this game is looking more and more like Stanford’s last chance for bowl eligibility. This is going to be an interesting matchup because it seems like Cal is everything that Stanford isn’t and vice versa. This is particularly evident when looking at the quarterback position and the defenses.
Jared Goff is having a great year. He’s completing 62.5% of his passes, has thrown for 40 touchdowns, and only has four interceptions on the year. Kevin Hogan’s completion percentage is a touch higher at 63.8%, but his touchdown to interception ratio is 15:7. Additionally, his quarterback rating is the lowest it’s been since he took over as Stanford’s starting quarterback in 2012. To state the obvious: he’s struggling.
The defense is another story. Stanford’s defense is among the stingiest in FBS. They give up an average of 16.5 points a game. On the other hand, Cal gives up almost 40 points a game. The difference in the game will come down to each team’s weakness. Can Stanford’s offense be less awful than Cal’s defense?
Here are my predictions for the game:
- Neither team scores more than 24 points
Yes, I know, Cal is averaging over 40 points a game and Stanford, well, isn’t. In fact, averaging 23.9 points per game makes the Cardinal near the worst in FBS. Stanford’s defense is the bright spot of this season, and I have no doubt that they will contain Goff .
- Someone will miss a field goal
Oh yeah, bold prediction, huh? A Pac-12 kicker misses a field goal. Not exactly news at 10. However, in a game that should be very close, this is worth noting. Will it be James Langford or Jordan Williamson…or both?)
- Cal will have trouble establishing the run
Cal’s leading rusher, Daniel Lasco, has 882 yards on the year. Stanford’s leading rusher, Remound Wright has 396, though he’s sharing carries with a few other players. I don’t expect Stanford’s running game to change much in this game, even with Cal’s paltry defense, but I expect Stanford’s defense to shut down Lasco.
- The fourth quarter will be interesting
Aside from the fact that this is a rivalry game, Cal’s uncanny ability to make games interesting until the final minutes has been on full display this season.
- The game will not end with this
Though since Cal is involved, we probably shouldn’t rule out a game ending Hail Mary.
I’ll be heading to Berkeley to see Stanford play one last time in 2014. I’ll admit that when I bought these tickets a few months ago, I didn’t expect this game to be so meaningful. I expected that Stanford would have been bowl eligible weeks ago and that there would have been no question about who would win this game. A lot has happened since then, but I’m ready to see another epic Big Game because as I’ve said before, rivalry games are like the third movie in a trilogy: the rules simply do not apply.
Thank you for reading. Please follow our college football Twitter account – @LastWordonCFB.
Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
