Stanford, Calif. - The No. 7-ranked Stanford Cardinal scored on four of six possessions in the first half to take a 27-3 lead into halftime and went on to defeat San Jose State, 57-3 in the 2011 season opener in Stanford Stadium.
Turnovers played a big part in the game. Three San Jose State fumbles resulted in 21 Stanford points. The Cardinal did not commit a turnover.
Starting quarterback Matt Faulkner went 11-21 for 169 yards in the first half including a long of 64 yards to Jabari Carr to set up San Jose State's lone score of the game, an 18-yard Harrison Waid field goal with 1:31 to go before halftime. Faulkner finished the game completing 14-of-26 passes for 184 yards in just over three quarters of action.
Kicker Jordan Williamson gave Stanford a 3-0 lead on a 23-yard field goal on the Cardinal's first drive. A one-yard run by Heisman Trophy candidate Andrew Luck with 50 seconds left in the first quarter pushed Stanford's lead to 10-0. Luck threw for 171 yards and two scores in the game.
The Spartans best drive of the half was a 62-yard, 11-play drive that started from their own 32 and went down to the Stanford six, but San Jose State came away with no points after Waid missed wide right on a 23-yard field goal attempt.
The missed field goal was in the middle of a 17-point Stanford second-quarter rally. Aided by a pair of San Jose State fumbles and a 42-yard punt return by Stanford's Drew Terrell, the Cardinal scored on drives of 13, 8 and 1 yards to take a 27-3 advantage.
San Jose State got on the board with 43 seconds to go in the half when Waid converted on an 18-yard field goal after a 6-play, 69-yard drive. Jabari Carr's 64-yard catch-and-run put the Spartans at the Stanford 8-yard line prior to the Spartans' score.
Stanford outgained San Jose State, 373 to 237. The Spartans' ground game struggled gaining just 27 yards on 32 tries. Running backs David Freeman and Brandon Rutley each gained just 12 yards.
San Jose State concludes its two-game Pac-12 Conference schedule in Pasadena, Calif., next Saturday September 10, 2011 against UCLA. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in the Rose Bowl.