Sep 7, 2013
Stanford, Calif. - Jabari Carr caught a game-high eight passes and David Fales was 29-for-43 for 216 yards and a touchdown, but the Spartans were unable to stop the Stanford offense regularly on third down in a 34-13 loss to the #5-ranked Cardinal in Stanford Stadium.
The Spartans (1-1) used a steady diet of short underneath passing throughout the game. Fales was 14-of-19 in the first half and the Spartans got into the red zone twice, but settled for two Austin Lopez field goals of 30 and 22 yards.
Stanford (1-0), 12-of-15 on third-down plays, came out and scored on each of its first three possessions. The Cardinal took a 7-0 lead on a 40-yard pass from Kevin Hogan to wide receiver Devon Cajuste, who broke free on a post pattern inside the Spartans' deep coverage. Hogan finished the night 17-for-27 for 207 yards and two touchdowns.
Unlike the Sacramento State game when it was the quick-striking San José State, the Spartans needed prolonged drives to get on the scoreboard. The was a 14-play 62-yard drivein which Fales and Carr hooked up three times. The drive stalled on the Stanford 13-yard line. Lopez hit a 30 yard attempt to cut the deficit to 7-3 with 3:26 left in the first quarter.
The Cardinal's next possession went 75 yards and was capped by a 16-yard touchdown run to the right pylon by Tyler Gaffney. Gaffney finished the night with a game-high 104 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. A 40-yard Jordan Williamson field goal gave Stanford a 17-3 lead with 8:54 to go before the half.
San José State then went on a 70-yard drive in which Fales completed five of seven passes for 46 yards. But on third-and-11 from the Stanford 11 yard line, Fales completion to Kyle Nunn came up three yards short of a first down and Lopez's second field goal of the night sent the team's to the locker room with the San José State trailing 17-6.
Williamson's second field goal of the game from 48 yards and Hogan's second scoring pass, a 17-yard connection with wide receiver Ty Montgomery pushed Stanford;s advantage to 27-6.
The Spartans only touchdown drive of the game came late in the third quarter. Noel Grigsby's back shoulder catch in the corner of the end zone from 13 yards out and brought the Spartans to within two scores at 27-13.
San José State looked like it had seized the game's momentum on the next possession when defensive tackle Foloi Vae fell on a fumbled snap to Stanford's backup quarterback Dallas Lloyd at the Spartans' 33-yard line. But the Cardinal's constant pressure of Fales paid off when free safety Ed Reynolds picked off a throw-away pass that fell short of the Spartan sideline.
The Cardinal took advantage of the turnover with a 5-play, 52-yard drive capped by Gaffney's 2-yard run for his second touchdown of the game to close out the scoring.
Stanford outgained San José State, 404 to 251. The Cardinal was not forced to punt on any of their nine possessions.
The Spartans will be back in action in two weeks, on September 21, when they play the Minnesota Golden Gophers in TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.