Stanford Beats San Jose State 20-17 in a Close Call

San Jose State gave Stanford a good scare in their 2012 opener, as the Cardinal snuck out of Stanford Stadium with a 20-17 victory.

After Stanford jumped out to a 17-3 lead at half time, the Spartans exploded in the third quarter to erase the defecit, as quarterback Blake Jurich ran for a touchdown and Noel Grigsby caught another.

Kicker Jordan Williamson gave Stanford a 20-17 lead with a 20-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter that they would keep for the rest of the game. The teams exchanged punts for most of the fourth quarter, until junior safety Ed Reynolds intercepted a David Fales pass to seal the game with under two minutes to play.

The main question on everyone’s mind heading into the game was how the Cardinal would fare in the wake of two-time Heisman Trophy finalist Andrew Luck’s departure to the NFL. Junior quarterback Josh Nunes, who was named Luck’s replacement less than two weeks ago, put on a solid performance, completing 16-26 passes, including a beautiful 11-yard touchdown pass to Drew Terrell in the first quarter.

While Nunes was solid, it was the Cardinal’s ground attack that carried the offense. Stepfan Taylor rushed for 124 yards and a first quarter touchdown, including a beautiful 38-yard scamper on the team’s opening drive. Anthony Wilkerson and Resmound Wright added their efforts, combining for 29 yards between the two of them.

Stanford’s defense struggled a bit in the absence of starting middle linebacker Shayne Skov, allowing 216 passing yards. Still, the front seven was solid, allowing only 63 rushing yards.

Defensive back Usua Amanam put on an excellent individual performance, notching two sacks, one of them a huge play that slowed a threatening San Jose State drive in the fourth quarter.

Kicker Jordan Williamson also impressed in his first showing after a shaky performance in last year’s bowl game, hitting a 46-yard field goal as time expired in the first half and that 20-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Despite the victory, head coach David Shaw must be concerned after his team’s performance. The Cardinal were expected to win big over the Spartans, and we’ll look to see if Stanford performs better next Saturday against Duke.

Posted in: David Shaw,Josh Nunes,San Jose State Football,Stanford Cardinal,Stanford Football,Stepfan Taylor