SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 22, 2014
Stanford 38, California 17: Remound Wright tied a school record with four rushing touchdowns as the visiting Cardinal rolled past the Golden Bears in the 117th Big Game.
Wright ran for 92 yards on a career-high 23 carries and matched his touchdown total in his 26 previous games as Stanford (6-5, 4-4 Pac-12) became bowl-eligible with its fifth straight win over Cal (5-6, 3-6). Kevin Hogan went 15-of-20 for 214 yards and added a rushing score for the Cardinal, who forced five turnovers after recording only two takeaways over their first seven conference games.
The Golden Bears’ Jared Goff – who entered Saturday as one of only three quarterbacks in the nation with at least 29 touchdown passes and four or fewer interceptions – finished 16-of-31 for a season-low 182 yards with a score and season-high two interceptions. Daniel Lasco topped 100 scrimmage yards for the eighth time in nine contests with 103 yards rushing and scored a late touchdown to extending his scoring streak to seven games.
Wright converted from a yard out on Stanford’s opening drive and the Cardinal jumped to a 10-0 advantage when Jordan Williamson drilled a 24-yard field goal the next time they touched the ball. Cal rebounded from a fumble by Lasco on the ensuing drive and Goff got the Golden Bears on the board 24 seconds into the second quarter with a 10-yard throw to Stephen Anderson.
Stanford answered with an 11-play march – capped by a 5-yard run by Wright – and the Cardinal intercepted Goff for the second time in as many possessions, leading to Hogan’s 5-yard keeper and a 24-7 advantage with 1:22 left in the first half. Wright extended the lead with a 2-yard plunge less than six minutes into the third quarter and bulled his way into the end zone from 5 yards out for the final time with 7:36 to go.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Wright’s four TD runs tied the mark set by Toby Gerhart in 2009, also against Cal. … The Golden Bears had three touchdowns overturned by replay on the same drive in the third quarter and were forced to settle for a 38-yard field goal from James Langford. … Cardinal WR Ty Montgomery, who scored five times in his team’s 63-13 rout in this rivalry game a season ago, left for the locker room with an ice pack on his shoulder in the first quarter and did not return. He finished with one catch for 14 yards.