did I see that correct? UC DAVIS beat Stanford?
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The General
Another Day, Another Dollar
http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_3040705
http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_3040705
STANFORD - UC Davis reportedly received $200,000 to serve as a sacrificial lamb last night on the occasion of new Stanford coach Walt Harris' home debut.
Cardinal athletic director Ted Leland might want to see if he can still put a stop payment on that check.
Facing a winless, outmanned opponent that won't even reach full Division I-AA status for another two years, Stanford suffered one of the most devastating losses in its 111-season football history, falling 20-17 when Aggies quarterback Jon Grant found Blaise Smith with a 3-yard touchdown pass with only 8 seconds remaining.
The Cardinal had never before lost to a Division I-AA program. But at the end of an evening that had been expected to produce an easy victory for a team coming off an impressive road win at Navy, Leland was left screaming at the officials, Cardinal fans sat in stunned silence and the Aggies, with less than 40 scholarship players and 32 fewer bodies than Stanford, frolicked on the field before their fans, who numbered at least half of the announced crowd of 31,250.
"Settle in," one Davis player yelled as his teammates flopped on the Stanford Stadium grass to pose for photos. "We just beat Stanford. We're gonna have a picnic."
UC Davis offensive coordinator Mike Moroski termed it the biggest win in the school's history. "No question," the former Novato High star said. "Absolutely."
To make matters worse for Stanford - if that was possible - starting quarterback Trent Edwards, who masterminded an efficient attack against the Midshipmen a week ago, was forced out of last night's game in the first quarter with an injury to his throwing hand that could be a broken bone, although his status for the Cardinal's next game, against Oregon on Oct. 1, was unknown.
What was certain was that the Cardinal had been humbled and humiliated by a UC Davis team that outgained them 361 to 180 and allowed Stanford's offense a mere three points. Both of the Cardinal's touchdowns came on fumble recoveries by a stout defense that eventually wore down after facing an absurd 91 plays.
"Yeah, it definitely was surprising," Stanford linebacker Kevin Schimmelmann said. "They wanted it more, they executed more and they finished the game. It doesn't matter what their talent level is or what division they're playing. They came out to play, and they beat us."
Stanford scored first thanks to a 48-yard field goal by Michael Sgroi on its initial possession, but the game's tone was set on the Cardinal's ensuing drive, when a third-and-8 play turned into disaster. UC Davis linemen Naveen Daftari and James Amos converged from either side of Edwards at the same moment, sandwiching him for an 8-yard sack. That was the redshirt junior's last play of the evening.
But even as redshirt sophomore T.C. Ostrander and the rest of the Cardinal offense was misfiring - 7-for-17 for 108 yards and one interception - Stanford took a 17-0 lead thanks to a pair of outstanding defensive effforts.
First, with the Aggies backed up at their own 1-yard line late in the first quarter, Schimmelmann blitzed, sacked Grant, forced a fumble and recovered it for the touchdown. Then in the second period, Babtunde Oshinowo poked the ball loose from Davis running back Nelson Doris and Michael Craven scooped it up for a 54-yard touchdown return and a 17-0 lead.
Davis got back into the game with a pair of touchdowns from Doris, who finished with 68 tough yards, but UC Davis gave the Cardinal new life when kicker Emmanuel Benjamin missed his second and third field-goal attempts - the last a 32-yard chip shot with just 5:47 remaining.
Stanford (1-1), however, could never put together the one long drive they needed to salt away the win, and when Davis took possession on their own 28 with 2:42 left, the Aggies had plenty of confidence.
"I don't know what it is, but when we get desperate and do our spread, hurry-up offense, we make plays and drive down the field," Smith said. "So look out."
The Aggies swiftly moved downfield. A critical third-and-4 conversation via a juggling, 19-yard reception by Tony Kays (part of his 10-catch, 115-yard night) took Davis to the Stanford 6. On second-and-goal from the 3, Stanford's Nick Sanchez appeared to make an interception but was ruled out of bounds, prompting an apocalyptic reaction from Leland, who screamed, "Do you believe that?" after watching a replay on the scoreboard.
Grant found Smith open on the very next play, and Ostrander's last, desperate pass fell incomplete. "It means so much for us," said Grant, who finished with 251 yards in the air and 41 on the ground. "We always are the underdogs. We don't have the great athletes. We're not that big, strong or fast, but we just somehow play football the way it's supposed to be played."
http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_3040705
STANFORD - UC Davis reportedly received $200,000 to serve as a sacrificial lamb last night on the occasion of new Stanford coach Walt Harris' home debut.
Cardinal athletic director Ted Leland might want to see if he can still put a stop payment on that check.
Facing a winless, outmanned opponent that won't even reach full Division I-AA status for another two years, Stanford suffered one of the most devastating losses in its 111-season football history, falling 20-17 when Aggies quarterback Jon Grant found Blaise Smith with a 3-yard touchdown pass with only 8 seconds remaining.
The Cardinal had never before lost to a Division I-AA program. But at the end of an evening that had been expected to produce an easy victory for a team coming off an impressive road win at Navy, Leland was left screaming at the officials, Cardinal fans sat in stunned silence and the Aggies, with less than 40 scholarship players and 32 fewer bodies than Stanford, frolicked on the field before their fans, who numbered at least half of the announced crowd of 31,250.
"Settle in," one Davis player yelled as his teammates flopped on the Stanford Stadium grass to pose for photos. "We just beat Stanford. We're gonna have a picnic."
UC Davis offensive coordinator Mike Moroski termed it the biggest win in the school's history. "No question," the former Novato High star said. "Absolutely."
To make matters worse for Stanford - if that was possible - starting quarterback Trent Edwards, who masterminded an efficient attack against the Midshipmen a week ago, was forced out of last night's game in the first quarter with an injury to his throwing hand that could be a broken bone, although his status for the Cardinal's next game, against Oregon on Oct. 1, was unknown.
What was certain was that the Cardinal had been humbled and humiliated by a UC Davis team that outgained them 361 to 180 and allowed Stanford's offense a mere three points. Both of the Cardinal's touchdowns came on fumble recoveries by a stout defense that eventually wore down after facing an absurd 91 plays.
"Yeah, it definitely was surprising," Stanford linebacker Kevin Schimmelmann said. "They wanted it more, they executed more and they finished the game. It doesn't matter what their talent level is or what division they're playing. They came out to play, and they beat us."
Stanford scored first thanks to a 48-yard field goal by Michael Sgroi on its initial possession, but the game's tone was set on the Cardinal's ensuing drive, when a third-and-8 play turned into disaster. UC Davis linemen Naveen Daftari and James Amos converged from either side of Edwards at the same moment, sandwiching him for an 8-yard sack. That was the redshirt junior's last play of the evening.
But even as redshirt sophomore T.C. Ostrander and the rest of the Cardinal offense was misfiring - 7-for-17 for 108 yards and one interception - Stanford took a 17-0 lead thanks to a pair of outstanding defensive effforts.
First, with the Aggies backed up at their own 1-yard line late in the first quarter, Schimmelmann blitzed, sacked Grant, forced a fumble and recovered it for the touchdown. Then in the second period, Babtunde Oshinowo poked the ball loose from Davis running back Nelson Doris and Michael Craven scooped it up for a 54-yard touchdown return and a 17-0 lead.
Davis got back into the game with a pair of touchdowns from Doris, who finished with 68 tough yards, but UC Davis gave the Cardinal new life when kicker Emmanuel Benjamin missed his second and third field-goal attempts - the last a 32-yard chip shot with just 5:47 remaining.
Stanford (1-1), however, could never put together the one long drive they needed to salt away the win, and when Davis took possession on their own 28 with 2:42 left, the Aggies had plenty of confidence.
"I don't know what it is, but when we get desperate and do our spread, hurry-up offense, we make plays and drive down the field," Smith said. "So look out."
The Aggies swiftly moved downfield. A critical third-and-4 conversation via a juggling, 19-yard reception by Tony Kays (part of his 10-catch, 115-yard night) took Davis to the Stanford 6. On second-and-goal from the 3, Stanford's Nick Sanchez appeared to make an interception but was ruled out of bounds, prompting an apocalyptic reaction from Leland, who screamed, "Do you believe that?" after watching a replay on the scoreboard.
Grant found Smith open on the very next play, and Ostrander's last, desperate pass fell incomplete. "It means so much for us," said Grant, who finished with 251 yards in the air and 41 on the ground. "We always are the underdogs. We don't have the great athletes. We're not that big, strong or fast, but we just somehow play football the way it's supposed to be played."