California Golden Bears vs Stanford Cardinal Box Score on Nov 18, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 18, 2017

Stanford Heisman Trophy candidate Bryce Love gained 101 yards on 14 carries before getting injured in the fourth quarter, and the 22nd-ranked Cardinal held on for a 17-14 win over archrival California in Pac-12 game Saturday night at Stanford.

The Cardinal (8-3, 7-2 Pac-12) has defeated Cal (5-6, 2-6) eight straight years.

Love set an FBS record with his 11th rush of 50 or more yards this season when he broke free for a 57-yard score with 8:57 left in the third quarter.

Before that run, which increased Stanford's lead to 17-6, Love gained only 24 yards on eight carries.

He was forced to exit with 11:22 left in the game when his left ankle was twisted on a 1-yard run. His ankle was heavily wrapped and he appeared ready to reenter the game, but backup Cameron Scarlett took over.

Scarlett rushed for 43 yards on 11 carries in a pivotal possession for Stanford late in the fourth quarter.

Scarlett's 3-yard run gave the Cardinal a fourth-and-1 at the Cal 18 with 2:18 remaining. Stanford coach David Shaw went for the first down and Scarlett converted with a 2-yard run. The Cardinal ran out the clock thereafter.

Cal running back Patrick Laird gained 153 yards on 20 carries. He answered Love's 57-yard score with a 39-yard run that put the Golden Bears at the Stanford 1. He ran it into the end zone on the next play, and quarterback Ross Bowers scored a 2-point conversion run to cut the lead to 17-14 with 4:02 left in the third quarter.

Stanford's Jet Toner missed a 41-yard field goal with 11:13 remaining, one play after Love exited the game.

Cal had the opportunity to tie or take the lead when it drove to the Stanford 48, but Stanford safety Ben Edwards intercepted a Bowers pass with 7:25 left at the 6 and made a 29-yard return.

The teams played to a battle of field goals most of the first half as neither could muster much offense until Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello completed a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kaden Smith with 8:17 left in the half.

The pass, which gave Stanford a 10-3 lead, capped a 10-play drive of 70 yards. The Cardinal had 69 yards in two previous possessions of the half.

Laird rushed for 30 yards on four carries and caught an 11-yard pass from Bowers on Cal's last possession of the half, which resulted in a 27-yard field goal by Matt Anderson with 2:43 left to cut the lead to 10-6.

Anderson, who missed a 47-yarder earlier in the second quarter with the ball bouncing off the crossbar, tied a school record with his 56th career field goal.

NOTES: The game marked the 120th meeting between Stanford and Cal, which is tied for the seventh-longest rivalry among FBS programs. The Cardinal lead the series 63-46-11. ... Through 35 career games before Saturday, Stanford RB Bryce Love was averaging 8.19 yards per rush. The FBS career record is 8.26 by Glenn Davis of Army (1943-46). ... First-year Cal coach Justin Wilcox, a defensive coordinator previously at Washington, USC and Wisconsin, is making an immediate impact on the Golden Bears' defensive execution. Entering Saturday's game, they were among the national leaders in several defensive categories -- tied for eighth in turnovers gained (22), tied for 10th in defensive touchdowns (three), tied for 14th in interceptions (13) and tied for 19th in fumbles recovered (nine).