California Golden Bears vs Stanford Cardinal Box Score on Nov 21, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Nov 22, 2015

STANFORD, Calif. -- Led by Christian McCaffrey's school-record 389 all-purpose yards, No. 11 Stanford beat archrival California 35-22 on Saturday night at Stanford Stadium, clinching the Pac-12 North title for the Cardinal.

By beating Cal for the sixth consecutive time in the 118th Big Game, Stanford (9-2, 8-1 Pac-12) assured itself a berth in the Dec. 5 Pac-12 championship game in Santa Clara, where the Cardinal will face the winner of next Saturday's game between UCLA and USC.

The win also kept alive the Cardinal's long-shot hope of getting into the College Football Playoff. Stanford winds up its regular season next Saturday with a home game against Notre Dame.

McCaffrey, who entered the weekend leading the nation in all-purpose yards, had 192 yards rushing, a 49-yard touchdown reception and a 98-yard kickoff return for a score.

Cal outgained Stanford 495-356, and the Bears had 23 first downs to Stanford's 16. However, the Bears were not efficient in the red zone, scoring just one touchdown and three field goals on five trips inside the Stanford 18-yard line.

Quarterback Jared Goff had another big game for Cal (6-5, 3-15 Pac-12), completing 37 of 54 passes for 386 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Bears wide receiver Bryce Treggs had seven catches for 102 yards and a score.

Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan attempted 12 passes -- including just one in the second half -- and completed seven of them for 96 yards.

Cal reduced a 21-6 halftime deficit to 21-16 on Matt Anderson's 25-yard field goal and Goff's 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Darius Powe.

Running back Remound Wright's 1-yard touchdown run put Stanford ahead 28-16, and the Cardinal put the game away when running back Bryce Love ran 48 yards for a touchdown with 6:13 left in the fourth quarter to put Stanford ahead 35-16.

The Cardinal led 21-6 at halftime, thanks largely to McCaffrey's 49-yard touchdown reception and his 98-yard kickoff return for a score.

Cal got as far as the Stanford 3-yard line and 11-yard line on its two best drives in the first half but had to settle for field goals both times.

Stanford scored first, going 52 yards on seven plays for a touchdown on its second possession of the game. On a third-and-goal play from the 2-yard line, Wright was momentarily stopped at the line of scrimmage but twisted away to score for a 7-0 lead.

Matt Anderson kicked a 20-yard field goal late in the first quarter to reduce the Bears' deficit to 7-3.

Stanford increased its lead to 14-3 on Hogan's 49-yard screen pass to McCaffrey, who broke tackles by linebacker Jalen Jefferson and defensive tackle James Looney at the line of scrimmage before breaking into the clear.

Anderson made it 14-6 with a 28-yard field goal with 51 seconds left in the half, but again the Bears failed to get into the end zone.

McCaffrey returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown that gave the Cardinal a 21-6 halftime lead.

NOTES: Stanford was without starting CB Ronnie Harris because of an ankle injury. It left redshirt freshmen Alameen Murphy and Alijah Holder as the Cardinal's starting cornerbacks. ... Cal WR Kenny Lawler (buttocks), RB Daniel Lasco (ankle) and S Damariay Drew (knee) were questionable and none played. Lawyer began the day as Cal's leading receiver. ... DE Brennan Scarlett, a starter for Stanford on Saturday, played three seasons for Cal before transferring but never faced Stanford as a member of the Bears. ... For years, Stanford-Cal was typically the final regular-season game for both teams. That has not been the case in recent seasons, though. Both teams have another game on their schedule this season, with Stanford hosting Notre Dame next Saturday and Cal playing Arizona State in Berkeley the same day.