Micah Ford rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown, Stanford’s defense scored twice and set up a third score and the Cardinal took advantage of Cal mistakes to run away with a 31-10 victory in the 128th annual Big Game late Saturday afternoon in Stanford, Calif.
Elijah Brown threw a touchdown pass to CJ Williams, Jay Green and Darrius Davis turned fumble recoveries into scores and Emmet Kenney added a field goal for the Cardinal (4-7, 3-5), who snapped a four-game losing streak in the San Francisco Bay Area rivalry and took over ownership of the ceremonial “Axe” for the next calendar year.
In a complete reversal of form, the Cardinal dominated both sides of the ball in the final 30 minutes while extending a 14-10 halftime advantage — built on the fumble returns — into the final margin.
After being held to 71 yards in the first half, the Cardinal got a 36-yard Kenney field goal to cap a 31-yard drive, a 4-yard TD run by Ford after a Matt Rose fumble recovery at the end of a 20-yard possession and a 34-yard Brown-to-Williams TD hook-up to complete a 58-yard drive on consecutive possessions bridging the third and fourth periods.
Ford’s 150 yards were seven fewer than the 157 he ran up in a career-best performance against Boston College in September. Brown finished 10-for-20 for 123 yards without an interception.
Jacob De Jesus caught 14 passes for 96 yards, and Trond Grizzell had nine for 104 yards for the Golden Bears (6-5, 3-4), who have already gained bowl eligibility. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed 33 of 49 passes for 269 yards without a touchdown or interception.
Seeking a second straight win after upsetting Louisville in its most recent outing, Cal controlled much of the first half, outgaining the hosts 196-71, but the team found itself down 14-10 at the break thanks to the fumble-return TDs by Green and Davis.
De Jesus had eight of his catches for 60 yards in the half, and Sagapolutele ran for a 7-yard score, but the Golden Bears were overpowered by the two mistakes.
After a 40-yard field goal by Abram Murray had given Cal an early 3-0 lead, Omar Staples forced a De Jesus fumble and Green dashed 49 yards with a scoop-and-score to put the Cardinal on top in the third minute of the second period.
The same scenario unfolded later in the period when Sagapolutele’s TD run was offset by a Caden High hit on Kendrick Raphael, producing a fumble that Davis took 17 yards into the end zone with 1:05 left in the half for a 14-10 lead the hosts never relinquished.
Cal had the game’s only three turnovers.
