Palo Alto, CA (Sports Network) – Andrew Luck threw for four touchdowns and rushed for a score, as the 19th-ranked Stanford Cardinal annihilated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 68-24.
Luck completed 17-of-23 passes for 207 yards for the Cardinal (3-0), who are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2001. Luck also rushed for 69 yards on three carries.
Tyler Gaffney carried the ball seven times for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Owusu led the receiving corps with three catches for 65 yards and a pair of scores.
Tanner Price connected on 8-of-18 passes for 76 yards and an interception for the Demon Deacons (2-1), who opened the season with wins over Presbyterian and Duke. Price also carried the ball 16 times for 65 yards and a score.
The score was 7-7 after Owusu’s eight-yard TD catch and Chris Givens’ 22-yard rushing touchdown. Owusu hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter to make it 14-7.
Stanford took control of the contest in the second stanza. Gaffney got things going with a four-yard TD run to make it 21-7 just over a minute into the period.
Just over two minutes later, Usua Amanam caught a 12-yard TD pass. Luck’s 52- yard rushing touchdown and Gaffney’s two-yard touchdown made it 41-7.
Jimmy Newman made a 48-yard field goal before the half to make it a 41-10 contest.
Stepfan Taylor and Doug Baldwin scored touchdowns early in the third quarter for the Cardinal to make it 55-10. Price and Michael Campanaro rushed for touchdowns for Wake Forest to cut the gap to 55-24 after three quarters.
Alex Loukas and Andrew Stutz scored touchdowns in the fourth frame to account for the final margin.
The Deacons and Cardinal met for the first-ever time on the gridiron last season and Wake Forest earned a 24-17 victory in that clash which took place in Winston-Salem…Stanford is 13-2 in its last 15 home games dating back to the last game in 2007…The 68 points is tied for the fourth-most points in Stanford history and most since 68 against San Jose State in 1968. It was the first time over 60 points since 2002.