The Stanford Cardinal are hosting the California Golden Bears in the annual Big Game. Both teams are looking to prove far more than dominance over their division rival. The Golden Bears are looking to make a statement that they are far better than their 3-4 Pac-12 record would indicate. The Cardinal, meanwhile, are hoping to keep their bowl game hopes alive, and will be playing the second half armed with the knowledge that the Oregon Ducks have already lost this week's game.
Through the third quarter, it appears as though Stanford has found more motivation than has Cal. True to form, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has come out with guns blazing in the second half. Many games this season have featured a shaky Luck in the first half and a dominant Luck after halftime. Much to the chagrin of Cal, it is shaping up to be yet another one of those games. Luck led the Cardinal on two long scoring drives in the third quarter. The first ended in a touchdown pass from Luck to Levine Toilolo and the second ended in Luck connecting with Ryan Hewitt in the end zone. Stanford leads 28-13 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Stanford defense has also come alive, shutting down Cal completely in the third quarter and Jarek Lancaster registering an enormous sack of Cal quarterback Zach Maynard on a fourth down conversion attempt that allowed the Cardinal to take over the ball at midfield. Entering the fourth quarter, Stanford is sporting a healthy 15-point lead.
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