The Stanford Cardinal have gone from a tight battle in the first quarter to a snoozer through the third quarter. The Washington Huskies were battling early, but Stanford wore down UW midway through the second quarter and has dominated since. After going into the half leading 38-14, the Cardinal have added ten more points and lead 48-21 early in the fourth quarter. As it currently stands, expect to see backups getting some significant playing time fairly soon.
For the day Andrew Luck is 13 of 18 for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers don't look particularly impressive on the Heisman stat sheet, but his team's rushing attack has been so dominant he has not had to do a whole lot of much. He has been impressive in limited passes, but with only 18 attempts, there is only so much you can say.
Stepfan Taylor and Tyler Gaffney have been the stars on offense, rushing for a combined 255 yards on only 19 carries. Stanford has rushed for 350 yards total through three quarters, averaging 11.3 yards per rush. That just about explains the game as the Cardinal continue to use a dominant rush effort week in and week out.
Stanford can also be pleased with the defense's performance in the second half. The defense appeared to be riddled with holes as Chris Polk was running all over them. However, the defense settled down and has only given up a fourth quarter touchdown. Aside from that score, the defense has played great in the second half.
The really big news for Stanford is that Wisconsin is currently trailing Michigan State 31-17 midway through the fourth quarter. Wisconsin is two spots ahead of Stanford in the BCS rankings and a loss would drop them behind No. 7 Clemson and No. 8 Stanford. There is a lot of football left to be played, but every upset is big for Stanford.