The Stanford Cardinal faced their first challenge Saturday evening and passed with flying colors. Many analysts felt the No. 25 Washington Huskies had a chance to give Stanford their first test of the season, but it was not to be. The Cardinal combined a bulldozing rushing attack with Andrew Luck's usual efficiency to decimate the Washington Huskies 65-21 at Stanford Stadium.
The Cardinal rushed basically at will on the Huskies, piling up a ridiculous 446 yards on the ground. They averaged 10.4 yards per rush and there was really nothing UW could do to stop it. Stepfan Taylor rushed for 138 yards, Tyler Gaffney rushed for 117 yards and Anthony Wilkerson added in 93 yards with a "pedestrian" 7.2 yards per carry. Stanford's rushing attack simplified this game as the Cardinal scored on all but one possession.
The Huskies looked like they might be able to hang with Stanford as they were down 17-14 at one point. Chris Polk seemed to be running at will as he finished the game with 144 yards, including TD runs of 46- and 61-yards. However, the Stanford defense figured something out and held the Huskies to seven points the rest of the game. The Cardinal closed this one out on a 48-7 run.
The Cardinal are going to make a move in the rankings on Sunday thanks to a Wisconsin upset at Michigan State. The Oklahoma Sooners are trailing 24-7 at the half against Texas Tech, so Stanford could be in line for a big jump in the BCS standings on Sunday.