It took a fourth quarter interception of a David Fales pass by Stanford Cardinal sophomore safety Ed Reynolds to put away the pesky San Jose State Spartans for good, 20-17, in Friday night's season opener at Stanford Stadium.
It was a tale of two halves for the Cardinal, who led 17-3 at the half and looked to be in control before heading to the locker room at the end of the second quarter. But an offensive barrage led by Fales put the Spartans in position to pull of the first major upset of a top-25 team in 2012.
Spartans quarterback Blake Jurich scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to make it a one-possession game at the 11:08 mark. After a quick three-and-out by the Cardinal, Fales connected with wide receiver Noel Grigsby on a 21-yard pass that tied the game.
A 20-yard field goal from Jordan Williamson early in the fourth would prove to be the difference in the game for Stanford, who generated just 287 total yards of offense.
Josh Nunes, who is making his first start since Andrew Luck left for the NFL was 16-for-26 for 124 yards and a touchdown. Running back Stepfan Taylor was Stanford's offensive player of the game with 124 yards on the ground and a touchdown of his own.
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