The Stanford Cardinal squeaked out a 24-17 victory over the Washington State Cougars on Saturday, improving to 6-2 (4-1) on the season.
The Cardinal and Cougars were tied at 10 at halftime, but Stanford was able to score two more touchdowns and held the Cougars out of the endzone in the game's final seconds.
Quarterback Josh Nunes struggled again, throwing for 136 yards and a touchdown on just 7-15 passing. Rule of Tree blogger Scott Allen weighed in on Stanford's passing issues following the game:
There were drops, sure, but Marqise Lee and Tavon Austin wouldn't have made Nunes look like even an average Division I quarterback yesterday. Switching QBs midseason normally doesn't work, but the offense can't possibly look any more broke than it did against the Cougars. Here's a proposal: open next week's game against Colorado with 10 consecutive passing plays. If Nunes doesn't complete at least seven of them, put in Kevin Hogan.
Despite the shaky quarterback play, the Cardinal improved to the No. 15 spot in the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls after the win. Next Saturday, Nov. 3, Stanford will take on the Colorado Buffaloes. The Buffaloes are 1-7 and were blown out by the Oregon Ducks over the weekend, 70-14.