The 2007 Stanford Cardinal football team represented

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in the

2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 30, 2007 and ended on De ...

. In

Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh (; born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current and 20th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. He played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He play ...

's inaugural season at Stanford, the 41-point

underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...

Cardinal pulled off the second greatest point-spread upset in college football history by defeating the #1 USC Trojans in a mid-season game (USC had been ranked No. 1 in all national pre-season polls, picked unanimously to win the Pac-10 Conference, and expected to contend for a national championship – until the Stanford upset). To cap off Harbaugh's first season, the Cardinal defeated archrival Cal in Stanford's final game of the season to win the

Stanford Axe The Stanford Axe is a trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Big Game, a college football match-up between the University of California Golden Bears and the Stanford University Cardinal. The trophy consists of an axe-head mounted on a lar ...

for the first time in six years (marking the only game in a series of eight stretching between 2002 and 2009 that was won by Stanford). The team played their home games at

Stanford Stadium Stanford Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium on the west coast of the United States, located on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California. It is the home of the Stanford Cardinal and hosts the university's commencemen ...

Stanford, California Stanford is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is the home of Stanford University. The population was 21,150 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. Stanford is ...

and competed in the

Pacific-10 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...

. The Cardinal improved on their 1–11 record from the 2006 season by going 4–8 in the 2007 season.

Schedule

Coaches

Game summaries

UCLA

In Jim Harbaugh's debut game as Stanford's new head coach, UCLA's offense amassed 600 yards and overwhelmed the Cardinal defense in the second half, as UCLA won handily. UCLA's

Ben Olson Benjamin James Olson (born February 28, 1983) is a former American football college quarterback. He played four injury-plagued seasons of college football at UCLA, starting 10 games (and appearing in four others) with the club. High school car ...

threw 5 touchdown passes and finished 16–29 for 286 yards while fellow Bruin

Kahlil Bell Kahlil Edward Bell (born December 10, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football at UCLA. Bell was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He was also played for the Chicago Bears, N ...

led the running game by gaining 195 yards on 19 carries. This individual performance was the 18th best single game rushing performance in Bruin football history, placing Bell right after

Freeman McNeil Freeman McNeil (born April 22, 1959) is a former professional American football player. He was selected by the New York Jets in the first round as the third overall pick of the 1981 NFL Draft. Early life McNeil was born in Jackson, Mississippi. ...

, who had 197 yards against Stanford in 1979, and right before

Gaston Green Gaston Alfred Green III (born August 1, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Raiders. He played college ...

, who had 194 yards against Tennessee in 1985.

San Jose State

Oregon

Arizona State

USC

The struggling Stanford Cardinal continued Pac-10 play by playing the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...

in the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a mem ...

, where the Trojans had not lost in six seasons. In a major upset, USC stumbled at home to the 41-point

Cardinal, losing 24–23. Harbaugh made headlines prior to the season by claiming 2007 would be USC Coach

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC Troja ...

's last year with the Trojans before departing to the NFL, drawing a terse rebuke from Carroll; Harbaugh later called the 2007 Trojans one of the best teams in the history of college football at Pac-10 Media Day, reiterating the position in the week before their game.Klein, Gary (October 6, 2007
Trojans playing role of the heavy
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008. However, there were no hard feelings between the coaches. The two kept in cordial phone contact and Carroll made light of Harbaugh's comments several times during the season.Klein, Gary (October 3, 2007
Carroll takes a few shots at Harbaugh
''

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008. Stanford's starting quarterback, redshirt senior T. C. Ostrander, suffered a seizure on the afternoon of September 30, one day after the game against Arizona State; he was released from

Stanford Hospital Stanford University Medical Center is a medical complex which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. It is consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in the United States and serves as a teaching hospital for the ...

after a few hours, but as a precautionary measure he was held out of the game against USC. The starting quarterback position fell to

Tavita Pritchard Tavita Pritchard (born February 20, 1987) is an American football coach who is the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders. He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal, where he was also an assistant coach from 2010 to 2022. H ...

, a redshirt sophomore with three passes in his college career.Bonk, Thomas (October 3, 2007
Stanford hit with unexpected
''

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008. Stanford was also without two other key starters: defensive lineman Ekom Udofia (ankle) and offensive lineman Allen Smith (knee).Ratto, Ray (October 5, 2007
Lay the 40...
''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008. On October 3, it was announced that USC running back C. J. Gable, who was averaging a team-best 11 yards a carry, would undergo season-ending abdominal surgery to correct a nagging

sports hernia Athletic pubalgia, also called sports hernia, core injury, hockey hernia, hockey groin, Gilmore's groin, or groin disruption is a medical condition of the pubic joint affecting athletes. It is a syndrome characterized by chronic groin pain in a ...

that had limited his ability since the previous season; because he had only played in the first three games, he would seek a medical

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

season.Klein, Gary (October 4, 2007
Surgery ends the season for Gable
''

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008. Gable's fellow running back, Stafon Johnson, was also held out of the game due to a foot bruise suffered the previous week. Stanford was the last team to beat USC at the Coliseum, doing so on September 29, 2001 under

Tyrone Willingham Lionel Tyrone Willingham (born December 30, 1953) is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Stanford University (1995–2001), the University of Notre Dame (2002–2004), and the University of Washington (2005–2 ...

(who had since become the coach of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

) against then-first-year coach Carroll. By game week, the line for the game favored the Trojans by 39.5 points, and reached 41 points by gametime.White, Lonnie (October 4, 2007
USC’s big point line splits bettors
''

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008.Markazi, Arash (October 7, 2007
Aftermath of an Upset
''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008. The loss ended multiple USC streaks, including a five-game win streak against Stanford and a 35-game home winning streak.Nadel, John (October 7, 2007
Stanford 24, (2) USC 23

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

. Retrieved July 3, 2008. For

sportsbook In the United States, a sportsbook or a race and sports book (sometimes abbreviated as book) is a place where a gambler can wager on various sports competitions, including golf, football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, soccer, horse racing, ...

s, the loss to a 41-point underdog marked the biggest upset in their history.Mandel, Stewart (October 7, 2007
Five Things We Learned This Weekend
''

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008. There were a few positive efforts for the Trojans: Tight end Fred Davis caught five passes for a career-best 152 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown; and nose tackle Sedrick Ellis had three sacks. However, there were many more errors and substandard performances: quarterback

John David Booty John David Booty (born January 3, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at USC and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Booty also played for the Tennessee Titans a ...

, who broke a bone in the middle finger of his throwing hand in the first half, had four passes intercepted in the second half. The offensive line had been suffering since losing two starters in one play during the previous week's game at Washington, but the effect was severe against Stanford; the offensive line gave up four sacks, one more than the Trojans had surrendered all season, and USC gained only 95 yards rushing. Key receiver

Patrick Turner Patrick Steven Turner (born May 19, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at USC Trojans football, Southern California. He was ...

dropped several passes, the defense gave up 17 points in the fourth quarter and USC had an extra-point attempt blocked, a point which became a crucial difference. Like their previous game against Washington, USC out-gained Stanford by 224 yards (459 to 235) but made many crucial turnovers and penalties.Klein, Gary (October 8, 2007
The shock hasn't worn off yet
''

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008.Klein, Gary (October 8, 2007
USC's big slip throws the city for a loss
''

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008. In the press conference following the game, Carroll summarized his concerns: "It's real clear that we have fallen out of line with our philosophy that has guided this program for years; we're turning the ball over too much." Opinions in the sports press ranged from proclaiming the end of the USC's era of dominance in college football to calling the loss a major, but not fatal, set-back to any hopes for a Trojans run at the national championship.Schlabach, Mark (October 8, 2007
Stanford ends USC's dynasty with upset victory

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

. Retrieved July 3, 2008.College GameDay Final: There's been no predicting these first six weeks

, October 8, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2008. The Trojans fell to No. 10 in the AP Poll; however, USC only fell to No. 7 in both the Coaches Poll and

Harris Poll The Harris Poll (legal name: Harris Insights and Analytics) is an American market research and analytics company that has been tracking the sentiment, behaviors and motivations of American adults since 1963. In addition to the traditional consulti ...

, both of which are the human components for determining who the BCS chooses for the National Championship Game.AP Poll, Coaches Poll, Week 7

. Retrieved July 3, 2008.Harris Poll, Week 7

. Retrieved July 3, 2008. As a result, USC remained in outside title contention with upcoming games against consensus-No. 2 California and top-10 Oregon.Dufresne, Chris (October 8, 2007
Fall-out sheltered
''

''. Retrieved July 3, 2008. The upset landed the Trojans in ESPN.com's Bottom 10.Duffey, David (October 9, 2007
Imagining USC in the Bottom 10 is easy if you try

. Retrieved August 4, 2008. In an interview the following month, Carroll assessed the mistakes that led to the loss as his own: At the end of the regular season, ''

'' chose Stanford's upset of USC as the second "Biggest Upset of 2007" after

Division I FCS The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...

Appalachian State's upset of No. 5 Michigan.Biggest Upsets of 2007: #2 Stanford 24, No. 2 USC 23
''

'', December 13, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2008.

TCU

A week after defeating top-ranked USC, Stanford welcomed TCU to Stanford Stadium for

homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

. It was also the first meeting between the two schools. The Cardinal found themselves with a double-digit lead late in the second half of this game, as they led the Horned Frogs 31–17 with 3:54 remaining in the 3rd quarter. TCU's

Andy Dalton Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Red Rifle", Dalton previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and ...

then hit Jimmy Young for a 70-yard touchdown and Aaron Brown for a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to tie the game at 31. Stanford kicked a field goal with 7:22 remaining to re-take the lead, 34–31. Brown gave TCU its first lead of the game with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:13 left. An intentional safety by TCU in the final seconds made the final score 38–36. Dalton ended the game with a career-high 344 passing yards.

Arizona

Oregon State

Washington

Washington State

Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish concluded their season on a high note, winning its second straight game and its second win on the road. Notre Dame's Robert Hughes ran for 136 yards and the go-ahead 6-yard touchdown with 6:06 remaining in the 4th quarter to help the Irish beat the Cardinal 21–14. The Irish's

Jimmy Clausen James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...

went 19–32 for 196 yards and one touchdown. The Cardinal missed 4 field goals and turned the ball over twice. Notre Dame, meanwhile, committed 4 turnovers, including 3 fumbles and an interception. Notre Dame almost added another score on what would have been a spectacular finish to the half. Notre Dame's David Bruton intercepted Stanford quarterback

's last-play heave at the 3-yard line and began a three-lateral return to the end zone that was called back on a personal foul on Notre Dame defensive lineman

Trevor Laws Trevor David Laws (born June 14, 1985) is a former American football defensive tackle. After playing college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He pl ...

. Irish Safety

Tom Zbikowski Thomas Michael Zbikowski (born May 22, 1985) is a former American football safety. He is also a professional boxer and a firefighter. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round (86th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. He earned All-Ame ...

ran the final 30 yards after a lateral from

Darrin Walls Darrin Walls, Jr. (born June 20, 1988) is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Notre Dame. Early years Walls spen ...

, and the only thing missing was the band on the field as it was 25 years ago when California shocked Stanford with The Play.

California

Stanford led Cal for the entirety of the 110th Big Game, winning 20–13 and gaining The Axe after Cal had held onto it for five straight years, marking Cal Coach

Jeff Tedford Jeffrey Raye Tedford (born November 2, 1961) is an American football coach and former player who is currently serving as the head coach at Fresno State, a position which he also previously held from 2017 to 2019. From 2002 to 2012, Tedford was th ...

's first loss to the Cardinal, something Harbaugh's two predecessors had failed to do. Stanford confused Cal on defense by alternating quarterbacks T. C. Ostrander and

in offensive series. The Golden Bears's

Nate Longshore Nathan Dean Longshore (born June 30, 1986) is a former American football quarterback for the California Golden Bears football team of the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a three-year starter and led the Golden Bears to a share o ...

was 22/47 with 252 yards, 1 touchdown, and two interceptions, throwing one at the 7-yard line with 2:10 remaining. Cal's

Justin Forsett Justin Forsett (born October 14, 1985) is an American former football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft ...

ran for 96 yards on 19 carries. The Golden Bears's

Robert Jordan James Oliver Rigney Jr. (October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007), better known by his pen name Robert Jordan,"Robert Jordan" was the name of the protagonist in the 1940 Hemingway novel ''For Whom the Bell Tolls'', though this is not how the na ...

caught 4 receptions for 99 yards including a 46-yard touchdown reception. Despite injuries that had depleted the Cardinal's backfield to the point where one player was converted to a running back, Stanford rushed for 120 yards. California's offense was limited to one touchdown and a field goal, Cal's worst offensive performance of the season. Longshore continued to struggle in the second half, leading the offense to only one field goal after half time. Cal committed 10 penalties for 118 yards.

References

{{Stanford Cardinal football navbox

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

Stanford Cardinal football seasons

Stanford Cardinal football The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. The team is known as the Stanford Cardinal, Cardinal, adopted pri ...