JJ Arecga-Whiteside caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Palo Alto grad Keller Chryst with 20 seconds remaining to play, lifting the 22nd-ranked Stanford football team past host Oregon State, 15-14, in a Pac-12 Conference contest Thursday night.
The nation’s leading rusher Bryce Love was unable to participate for the Cardinal (6-2, 5-1), leaving a gaping hole in the offense.
Stanford needed to convert a fourth-and-10 situation to keep the final drive alive. Chryst and tight end Kaden Smith, inbetween two defenders, hooked up on a 25-yard completion.
Chryst was 0-for-6 in the final period until that point. He completed four straight to get the Cardinal into the end zone.
After the Beavers (1-7, 0-5) went ahead 14-6 early in the third quarter, Stanford’s defense rose to the occasion and kept the Beavers out of the end zone as the Cardinal squeezed out the victory by scoring the game’s final nine points.
Chryst threw his only interception of the game just after Oregon State scored and the Beavers were driving toward another score before big-time defensive plays from Harrison Phillips and Quenton Meeks forced them into a long field goal try, which failed.
Stanford appeared frustrated after a 42-yard touchdown pass was called back with offsetting penalties in the final three minutes of the third quarter.
Later, Oregon State was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, breathing new life into the drive that was culminated with Jet Toner’s third field goal of the game, bringing Stanford within 14-9 at the end of the third quarter.
Another Beavers’ penalty stalled a drive that had reached Stanford’s 39-yard line. The Cardinal went 3-and-out but Phillips came up big again, recovering a fumble forced by Peter Kalambayi with 2:30 left to play.
Stanford went for the two-point conversion and failed three times, giving the Beavers one last final chance.
Brandon Simmons intercepted a Hail Mary pass in the end zone to end the threat.
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports
Really not sure why Coach Shaw stuck with Chryst the whole game when Costello was available. We were truly lucky to get that win. Not sure why, but Shaw is either reluctant to shift gears or somehow not able to make in-game changes when needed. Throwing the same play in the end zone 4 straight times at the end of the 4th quarter just goes to show how stubborn he is and how easy it is for the opposing teams to game plan and adjust during the game.