2008 Stanford Cardinal football team
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University
in the college football
season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach
was Jim Harbaugh
, who entered his second year at Stanford. The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium
in Stanford, California
and competed in the Pacific-10 Conference. The Cardinal improved on their a 4-8 record from the 2007 season by going 5-7. After winning back the Stanford Axe from rival California
in 2007 for the first time in five years, Stanford lost the Axe to Cal in the 2008 Big Game.
With ten seconds left in this UCLA's homecoming game and the Bruins behind by four points, Bruin quarterback Kevin Craft
passed to freshman Cory Harkey for a 7-yard touchdown to win the game, 23-20, over the Stanford Cardinal in the northeast corner of the Rose Bowl
Saturday afternoon. Two turnovers by the Bruins led to the 14 Stanford points in the first half.
In the game, Craft had 285 passing yards and Taylor Embree caught 72 yards, while Stanford's Toby Gerhard rushed for 138 yards.
The Cardinal traveled up to Berkeley
in an attempt to hold onto the Axe and earn a bowl berth with a sixth win. The Bears led 10-3 at the half and ran up 20 unanswered points in the third quarter. Stanford was able to score two quick back to back touchdowns in the fourth quarter but could not close a 21 point deficit. Tavita Pritchard threw for 306 yards and a score while Toby Gerhart rushed for 103 yards and a score. Although the loss relinquished the Axe to Cal and prevented Stanford from becoming bowl eligible, Harbaugh set the standards even higher for 2009 by declaring that "Bowl Championship Series eligible is what we’re aiming for."
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
was Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
, who entered his second year at Stanford. The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium
Stanford Stadium
Stanford Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the Stanford University campus, the home of Stanford Cardinal college football team. It originally opened in 1921 as a football and track stadium, an earthen horseshoe with wooden bleacher seating and flooring upon a steel frame...
in Stanford, California
Stanford, California
Stanford is a census-designated place in Santa Clara County, California, United States and is the home of Stanford University. The population was 13,809 at the 2010 census....
and competed in the Pacific-10 Conference. The Cardinal improved on their a 4-8 record from the 2007 season by going 5-7. After winning back the Stanford Axe from rival California
2007 California Golden Bears football team
The 2007 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in the college football 2007-2008 season. They played their home games at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California and were coached by Jeff Tedford....
in 2007 for the first time in five years, Stanford lost the Axe to Cal in the 2008 Big Game.
Schedule
- Schedule Source: 2008 Stanford Cardinal football schedule
Oregon State
Arizona State
TCU
San Jose State
Washington
Notre Dame
Arizona
UCLA
The week before, the Cardinal beat Arizona 24-23 in an exciting conference game, while the Bruins lost a close game to the Ducks. UCLA had a record of 44-31-3 on the Cardinal before game time.With ten seconds left in this UCLA's homecoming game and the Bruins behind by four points, Bruin quarterback Kevin Craft
Kevin Craft
Kevin Craft is a former college football quarterback at UCLA, who played for the Cougars de Saint-Ouen l'Aumône, France in France.-High school years:...
passed to freshman Cory Harkey for a 7-yard touchdown to win the game, 23-20, over the Stanford Cardinal in the northeast corner of the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl (stadium)
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...
Saturday afternoon. Two turnovers by the Bruins led to the 14 Stanford points in the first half.
In the game, Craft had 285 passing yards and Taylor Embree caught 72 yards, while Stanford's Toby Gerhard rushed for 138 yards.
Washington State
Oregon
USC
California
The Cardinal traveled up to Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
in an attempt to hold onto the Axe and earn a bowl berth with a sixth win. The Bears led 10-3 at the half and ran up 20 unanswered points in the third quarter. Stanford was able to score two quick back to back touchdowns in the fourth quarter but could not close a 21 point deficit. Tavita Pritchard threw for 306 yards and a score while Toby Gerhart rushed for 103 yards and a score. Although the loss relinquished the Axe to Cal and prevented Stanford from becoming bowl eligible, Harbaugh set the standards even higher for 2009 by declaring that "Bowl Championship Series eligible is what we’re aiming for."