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 Playing a Thursday night game in front of a national television
audience against a nationally ranked opponent, McCaffrey rushed for
a school-record 243 yards and four touchdowns and added a 96-yard
kickoff return to help No. 15 Stanford beat No. 18 UCLA 56-35 at
Stanford Stadium.
It was the Cardinal's fifth straight win since their season-opening
loss to Northwestern, and was Stanford's eighth consecutive victory
over the Bruins, UCLA's longest-ever losing streak against any team.
The Bruins' seven-game skid against USC from 1999 to 2005 had been
their longest run of defeats against one opponent.
The talk afterward was less about the Cardinal's continued dominance
over UCLA and more about McCaffrey, who until Thursday was known
more for being the son of former Stanford and Denver Broncos wide
receiver Ed McCaffrey, who now does commentary for Broncos radio
broadcasts.
McCaffrey's 243 yards on 25 carries surpassed the school record
previously held by Toby Gerhart, who rushed for 223 yards in a 2009
game against Oregon.
McCaffrey did it without playing in the fourth quarter. His 369
all-purpose yards are the most by an FBS player this season and were
just 10 yards shy of the Stanford record set by Glyn Milburn in
1990.
"No. 1, it's attitude," Stanford coach David Shaw regarding
McCafferty, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound sophomore. "He never gets tired.
He loves to run between the tackles. Very versatile. The last thing
we needed from him was patience -- wait for those gaps."
McCafferty was patient enough to put up the ninth-best FBS rushing
performance this season and perhaps put his name in the Heisman
Trophy discussion.
"I didn't know I had the record until I heard it on the loud
speaker," said McCaffrey, who admitted he was little sore. "It's a
cliche, but the guys blocking downfield made it happen."
Stanford (5-1, 4-0 Pac-12) scored more than 40 points for the fourth
consecutive game and is averaging 48.5 points in its four conference
games. The Cardinal did not score in the fourth quarter Thursday
when reserves were in the game.
UCLA (4-2, 1-2) lost its second game in a row after falling to
unranked Arizona State 38-23 on Oct. 3. Two weeks ago, the Bruins
were ranked No. 7 and looked like a contender for the
national-championship playoff. Thursday's loss might take them out
of the Top 25.
And the Cardinal continue to a problem UCLA cannot solve.
"I think that regardless of what has happened in the past, you look
at this as a new game, a new opportunity," Bruins coach Jim Mora
said. "I don't know that we're closer. We weren't today."
Stanford already led 42-20 before McCaffrey scored his third
touchdown of the game on a 70-yard sprint up the middle. He scored
on runs of 9 yards and 28 yards in the second quarter, and he added
a 6-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to make the score
56-20. His four rushing touchdowns tied a school record.
Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan attempted just 15 passes,
completing eight of them for 131 yards, three touchdowns and one
interception.
UCLA freshman quarterback Josh Rosen was 22-for-42 for 325 yards
with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
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"Frustrating," Rosen said of the outcome. "I really wanted to beat
this team, really wanted to make a statement."
Bruins running back Paul Perkins ran for 104 yards and a touchdown
on 14 attempts, and wide receiver Darren Andrews had four catches
for 100 yards and a touchdown.
McCaffrey had 118 of his rushing yards as well as his long kickoff
return in the first half, helping Stanford take a 35-17 lead at
halftime.
Stanford got on the scoreboard first when cornerback Alijah Holder
intercepted a Rosen pass at the UCLA 31-yard line, broke a tackle
along the right sideline, then raced across the field before
reaching the end zone. The Cardinal never trailed after that.
After a UCLA field goal, McCaffrey returned the ensuing kickoff 96
yards to the UCLA 4-yard line, and the Cardinal converted that into
a touchdown on the next play -- a pass from Hogan to tight end
Austin Hooper to give the Cardinal a 14-3 lead.
"It's hard to go on the road, have a pick-six, have a 96-yard
kickoff return, have 10 penalties and try to win," Mora said.
After UCLA failed to do anything on its first possession of the
third quarter, Stanford put the game away when wide receiver Francis
Owusu made a spectacular touchdown catch. Even though UCLA defensive
back Jaleel Wadood was called for pass interference on the play,
Owusu somehow hauled in a 41-yard pass, pinning the ball against
Wadood's back.
"That was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen," McCaffrey
said.
NOTES: Stanford LB Blake Martinez, who entered the game ranked first
in the nation in tackles, left the game late in the first half after
taking a blow to the head on a block by UCLA WR Kenneth Walker III.
Walker was ejected for targeting, and the Bruins were assessed a
personal-foul penalty. Martinez returned to the game in the third
quarter. ... UCLA was without three defensive starters who are out
for the season with injuries -- DT Eddie Vanderdoes (knee), CB
Fabian Moreau (foot) and LB Myles Jack (knee, will enter NFL Draft).
... Bruins WR/S Mossi Johnson (knee) is also lost for the season.
... Cardinal LB Kevin Anderson missed his third consecutive game
with an undisclosed injury. ... Stanford has won 25 straight home
night games, the longest active streak in the FBS.
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