For the second week in a row, the Arizona Wildcats have given up 55 points as the 18th ranked Stanford Cardinal won handedly by a score of 55-17 at Stanford Stadium, helping the Cardinal improve to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
Senior quarterback Kevin Hogan lit up the Wildcats defense, completing a staggering 17 of 19 passing attempts, which was good for 217 yards and two touchdowns on the night. Backup Keller Chryst only threw four passes but managed to find receivers on each attempt and ended with 39 passing yards and a touchdown as well -- a fade to Rollins Stallworth from six yards out. On Chryst's first play of the game, a handoff to running back Christian McCaffrey, he was a lead blocker as the sophomore rushed ahead for a big gain.
McCaffrey was instrumental in Stanford's victory last night. He picked up his first rushing touchdown of his career and scampered for 156 yard on the ground in 17 attempts while finishing the night with over 200 all-purpose yards. Barry Sanders Jr also got involved in the action which involved ripping off a 65 yard touchdown run as he ripped right through the middle of the Wildcat defense.
With Anu Solomon out with a concussion that he sustained in their last game, Jerrad Randall would be the starter for today. He has great explosiveness in the open field and uses his strength to break tackles. Last night, though, was just not his day. Randall only rushed for 67 yards, with 28 of them for coming off of one play. Nick Wilson, one of the most dynamic backs in the conference, gained merely 46 yards on 17 attempts, as the Cardinal defense plugged the gaps in the trenches all game long.
There are obvious holes in the Arizona defense, and one of the key factors is the loss of Scooby Wright. When he was in the game last year, he was often the difference maker, stopping plays before they fully develop, and creating timely turnovers. Now that he is hurt for an extended period of time, there is not really anyone who is able to step up and be the main man in Scooby's absence.
Stanford gets a bye week before they face a very talented UCLA Bruin squad, albeit coming off a tough loss to Arizona State at the Rose Bowl this Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Wildcats do not get a break and will go back home to face a struggling Oregon State squad. These next few weeks for Rich Rodriguez' side as they will be playing some of the weaker schools in the conference. If they can get a couple of wins under their belt, the confidence will surely come back towards the latter stages of the season.