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A LOOK AT STANFORD’S 2013 FOOTBALL OPENER
The teams: San Jose State (1-0) at Stanford (0-0)
The game: Saturday at Stanford Stadium, 8:07 p.m.
Television: Pac-12 Network
Radio: KNBR 1050 AM; KZSU 90.1 FM
Live stats: GoStanford.com
The series: Stanford leads the series, 51-14-1, and has won five straight and nine of the past 10 meetings (with all nine victories coming at Stanford Stadium). San Jose State’s last victory in Stanford Stadium was a 40-27 triumph on Sept. 9, 2000. Stanford and San Jose State have met regularly since the late 1940’s with only brief pauses in the local rivalry. The programs are not scheduled to play next season.
The meaning: Stanford opens its 119th season at home against San Jose State in the Bill Walsh Legacy Game. Walsh was a San Jose State graduate before he became famous for coaching at Stanford and with the San Francisco 49ers.
The fans: Fan Fest is open from 2 1/2 hours until 15 minutes prior to every home game and offers all Stanford season ticket holders a place to eat, drink and participate in interactive games. This season’s Fan Fest features face painting, kids activity zone, entertainment stage and an assortment of the best game-day food in the Bay Area, including food trucks and vendors. Fan Fest will feature Stanford football coaches for a pre-game chalk talk in our multi-media entertainment tent immediately following The Walk.
Last year: Stepfan Taylor rushed for 116 yards and the Stanford defense stepped up in the final quarter to help the heavily favored Cardinal held on for a 20-17 victory. Drew Terrell caught an 11-yard scoring pass from quarterback Josh Nunes late in the first quarter to give Stanford a 14-0 advantage with the Cardinal taking a 17-3 edge into halftime. In the fourth quarter, the Stanford defense forced two punts, got a fourth-down stop and an interception to seal the win. Ed Reynolds forced a fumble and preserved the win by intercepting an SJS pass on fourth-and-10 from the San Jose State 30 with 1:10 remaining.
The polls: Stanford was ranked fourth in the USA Today Coaches’ preseason poll and fourth in the AP preseason Top 25. This week Stanford is ranked No. 5 by AP. Stanford has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 48 consecutive weeks. The streak is tied for the fifth-longest in the nation, dating to Sept. 5, 2010. Entering the 2013 season, only Alabama (82), LSU (65), Oregon (61) and Oklahoma (49) claimed longer streaks while the Cardinal remained tied with South Carolina. Prior to the 2012 AP preseason poll, the Cardinal was ranked 23 consecutive weeks among its top 10. Stanford’s No. 4 preseason ranking by the AP is its highest preseason ranking in that poll.
For openers: Stanford is 10-3 (.769) in its past 13 season openers and has won five straight season debuts dating to the 2008 campaign. David Shaw looks to become the first Stanford head coach to win a season-opening game in each of his first three years since Claude “Tiny” Thornhill did so from 1933-35. The Cardinal is 30-3 (.909) at Stanford Stadium since the final home game of 2007.
The new looks: New to Stanford Stadium this season are two new LED video displays — one in each end zone — measuring 24’x66′ with a 13HD pixel layout. The stadium now also boasts a continuous 360-degree ribbon display (approx. 1,680-feet wide) that circles the entire facility. The feature is the first for a football-only college facility.
Stanford Athletics/Palo Alto Online Sports
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Stanford Athletics/Palo Alto Online Sports
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