| Josh Nunes had his breakout game against Arizona (US Presswire) |
STANFORD WON: Josh Nunes threw for 360 yards and accounted for five touchdowns as No. 18 Stanford (4-1) overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Arizona (3-3), 54-48 in overtime. A wild, back-and-forth affair saw Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott set or tie several Pac-12 passing records, including most completions, pass attempts and plays. Cardinal running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns (including the game-winner) while tight end Levine Toilolo caught five passes for 141 yards and a score. Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey scored three touchdowns to go with 133 rushing yards, and Wildcats receiver Austin Hill had 11 catches for 165 yards. The two teams combined for 1,235 yards.
WHY STANFORD WON: Nunes finally had his breakout game. The junior made play after play to keep the Cardinal in it despite a general defensive collapse. His 360 passing yards were a career high and the last of his three rushing touchdowns with 45 seconds to play sent the game into overtime. For the first time, perhaps, we got to see why Stanford coach David Shaw chose him as Andrew Luck's successor, as Nunes more than justified the selection with a clutch game that salvaged Stanford's season.
WHEN STANFORD WON: Scott had his way with Stanford all game long until the first overtime, when one of his passes was tipped high in the air only to be intercepted by Cardinal linebacker Chase Thomas. Two plays later, Taylor burst up the middle for a 21-yard game-winning touchdown and Stanford secured an exhausting win over its Pac-12 foe.
WHAT STANFORD WON: The Cardinal barely avoided their first two-game losing streak since mid-2009, which might've raised questions about the direction of the program in the post-Luck era. Instead, Stanford will stay ranked and in contention for the Pac-12 North title. Despite a horrible defensive performance, the Cardinal have to feel good about how the offense performed.
WHAT ARIZONA LOST: The Wildcats missed a golden opportunity to pull off the upset on the road in conference play. Arizona had the Cardinal dead and buried (seemingly), up by 14 points in the fourth quarter, but couldn't finish them off. It wasted a record-performance by Scott, who is fast establishing himself as one of the conference's most dynamic players.
THAT WAS CRAZY: Scott's 69 pass attempts were the most in a game in Pac-12 history. So were his 45 completions. His 74 total plays (running and passing) tied a conference mark. Arizona's 103 total plays broke Oregon's league record of 102 set in 2011.