Stanford was the site for a showdown of two top 15 teams, as the Cardinal bested the visiting Washington Huskies 31-28 in a tight contest between Pac-12 rivals.
Stanford vs. Washington 2013 results: Both fanbases pleased after tight game
Fans of both Stanford and Washington are happy with their teams’ performances Saturday night.
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Cardinal scored on the first play of the game, as Ty Montgomery returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for the score. After a second quarter Stanford field goal, Washington responded with a seven-yard touchdown run by Bishop Sankey. With 11 seconds left in the half, Kevin Hogan found Montgomery for a 39-yard touchdown grab, giving Stanford the 17-7 cushion heading into the half.
Washington showed they could hang with the Cardinal in the second half, as the two teams traded touchdowns in an explosive third quarter. The Huskies got on the board first with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Keith Price to Kevin Smith and Stanford responded with a four-yard touchdown run by Hogan. Bishop Sankey ran for a 15-yard score, bringing the Huskies within three, and Tyler Gaffney provided some distance for Stanford with an 11-yard touchdown run.
With two-and-a-half minutes left in the fourth quarter, Price found Jaydon Mickens for a one-yard touchdown, making it 31-28. After forcing a Cardinal punt, Washington had one last chance to drive down the field, but a fourth down Price pass to Smith that was at first called first down was called incomplete on review, ending the Huskies' chance at victory.
While Cardinal fans were happy with the win, Scott Allen of Rule of Tree noted quarterback Hogan's less-than-stellar performance against what was a very tough Husky pass defense.
Hogan’s only touchdown pass, a strike to Montgomery at the end of the first half, was a thing of beauty, but Price’s counterpart struggled for much of the game. Washington’s pass defense was outstanding, and the Huskies managed to get some pressure on Hogan, but he also wasn’t his normally accurate self. He finished 12-of-20 for 105 yards, the aforementioned TD and a pick.
The Huskies lost the tight affair, but the result was encouraging to Washington’s fans, as Anthony Cassino of UW Dawg Pound noted the team was never out of it against one of the nation’s top squads.
It was a game that went down to the wire, and a single bounce of the ball could have -- and did -- determine the outcome. There was never a point when you thought, OK, this one’s going to Stanford. It seemed like that moment was when Price’s pass was intercepted in the fourth quarter, but the Huskies showed resiliency and proved that to be untrue.
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