Three Reasons Stanford Fell To Cal In The 126th Big Game

Troy Taylor welcomed his alma mater to town on Saturday

Author:
Kevin Borba
Publish date:
Nov 19, 2023 1:42 PM EST

In this story:

Troy Taylor and Stanford took on their biggest rival on Saturday, which also happened to be the third program of the season that Taylor has ties to.

Except, the ties to Cal are a little more special than the ones in Colorado, and even the connection to Sacramento State. Stanford's head coach was at one point Cal's all-time leading passer, but on Saturday the Golden Bears were his enemy.

With a chance to win their fourth game of the season and the first home game of the Taylor era, this Stanford team fell short, losing 27-15. The loss bumped Stanford down to 3-8 on the year, while Cal kept their bowl hopes alive at 5-6. While the scoreboard indicates a game that wasn't close, it was in fact closer than people realize.

Unfortunately for Stanford, they just had far too many moments where they couldn't execute that came back to bite them.

Here are the three biggest reasons that Stanford lost Saturday night.

Untimely Penalties

Nov 18, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) is hit by Stanford Cardinal linebacker Tristan Sinclair (8) during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium. Sinclair was penalized for targeting on the play. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports — Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Being that this Stanford team is so young and inexperienced, they have struggled with penalties all season long and continued to do so on Saturday. The worst part, outside of being one of the most penalized teams in the country, is the fact that they always seem to come at big times. There were holding penalties all over the place that negated big plays on offense, and a questionable targeting call on defense. Cal seemed to capitalize on every little mistake, while Stanford's offense penalized themselves out of touchdowns on multiple occasions.

Allowed Too Many Big Plays

Nov 18, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; California Golden Bears running back Jaydn Ott (1) extends with the ball toward the goal line against the Stanford Cardinal during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports — Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Cal's offense was getting their production from three key players, and Stanford had no answer for any of them. The young quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, threw for three touchdowns and was not making many mistakes at all. He clearly had a favorite target on the day as 6-foot-4 wide receiver Trond Grizzell had seven catches for 136 yards, and was on the receiving end of two scores. It felt as if Stanford knew the ball was going to him and still had no answer. They also force-fed Jadyn Ott, who ran for 166 yards and just kept igniting big play after big play.

Too Many Misses On Offense

Nov 18, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels (14) looks to throw a pass against the California Golden Bears during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports — Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

For nearly the entire first half, the offense had chances that they missed that cost them touchdowns. There were dropped passes, poorly thrown balls, and wasted stops by the defense. Stanford's defense had six drives where they either forced a punt, turnover on downs, or forced a turnover. Not a single one of those stops led to points. A passing game that had been showing improvements the past month took another step back, as Ashton Daniels only completed 51% of his passes. When teams get pressure on the Stanford quarterback, which is often, he struggles to go through his reads or take off and run. While it's not entirely on him as he gets no run support, there were throws that he missed that he'd love to have back.