American college football season
2021 Stanford Cardinal football Conference Pac-12 Conference Division North Division 2021 record 3–9 (2–7 Pac-12) Head coach David Shaw (11th season as HC, 15th overall season)Offensive coordinator Tavita Pritchard (4th season as OC, 12th overall season)Defensive coordinator Lance Anderson (8th season as DC, 15th overall season)Home stadium Stanford Stadium Seasons
The 2021 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Cardinal were led by eleventh-year head coach David Shaw . They played their home games at Stanford Stadium as members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference .
Schedule [ ] Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance September 4 9:00 a.m. vs. Kansas State * FS1 L 7–2428,668 September 11 7:30 p.m. at No. 14 USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry )FOX W 42–2856,945 September 18 5:00 p.m. at Vanderbilt * Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN ESPNU W 41–2321,124 September 25 3:00 p.m. No. 24 UCLA Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA P12N L 24–3547,236 October 2 12:30 p.m. No. 3 Oregon Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA ABC W 31–24 OT 31,610 7:30 p.m. at No. 22 Arizona State ESPN L 10–2846,192 October 16 4:30 p.m. at Washington State Martin Stadium Pullman, WA ESPNU L 31–3426,171 October 30 7:30 p.m. Washington Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA FS1 L 13–2028,014 7:30 p.m. Utah Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA FS1 L 7–5226,410 November 13 2:30 p.m. at Oregon State P12N L 14–3535,129 November 20 4:00 p.m. California P12N L 11–4149,265 November 27 5:00 p.m. No. 6 Notre Dame * FOX L 14–4531,571 *Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 2 released prior to game All times are in Pacific time
[1]
Personnel [ ] Coaching staff [ ]
Name
Position
Seasons at Stanford
Alma mater
David Shaw Head Coach
15th
Stanford (1994)
Lance Anderson Defensive Coordinator / Outside Linebackers Coach
15th
Idaho State (1996)
Tavita Pritchard Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
9th
Stanford (2009)
Special Teams Coordinator
6th
Cal Lutheran (1983)
Duane Akina Defensive Backs Coach
8th
Washington (1979)
Ron Gould Running Backs Coach
5th
Oregon (1987)
Offensive Line Coach
1st
Dayton (2003)
Wide Receivers Coach
4th
Northern Colorado (1989)
Diron Reynolds Defensive Linemen Coach
5th
Wake Forest (1994)
Tight Ends Coach
9th
Illinois (2009)
Eric Sanders Inside Linebackers Coach
2nd
UC Davis (2005)
Roster [ ]
2021 Stanford Cardinal football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) IneligibleRoster
Depth chart [ ]
Defense
Offense
LT
LG
C
RG
RT
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Game summaries [ ] vs. Kansas State [ ]
Kansas State Wildcats vs. Stanford Cardinal (Allstate Kickoff Classic) – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
Wildcats 7
7
0 10 24
Cardinal
0
0
0 7 7
at AT&T Stadium • Arlington, TX
Date : September 4, 2021Game time : 9:00 A.M. PDT Game attendance : 28,668Referee : Chris CoyteTV announcers (FS1 ) : Aaron Goldsmith (play–by–play) and Mark Helfrich (analyst)
Game information
First Quarter
KSU – Skylar Thompson 6-yard run (Taiten Winkel kick), 3:06. Kansas State 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 62 yards, 0:56. Second Quarter
KSU – Deuce Vaughn 59-yard run (Taiten Winkel kick), 6:17. Kansas State 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 71 yards, 1:39. Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
KSU – Taiten Winkel 40-yard field goal, 10:08. Kansas State 17–0. Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 4:43.
KSU – Skylar Thompson 13-yard run (Taiten Winkel kick), 7:10. Kansas State 24–0. Drive: 2 plays, 20 yards, 0:46.
STAN – Brycen Tremayne 14-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 3:16. Kansas State 24–7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:54.
Top Passers
Top Rushers
STAN – Austin Jones – 9 rushes, 25 yards
KSU – Deuce Vaughn – 13 rushes, 124 yards, TD Top Receivers
STAN – Brycen Tremayne – 5 receptions, 62 yards, TD
KSU – Phillip Brooks – 3 receptions, 81 yards
Kansas State began with a 14-point lead at halftime with performances by quarterback Skylar Thompson and running back Deuce Vaughn.[2] [3]
The Wichita Eagle reported that the stadium was mostly filled with Kansas State fans and that Kansas State significantly out-performed Stanford. Specifically, the paper published that "the Kansas State football team opened its season with a statement victory on Saturday at AT&T Stadium."[2]
at No. 14 USC [ ]
Stanford Cardinal at No. 14 USC Trojans – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinal 7
14
14 7 42
No. 14 Trojans
0
10
3 15 28
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA
Date : September 11, 2021Game time : 7:30 P.M. PDT Game weather : Sunny, 73 °F (23 °C)Game attendance : 56,945Referee : Michael MothershedTV announcers (Fox ) : Tim Brando (play–by–play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst)Reference
Game information
First Quarter
STAN – Nathaniel Peat 87-yard run (Joshua Karty kick), 9:04. Stanford 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 87 yards, 0:12. Second Quarter
USC – Keaontay Ingram 2-yard run (Alex Stadthaus kick), 13:28. Tied 7–7. Drive: 15 plays, 95 yards, 5:26.
STAN – Elijah Higgins 3-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 8:34. Stanford 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 4:54.
USC – Alex Stadthaus 24-yard field goal, 1:56. Stanford 14–10. Drive: 15 plays, 68 yards, 6:38.
STAN – Brycen Tremayne 6-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 0:09. Stanford 21–10. Drive: 4 plays, 66 yards, 1:47. Third Quarter
USC – Alex Stadthaus 33-yard field goal, 9:14. Stanford 21–13. Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 5:46.
STAN – Kyu Blu Kelly 31-yard interception return (Joshua Karty kick), 5:02. Stanford 28–13. Drive: 3 plays, 5 yards, 1:21.
STAN – Tanner McKee 1-yard run (Joshua Karty kick), 0:25. Stanford 35–13. Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 2:15. Fourth Quarter
STAN – Isaiah Sanders 2-yard run (Joshua Karty kick), 9:16. Stanford 42–13. Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 5:44.
USC – Drake London 11-yard pass from Kedon Slovis (Alex Stadthaus kick), 5:54. Stanford 42–20. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 3:22.
USC – Darwin Barlow 4-yard run (Kedon Slovis–Gary Bryant Jr. pass), 0:46. Stanford 42–28. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 2:39.
Top Passers
Top Rushers
STAN – Nathaniel Peat – 6 rushes, 115 yards, TD
USC – Vavae Malepeai – 15 rushes, 94 yards Top Receivers
STAN – Elijah Higgins – 5 receptions, 67 yards, TD
USC – Drake London – 4 receptions, 68 yards, TD
In Tanner McKee 's first start as Stanford quarterback, the Cardinal pulled off a surprising rout of USC in the Coliseum, leading by as many as 29 points in the 4th quarter.[4] Clay Helton was fired and replaced by Donte Williams as interim head coach.[5]
at Vanderbilt [ ]
Stanford Cardinal at Vanderbilt Commodores – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinal 14
13
7 7 41
Commodores
7
7
3 6 23
at Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN
Game information
First Quarter
STAN – Tanner McKee 7-yard run (Joshua Karty kick), 12:37. Stanford 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:23.
VAN – Re'Mahn Davis 1-yard run (Joseph Bulovas kick), 7:35. Tied 7–7. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 5:02.
STAN – Nathaniel Peat 21-yard run (Joshua Karty kick), 2:52. Stanford 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 4:36. Second Quarter
VAN – Devin Boddie Jr. 3-yard pass from Ken Seals (Joseph Bulovas kick), 4:19. Tied 14–14. Drive: 14 plays, 98 yards, 7:16.
STAN – Joshua Karty 46-yard field goal, 1:53. Stanford 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 26 yards, 2:17.
STAN – Brycen Tremayne 5-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 0:40. Stanford 24–14. Drive: 2 plays, 31 yards, 0:42.
STAN – Joshua Karty 35-yard field goal, 0:00. Stanford 27–14. Drive: 1 play, 0 yards, 0:00. Third Quarter
STAN – Jay Symonds 5-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 11:18. Stanford 34–14. Drive: 4 plays, 55 yards, 1:31.
VAN – Joseph Bulovas 34-yard field goal, 8:26. Stanford 34–17. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 2:52. Fourth Quarter
STAN – E.J. Smith 1-yard run (Joshua Karty kick), 1:44. Stanford 41–17. Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 5:08.
VAN – Cam Johnson 26-yard pass from Mike Wright, 0:00. Stanford 41–23. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 1:44.
Top Passers STAN – Tanner McKee – 19/29, 218 yards, 2 TD
VAN – Ken Seals – 16/37, 120 yards, TD, INT Top Rushers
STAN – Austin Jones – 7 rushes, 80 yards
VAN – Rocko Griffin – 19 rushes, 107 yards Top Receivers
STAN – Brycen Tremayne – 5 receptions, 54 yards, TD
VAN – Chris Pierce Jr. – 6 receptions, 52 yards
No. 24 UCLA [ ]
No. 24 UCLA Bruins vs. Stanford Cardinal – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
No. 24 Bruins 14
7
0 14 35
Cardinal
0
7
7 10 24
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA
Date : September 25, 2021Game time : 3:00 P.M. PDT Game weather : 73 °F (23 °C) SunnyGame attendance : 47,236Referee : Mark DuddyTV announcers (P12N ) : Ted Robinson (play–by–play) and Yogi Roth (analyst)Reference
Game information
First Quarter
UCLA – Dorian Thompson-Robinson 1-yard run (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 12:12. UCLA 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 13 yards, 2:16.
UCLA – Zach Charbonnet 5-yard run (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 0:15. UCLA 14–0. Drive: 17 plays, 88 yards, 8:00. Second Quarter
STAN – Brycen Tremayne 19-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 4:31. UCLA 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 4:05.
UCLA – Dorian Thompson-Robinson 2-yard run (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 0:23. UCLA 21–7. Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 1:17. Third Quarter
STAN – Elijah Higgins 56-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 5:30. UCLA 21–14. Drive: 1 play, 56 yards, 0:10. Fourth Quarter
STAN – Bryce Farrell 52-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 13:06. Tied 21–21. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:16.
UCLA – Kyle Philips 75-yard pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 12:56. UCLA 28–21. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:10.
STAN – Joshua Karty 45-yard field goal, 9:10. UCLA 28–24. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 3:06.
UCLA – Kyle Philips 5-yard pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 2:30. UCLA 35–24. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:40.
Top Passers
Top Rushers
UCLA – Zach Charbonnet – 23 rushes, 118 yards, TD
STAN – Tanner McKee – 8 rushes, 42 yards Top Receivers
UCLA – Kyle Philips – 5 receptions, 120 yards, 2 TD
STAN – Elijah Higgins – 5 receptions, 103 yards, TD
No. 3 Oregon [ ]
No. 3 Oregon Ducks vs. Stanford Cardinal – Game summary
1
2
3 4 OT Total
No. 3 Ducks
0
7
10 7 0 24
Cardinal 10
7
0 7 7 31
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA
Date : October 2, 2021Game time : 12:30 P.M. PDT Game weather : 80 °F (27 °C) SunnyGame attendance : 31,610Referee : Matthew RichardsTV announcers (ABC ) : Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst), Stormy Buonantony (sideline)Reference
Game information
First Quarter STAN – Joshua Karty 25-yard field goal, 10:30. Stanford 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 4:30.
STAN – Brycen Tremayne 18-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 6:25. Stanford 10–0. Drive: 2 plays, 43 yards, 0:40. Second Quarter ORE – Anthony Brown 3-yard run (Camden Lewis kick), 14:34. Stanford 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 2:31.
STAN – Isaiah Sanders 2-yard run (Joshua Karty kick), 8:02. Stanford 17–7. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:32. Third Quarter ORE – CJ Verdell 1-yard run (Camden Lewis kick), 8:32. Stanford 17–14. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 3:48.
ORE – Camden Lewis 22-yard field goal, 0:53. Tied 17–17. Drive: 12 plays, 34 yards, 6:16. Fourth Quarter ORE – Anthony Brown 5-yard run (Camden Lewis kick), 9:32. Oregon 24–17. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:11.
STAN – Elijah Higgins 2-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 0:00. Tied 24–24. Drive: 11 plays, 86 yards, 0:00. First Overtime STAN – John Humphreys 14-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick). Stanford 31–24. Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards.
Top Passers
Top Rushers
ORE – Travis Dye – 19 rushes, 96 yards
STAN – Nathaniel Peat – 15 rushes, 78 yards Top Receivers
ORE – Mycah Pittman – 1 reception, 66 yards
STAN – Elijah Higgins – 6 receptions, 62 yards, TD
at No. 22 Arizona State [ ]
Stanford Cardinal at No. 22 Arizona State Sun Devils – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinal
7
0
3 0 10
No. 22 Sun Devils 14
7
7 0 28
at Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ
Date : Game time : 7:30 P.M. PST Game weather : 86 °F (30 °C), Cloudy, Wind: W 20mphGame attendance : 46,192Referee : Steven StrimlingTV announcers (ESPN ) : Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and (sideline)Reference
Game information
First Quarter ASU – Jayden Daniels 51-yard run (Cristian Zendejas kick), 7:12. Arizona State 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 4:20.
STAN – Elijah Higgins 6-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Emmet Kenney kick), 4:09. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:03.
ASU – Rachaad White 5-yard run (Cristian Zendejas kick), 1:05. Arizona State 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:04. Second Quarter ASU – Elijhah Badger 22-yard run (Cristian Zendejas kick), 10:24. Arizona State 21–7. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:14. Third Quarter STAN – Ryan Sanborn 32-yard field goal, 7:32. Arizona State 21–10. Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 4:26.
ASU – DeAndre Pierce 27-yard interception return (Cristian Zendejas kick), 2:38. Arizona State 28–10. Drive: 3 plays, 8 yards, 1:18. Fourth Quarter
Top Passers Top Rushers STAN – Nathaniel Peat – 7 rushes, 32 yards
ASU – Rachaad White – 13 rushes, 96 yards, TD Top Receivers STAN – Benjamin Yurosek – 6 receptions, 118 yards
ASU – Curtis Hodges – 4 receptions, 76 yards
at Washington State [ ]
Stanford Cardinal at Washington State Cougars – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinal
13
3
0 15 31
Cougars 0
20
7 7 34
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
Date : October 16, 2021Game time : 4:30 P.M. PDT Game attendance : 26,171Referee : Micheal MothershedTV announcers (ESPNU) : Kevin Brown, Hutson Mason
Washington [ ]
Washington Huskies vs. Stanford Cardinal – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
Huskies 0
9
3 8 20
Cardinal
3
0
0 10 13
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA
Date : October 30, 2021Game time : 7:30 P.M. PDT Game attendance : 28,014Referee : Mark DuddyTV : FS1
Utah [ ]
Utah Utes vs. Stanford Cardinal – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
Utes 14
24
0 14 52
Cardinal
0
0
7 0 7
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA
Date : Game time : 7:30 P.M. PST Game attendance : –Referee : Alex Faust, Petros PapadakisTV : FS1
at Oregon State [ ]
Stanford Cardinal at Oregon State Beavers – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinal
0
0
7 7 14
Beavers 7
7
14 7 35
at Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR
Date : November 13, 2021Game time : 2:40 pmGame weather : 59 °F (15 °C) Sunny, Wind: 5 mph SEGame attendance : 35,129Referee : Mike McCabeTV announcers (P12N) : JB Long, Max Browne
California [ ]
California Golden Bears vs. Stanford Cardinal – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
Golden Bears 0
14
13 14 41
Cardinal
0
3
0 8 11
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA
Date : November 20, 2021Game time : 4:00 p.m.Game attendance : 49,265Referee : Steve StrimlingTV announcers (P12N) : Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth
No. 6 Notre Dame [ ]
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Stanford Cardinal – Game summary
1
2
3 4 Total
No. 6 Fighting Irish 7
17
7 14 45
Cardinal
0
0
7 7 14
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA
Date : November 27, 2021Game time : 5:10 p.m.Game attendance : 31,571Referee : Gary PattersonTV announcers (FOX) : Joe Davis, Brock Huard
Rankings [ ]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
Week
Poll
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Final
AP
NR
NR
NR
RV
RV
NR
RV
Coaches
RV
RV
NR
RV
RV
NR
NR
CFP
Not released
Not released
References [ ]
^ "2021 Stanford Football Schedule" . FBSchedules.com . Retrieved April 3, 2021 .^ a b Robinett, Kellis (September 4, 2021). "What we learned from Kansas State's impressive opening victory over Stanford" . Wichita Eagle . Retrieved September 10, 2021 . ^ "Thompson and K-State open with 24-7 win over Stanford" . espn.com . September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021 .^ "McKee leads Stanford's 42-28 upset rout of No. 14 USC" . ESPN.com . September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021 .^ "USC fires football coach Clay Helton, puts faith in Donte Williams to salvage season" . LATimes.com . September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021 .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture and lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
