Stanford vs. Chico State
On December 6th, Stanford faced off against the Chico State Wildcats in the first game in NorCal league play. The first half did not go well, with the Cardinal defense coming out flat against the Wildcats physical attack. Making matters worse were the two Chico tries coming off intercepted Stanford passes. As a result, Stanford went into the halftime having a nine-point deficit. Only two tries by winger Elliot Luscombe kept the Cardinal in the game.
In the second half, Stanford settled down and their wide-open attack finally paid off with three tries. Scoring first was blind side flanker Josiah Hall, followed soon by number eight Johnny McCormick. However, owing to missed conversions, Stanford was still behind by a try with just minutes left to play. Luckily, outside center Stephen Brown managed to break through the Chico line to put Stanford ahead 29-26. However, Chico made sure the game went down to the wire, driving to bring the ball to within five meters of the Stanford try zone with the clock winding down. Only a timely play in the lineout by lock Chris Aylward, leading to a Chico knock on, sealed the game for the Cardinal. Final score: Stanford 29, Chico 26.
In the second half, Stanford settled down and their wide-open attack finally paid off with three tries. Scoring first was blind side flanker Josiah Hall, followed soon by number eight Johnny McCormick. However, owing to missed conversions, Stanford was still behind by a try with just minutes left to play. Luckily, outside center Stephen Brown managed to break through the Chico line to put Stanford ahead 29-26. However, Chico made sure the game went down to the wire, driving to bring the ball to within five meters of the Stanford try zone with the clock winding down. Only a timely play in the lineout by lock Chris Aylward, leading to a Chico knock on, sealed the game for the Cardinal. Final score: Stanford 29, Chico 26.
