It had been over a month since Stanford had scored more than 17 points in a game heading into Saturday’s Pac-12 contest at Arizona.
The Cardinal, in the midst of a disappointing 1-3 record in their last four games, were hit by the injury bug on the offensive line.
It opened the door for Saint Louis graduate Nate Herbig to make his first collegiate start as a true freshman at right guard.
Herbig, who is 6-foot-4 and 350 pounds, made a key block to spring running back Christian McCaffrey for a 45-yard touchdown run for the first quarter and helped the Cardinal score a season-high 34 points in the win.
Stanford rushed for 237 yards to improve to 3-3 in the Pac-12.
Late in the first half after an interception by Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst, Herbig tackled Dane Cruikshank on the interception return and forced a fumble that was recovered by the Cardinal.
It led to a Stanford field goal just before the end of the first half.
Herbig could potentially start again this weekend against Oregon State with Johnny Caspers, who he replaced at right guard, still questionable for the game with an injury.
>> The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season were released Tuesday with three of the top five teams featuring players from Hawaii.
Clemson (8-0, 5-0 ACC), with backup defensive tackle Scott Pagano (Moanalua ’13), was ranked No. 2. Pagano has made 24 tackles and two sacks this season for the Tigers.
Texas A&M (7-1, 4-1 SEC), with wide receiver Jeremy Tabuyo (Saint Louis ’13), was ranked No. 4. Tabuyo, who had two receptions for 29 yards in a 52-10 win over New Mexico State on Saturday, has caught 11 passes for 211 yards this season.
Washington (8-0, 5-0 Pac-12), which has two players from Hawaii on its roster, was ranked No. 5. Outside linebacker Psalm Wooching (Kealakehe ’12), who had three tackles in a 31-24 win over Utah on Saturday, is tied for fifth on the team with 26 tackles. He’s second with 4 1/2 sacks and has both recovered and forced a fumble. Offensive lineman Shane Brostek (Hawaii Prep ’12) has started five games at right guard this season and played off the bench against the Utes. He’s appeared in every game except the Oregon game due to injury.
Also ranked in the top 10 was No. 8 Wisconsin, with backup offensive lineman Micah Kapoi (Kapolei ’14) playing one series at left guard and briefly at right guard in a 23-17 overtime win over Nebraska on Saturday.
>> Oregon sophomore linebacker Kaulana Apelu (Kamehameha ’15) made his first career start for the Ducks in Saturday’s 54-35 win over Arizona State.
Apelu recorded his first career interception and made five tackles to help the Ducks snap a five-game losing streak.
>> San Diego State linebacker Ronley Lakalaka (Punahou ’15) led the Aztecs in tackles for the first time in his career with six in a 40-13 win over Utah State last Friday. SDSU defensive end Dakota Turner (Mililani ’13) recorded a sack against the Aggies and forced the first fumble of his career.
More athletes, including those in different sports, will be listed in the Hawaii Grown section in Wednesday’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
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