No one on Stanford’s roster has ever beaten Cal — a streak the Cardinal are desperate to end when the 128th Big Game kicks off Saturday at Stanford Stadium.
Stanford (3-7, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) has lost three straight Big Games at home for the first time since 1947-51, and four straight overall.
For seniors and veterans who’ve carried the weight of the rivalry without a win, the chance to reclaim the Axe at Stanford Stadium adds both edge and urgency.
“Obviously, we haven’t been able to get it done since I’ve been here,” redshirt junior cornerback Collin Wright said. “Everybody is very clear on what this game means to us, what it means to everybody that’s played here before. And what better year to do it than now, at home, with a lot of our fans here?”
Wright has spent the week reminding younger teammates of the magnitude that surrounds the Big Game — and that previous results don’t matter after the opening kickoff.
“It’s the same approach every game, but obviously this one means a little more,” Wright said. “Records don’t matter. Outside noise doesn’t matter. What matters is what we do in between the white lines. It’s going to take four great quarters of football.”
Senior tight end Sam Roush knows the stakes in his final Big Game.
“This is my last crack at it,” he said. “The last three years, two of them were our game and we let them go. That sticks with me. This is the biggest game of the year for me and for the team.”
Stanford had an 11-point lead entering the fourth quarter last year in Berkeley, but gave up the winning touchdown with less than three minutes remaining. A fourth-quarter fumble returned for a score doomed the Cardinal in 2022.
Roush said the team’s bye week — which came after three consecutive ACC losses — brought renewed focus and a chance to address the miscues that have let recent Big Games slip away.
“With the bye week, we’ve gotten some fresh legs,” Roush said. “We were able to do some self-scout and reevaluate what we want to do. We’re excited to show that on Saturday.”
Roush tries to steady himself by treating it like any other matchup — even when the atmosphere says otherwise.
“There’s more emotion with rivalry games,” he said. “You’ll see more energy on the sideline. There’ll be a lot of Stanford fans and a lot of Cal fans. It’s an intense environment, and it means a lot not just to us, but to students and people in the area.”
Interim coach Frank Reich has received a crash course in the sixth-most-played rivalry in college football. One of the first lessons came, unexpectedly, from Marv Levy, Reich’s former NFL head coach, who coached Cal from 1960-63 (Big Game record: 1-3).
“He sent me a voicemail and an email just talking about the tradition,” Reich said. “He recalled waking up and seeing the newspaper headline: Today is the Big Game. He’s one of my football heroes. He’s an NFL Hall of Famer, he’s 100 years old, so to get a note from him talking about the Big Game was pretty special.”
Reich hasn’t ignored Stanford’s drought in the series. He has simply tried to channel it constructively.
“I think everybody understands the dry spell, and sure, that’s motivation,” he said. “But motivation has to lead to enhanced preparation. You can’t just turn that emotion on on Saturday and expect to get what you want.”
There is one Stanford player who is undefeated in the Big Game — inside linebacker Hunter Barth appeared in each of the last four games while at Cal, and tied a career high with seven tackles in last year’s Big Game.
Reich said he will check in with Barth about Cal’s personnel, but won’t dive too deep. He said his message to Barth is similar to what he would tell any player: Embrace the rivalry, but don’t let it overwhelm.
“Every player has to deal with it in their own way,” Reich said. “Just stay focused on doing your job. Get the emotion out of the way and focus on playing football.”