Stanford's Top 5 Bowl Wins: A Pair of Roses, an Orange, a Sun and a Blockbuster

Fourth-ranked Stanford faces # 3 Oklahoma State on January 2 in the highly anticipated Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ.

After the typically grueling week-long final exam period, the Cardinal have moved out of their on-campus dorms and fraternities and into the team hotel. Practice has resumed in earnest for the Fiesta Bowl.

A win over the Cowboys would go down as one of the biggest bowl victories in Stanford history, along side the Cardinal's best bowl wins ever.

Read on for the details.

2011 Orange Bowl: Stanford 40, VaTech 12

Stanford destroyed VaTech 40-12 in the 2011 Orange Bowl.

The 11-1 Cardinal, whose only loss was at Oregon, was a slight favorite. After a close first half, Stanford blew away the Hokies with four unanswered second-half touchdowns. 

VaTech was helpless against the Stanford power running game, which amassed 247 yards, led by Stepfan Taylor with 114 on 13 carries and Jeremy Stewart with 99 yards, including a 60-yard TD sprint. 

The rushing attack set up Andrew Luck’s play-action passing, and Luck connected with his TEs Zach Ertz and Coby Fleener for four long touchdowns, three to Fleener in the second half. 

Luck was an ultra-efficient 18 of 23 for 287 yards (over 12 yards per attempt) and was named the bowl’s MVP. 

On defense, the Cardinal held the Hokies to just 67 rushing yards and sacked VaTech QB Tyrod Taylor eight times. LB Shayne Skov was a one-man wrecking crew, with 12 tackles including three sacks. 

Stanford finished their 2010-11 season with a 12-1 record and were ranked fourth in the final polls.

1993 Blockbuster Bowl: Stanford 24, Penn State 3

Joe Paterno is no longer head coach at Penn State, but he was still in the prime of his career on New Year’s Day 1993.

On that day, however, his Nittany Lions were beaten 24-3 by the late Bill Walsh’s Stanford team in the Blockbuster Bowl in Miami. 

This was the Cardinal’s first New Year’s bowl since 1972, and they proved they belonged, holding OJ McDuffie and Penn State’s offense in check while grinding out enough offense for a convincing win. 

Stanford was 10-2 going into the bowl with what was then a rare trifecta of wins over USC, UCLA and Notre Dame. 

The Cardinal scored on their first possession, led 14-3 at halftime and dominated from there. Penn State, 7-4 in the regular season, managed a mere 29 rush yards and 53 pass yards in the second half. 

QB Steve Stenstrom was 17 of 28 for 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the second a 40-yard strike to all-purpose RB Glyn Milburn. Stenstrom, by the way, remains Stanford's all-time passing leader with 10,531 career yards. That's one record Andrew Luck did not set in his illustrious Cardinal career

The Cardinal’s win earned them a Top 10 final ranking, and was noteworthy for one other reason—it came in the very last Blockbuster Bowl.

That bowl game has since had other names in other locations, and is now known as the Champs Sports Bowl. Later this month, the Champs bowl will feature a battle of underachievers, Notre Dame v. Florida State.

1996 Sun Bowl: Stanford 38, Michigan State 0

The 1996 Sun Bowl was Stanford’s most dominating bowl victory ever, as the Cardinal shut out Michigan State 38-0 for Coach Tyrone Willingham’s first bowl win. 

Stanford had started 1996 slowly, and they were a lowly 2-5 before a perfect November propelled them to bowl eligibility. The Cardinal carried their late-season momentum into El Paso, taking an early 7-0 lead on a 79-yard interception return. 

Stanford controlled the second quarter with two touchdown drives for a commanding 21-0 halftime advantage, and added a special teams TD on a blocked punt late in the game to cap off the win. 

The Cardinal had almost 36 minutes TOP and rushed 40 times for 207 yards, most of them by Anthony Bookman and Mike Mitchell. QB Chad Hutchinson was named offensive MVP, as he completed 22 of 28 for 226 yards and a score. 

Meanwhile, Stanford’s defense, led by Kailee Wong, held Sparty’s heralded RB, Sedrick Irvin, to only 31 yards. State had just 13 first downs and punted nine times. Wong wreaked havoc all day long, with 10 tackles and two sacks, and was named defensive MVP.

1971 Rose Bowl: Stanford 27, Ohio State 17

Stanford’s greatest bowl victory ever came in the 1971 Rose Bowl against undefeated Ohio State. 

Coach John Ralston’s Indians were Pac-8 conference champs, coming off an 8-3 season marred only by two upsetting November losses to Air Force and Cal.  They were still a heavy underdog to Coach Woody Hayes’ Buckeyes, who stood to win the national championship with a Rose Bowl victory.

Ohio State featured QB Rex Kern and RB John Brockington in a wishbone option formation. Stanford were led by Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett. (As in, Stanford’s only Heisman winner, ever. The Farm has come in second the past three years, with Toby Gerhart in 2009 and Andrew Luck in 2010 and again this year.) 

The Indians jumped out to a surprising 10-0 lead, but Ohio State’s vaunted rushing attack then overpowered Stanford’s defense for 226 yards and a 14-10 halftime lead. Rex Kern had nearly 100 yards alone. 

The teams traded field goals to start the second half, before Plunkett took over. Calling many of his own plays (he supposedly audibilized over 25 times), he repeatedly connected with WR Randy Vataha and TE Bob Moore, including the clinching touchdown to Vataha. 

Stanford outscored the Buckeyes 14-0 in the fourth quarter, and Ohio State could not play catch-up. Stanford's defense neutralized the Buckeyes rushing attack and Kern was no match for Plunkett through the air, completing only four passes the entire game. 

Plunkett was named MVP for his Andrew Luck-like day, going 20 of 30 for 265 yards (8.1 yards per attempt) and the TD to Vataha. The win was Stanford’s first in Pasadena since 1941. 

Plunkett went on to further fame and great success in the NFL, winning two Super Bowls with the Raiders and earning the MVP award for Super Bowl XV. He remains a prominent and revered figure in Stanford athletics.

1972 Rose Bowl: Stanford 13, Michigan 12

In 1972, Stanford Cardinal were coming off their incredible Rose Bowl upset win over Ohio State, but Heisman Trophy QB Jim Plunkett has gone to the NFL as the first overall pick of the Patriots. 

In his place stepped QB Don Bunce, a local high school star who had patiently waited his turn behind the great Plunkett for two years. He guided the Indians to an 8-3 record and a second straight Pac-8 title. 

On New Year’s Day 1972, Stanford were again an underdog to the Big Ten champ, this time by 10.5 points to Bo Schembechler’s undefeated and # 3 ranked Michigan Wolverines. 

And, as in the 1971 Rose Bowl, Stanford vanquished the favorite, toppling Michigan 13-12 in a thrilling finish. The game was mostly a defensive struggle on a soggy Rose Bowl field. 

The Wolverines were sitting pretty after a late safety, and ensuing free kick pinned Stanford deep in their own territory with only 1:48 left. Bunce then calmly led the Indians right down the field against the vaunted Wolverine defense, completing five straight passes on a 66-yard drive to set up the winning field goal by Rod Garcia with 12 seconds remaining. 

The 1972 Rose Bowl was the last game for Stanford with the nickname “Indians.” Bunce, named the MVP for his 24 of 44, 290 yard performance, later became a prominent orthopedic surgeon. He passed away in 2003 and is remembered as one of Stanford’s most beloved football heroes. 

The Cardinal haven’t won a Rose Bowl since, and their only 2011 loss, to Oregon, kept them out of the 2012 Rose Bowl.

Instead, on January 2, Stanford will play in their first Fiesta Bowl ever. The Cardinal will be looking for another memorable bowl win.