In advance of last year’s Big Game at Stanford, I shared a list of the top ten individual Big Game performances played on The Farm in the 21st century. With Big Game being played in Berkeley this year (Saturday, November 23rd at 12:30 PM PT), I’ll take a look at the ten greatest individual Big Game performances at Berkeley in the 21st century.
As a reminder of the rules, I select five players from both Cal and Stanford. In order to make the list, one must have played on the winning team. I’ll also do an honorable mention with one player from each side who most stood out in a loss. Ok, let’s get after it!
READ: Ten greatest Big Game performances at Stanford Stadium in 21st century
2002-Cal RB Joe Igber: As a senior, Cal running back Joe Igber had a phenomenal Big Game performance against Stanford, rushing for 226 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries for an average of 8.7 yards per carry. Igber guided the Golden Bears to a dominant 30-7 victory as the Cardinal had no way of containing him. That win for Cal was the first of what would be five straight Big Game victories. The longest Big Game winning streak Cal has had in the modern era.
2004-Cal RB Marshawn Lynch: As a true freshman, Cal running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for 122 yards and one touchdown against Stanford on just nine carries for a ridiculous average of 13.6 yards per carry. Lynch also had a 20 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Burl Toler. Lynch did it all in this one as Cal cruised to a 41-9 victory. Cal was 9-1 after the game and ranked number four in the nation, so they were really riding high. Stanford in contrast finished the season 4-7 as they were in the final season of the disappointing Buddy Teevens era.
2006-Cal LB Zack Follett: As a sophomore, Cal linebacker Zack Follett balled out against Stanford, totaling 10 tackles (5 solo), 3.0 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack. He also had one pass deflection and one forced fumble. He was all over the place making plays for the Bears. Cal defeated Stanford by a final score of 26-17, helping ensure that the Cardinal finished with only one win for the entire season.
2008-Cal RB Jahvid Best: As a sophomore, Cal running back Jahvid Best lit up the Stanford Cardinal like a Christmas tree, rushing for 201 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries for an average of 10.6 yards per carry. Cal cruised to a 37-16 win over Stanford and Best was a major reason why. He was incredibly shifty and elusive in the backfield, one of the best running backs to ever don the blue and gold.
2010-Stanford QB Andrew Luck: Just two years later, the Jim Harbaugh era at Stanford would reach its peak as the Cardinal went on to win the Orange Bowl 40-12 over Virginia Tech, finishing the season 12-1 and ranked number four in the nation. Against Cal in Big Game, Stanford redshirt sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck had a phenomenal performance, going 16-20 for 235 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions for a passer rating of 211.7. Luck also rushed for 72 yards on three carries, so he made plays with his legs as well. Stanford steamrolled Cal 48-14, starting a nine game winning streak for the Cardinal against the Bears.
2012-Stanford TE Zach Ertz: The 2012 Big Game was a bid odd in that it was played in October. Usually it’s played in late November towards the end of the season. Anyways, Stanford senior tight end Zach Ertz was the player of the game for the Cardinal, who won by a final score of 21-3. Ertz had six receptions for 134 yards and one touchdown for an average of 22.3 yards per reception. The Golden Bears defense simply didn’t have an answer for Ertz in this one.
2014-Stanford LB Blake Martinez: Stanford defeated Cal 38-17 in the 2014 Big Game, winning rather comfortably. However, nobody from the offense really stood out for the Cardinal when looking at the stats. On the contrary, there is one defensive player who did in junior linebacker Blake Martinez. Martinez had 11 total tackles (5 solo), two interceptions, and one forced fumble. Martinez was fantastic against Cal and made his presence felt all game long. Getting multiple interceptions is pretty remarkable.
2016-Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey: Cal might have won the 2016 Big Game were it not for Stanford junior running back Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for 284 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries for an average of 9.2 yards per carry. One of McCaffrey’s touchdowns was a 90 yard run. He torched the Bears and put up a Big Game performance for the ages. As I said, Cal might have won this one had McCaffrey not gone off as it was a 45-31 victory for the Cardinal. It was actually a pretty close game as Stanford led by just three points (17-14) at halftime.
2020-Stanford DL Thomas Booker: In the 2020 Big Game, it was played during the COVID season as Stanford went 4-2 winning two games by one point. One of those games was Big Game in which Stanford won 24-23. The game ended with Cal’s extra point being blocked by Stanford defensive lineman Thomas Booker as the Bears were looking to force a tie with under one minute to go in regulation.
Booker’s blocked extra point won the game for the Cardinal and is one of the greatest moments in Big Game history if you are a Stanford fan. Booker only totaled two total tackles in the game, but on top of his blocked extra point he also had a fumble recovery. Given how big of a play it was, I have to put Booker on the list for the Cardinal.
2022-Cal RB Jaydn Ott: As a true freshman, Cal running back Jaydn Ott had a fantastic game against Stanford, rushing for 97 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries for an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Ott also had three receptions for 51 yards, giving him 148 total yards from scrimmage. Cal won by a final score of 27-20, winning their first Big Game in Berkeley since 2008, which was fitting since they were also celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Play. It all just came together for Cal in that game and Ott’s performance was a major reason why.
Honorable mention: Once again, I’m selecting one player from each school who most stood out in a losing effort.
2018-Cal RB Patrick Laird: As a senior against Stanford, Cal running back Patrick Laird rushed for 116 yards on 19 carries for an average of 6.1 yards per carry. Even though his performance came in a 23-13 loss, he still was excellent in this one and deserves to make honorable mention. I also want to give him a shout out for starting a reading challenge for kids in the East Bay community. That was probably the coolest thing he did during his time at Cal.
2022-Stanford S/RB Mitch Leigber: In 2022, Stanford’s running back room was so depleted that they needed sophomore safety Mitch Leigber to step in as an emergency running back. Despite running back not being his natural position, Leigber rushed for 83 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries for an average of 3.8 yards per carry. He also had seven receptions for 53 yards for an average of 7.6 yards per reception. It was a gutty performance considering he was playing a position he hadn’t played since high school.
CardinalSportsReport.com on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), & Blue Sky: @StanfordRivals
Ben Parker on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), & Blue Sky: @slamdunk406
Email: slamdunk406@yahoo.com
