Whitaker gives Cardinal victory By Jeremy Kahn October 9, 2010     STANFORD-When the Stanford Cardinal took a 34-28 lead over the USC Trojans, things were looking good for the Cardinal; however Nate Whitaker missed the extra point. “Stuff happens I hit with it with my ankle. You have to get over it and move on to the next play” said Whitaker. Whitaker made up for it in a humongous way, as he hit a 30-yard field goal as time expired and the 16th ranked Cardinal escaped with a 37-35 victory over the Trojans at Stanford Stadium. “I knew I had to make it .That’s it. It was my chance to redeem myself and give the team what I needed. I was focusing on relaxing,” said Whitaker. It was the 15th consecutive field goal for Whitaker, as the Cardinal defeated the Trojans in back-to-back years for the first time since turning the trick three times in a row from 1999-2001. It was a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Chris Galippo that gave the Cardinal hope, as the Cardinal drove the field following a three-yard touchdown run by Allen Bradford that gave the Trojans a 35-34 lead with 1:08 remaining in the game. “At that point it was very loud in the stadium. I just thought it was a tough situation,” said USC head coach Lane Kiffin. Matt Barkley threw for 390 yards, and freshman Robert Woods caught 12 passes for 224 yards and tied a school record with three touchdowns. “Tonight was a great day for us. Matt and I are really connecting,” said Woods.” Andrew Luck played a phenomenal game as well, as he 20-for-24 for 285 yards and three touchdowns of his own. “What can you say about him? People doubted Andrew Luck just do not know football. What more can a quarterback do in a game. He played his heart out and was poised as could be in that last drive,” said Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh. Doug Baldwin caught of Luck’s 20 passes, and scored two touchdowns, as the Cardinal bounced back after a hard fought 52-31 loss to the third-ranked Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium

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