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The No. 9-ranked Stanford football squad has been named the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week following Saturday's 21-14 victory over then-No. 2 USC in the Pac-12 Conference opener for both schools.

Before a sellout crowd of 50,360 at Stanford Stadium, the Cardinal twice came back in the game, scoring with senior running back Stepfan Taylor on the ground from 59 yards out in the first quarter and again by Taylor in the third quarter, this time from 23 yards out on a screen pass by senior quarterback Josh Nunes.

In his third collegiate start, Nunes struck with the game-winning score in the fourth quarter on a pass to senior tight end Zach Ertz.

The Stanford defense put forth one of its most memorable performances in school history, sacking USC four times and recording 12 tackles for loss. The defense strengthened as the game progressed, allowing no scores the final 41 minutes of the game. USC in the second half was held to minus-13 total rushing yards and six scoreless possessions (four punts, two turnover on downs), including four three-and-outs. The Cardinal forced three turnovers.

Members of the Football Writers Association of America's All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. The FWAA has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the fourth time that Stanford has been named National Team of the Week by the FWAA (Oct. 31, 2011; Nov. 16, 2009; Oct. 8, 2007).

The Cardinal next will play at Washington on Thursday, Sept. 27.

Three regular-season home games remain for the Stanford this season -- Oct. 6 versus Arizona, Oct. 27 versus Washington State and Nov. 10 versus Oregon State -- and tickets may be purchased online at GoStanford.com, at the ticket office or by calling 800-STANFORD.

Pac-12 honors
Senior running back Stepfan Taylor and senior defensive end Ben Gardner have been named Pac-12 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, following Stanford's victory over USC on Saturday. The honor is a first for each.

Taylor recorded a career-high 213 all-purpose yards (153 rushing, 60 receiving) and two touchdowns in one of the most memorable performances in his career and school history, leading Stanford over then-No. 2 USC.

Of his 27 carries, none of Taylor's rushes were stopped for a loss. His 153 rushing yards tied his second-highest career game (at Arizona - Sept. 17, 2011) and trailed only his 177 yards in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl. Taylor on his first-quarter touchdown run broke the career 3,000-yard rushing mark.

Gardner led an inspired Stanford defensive performance that held USC to 26 total yards rushing and Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley without a passing touchdown, en route to the Cardinal's fourth consecutive victory against its SoCal rival.

Among his six total tackles, Gardner recorded 3.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback sack to lead the overall defensive effort of 12.0 tackles for loss and four sacks against USC.

— Stanford Sports Information

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