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• The Cardinal returns to Stanford Stadium on Saturday for its regular season home finale against Oregon State in a showdown between two teams tied in the Pac-12 North and one game behind Oregon. Both the Cardinal (5-1 Pac-12) and Beavers (5-1) will play the Ducks (6-0) later this month.

• Stanford has won seven straight home games and 18 of its last 19. Saturday will be the Stanford Stadium regular season finale for Cardinal seniors who own a record of 23-2 at home, dating back to 2009.

• The contest between No. 16 Stanford and No. 13 Oregon State is one of just two games this week to feature a pair of teams ranked in the top 15 of the BCS Standings. No. 1 Alabama plays host to No. 15 Texas A&M.

• This Pac-12 game pits the conference's top two rushing defenses and top two scoring defenses. When they last met in Corvallis (Nov. 5, 2011), Stanford and Oregon State rushed for 300 and 33 yards, respectively, in a 38-13 Cardinal victory.

• The Cardinal currently ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in rushing defense (55.56 yards/game), sacks (4.44/game) and tackles for loss (9.22). Stanford also owns the No. 12 scoring defense (16.56 points/game) and No. 7 turnover margin (+1.22/game).

• Stanford evened its 2012 road record at 2-2 last Saturday following an historic 48-0 victory at Colorado, the largest road shutout margin of victory in school history since a 57-0 win at UCLA in 1929. The Cardinal defense did not allow Colorado to cross midfield until its final possession of the fourth quarter.

• In its last three games, the Cardinal has recorded three of the top 10 single-game rushing defensive performances in school history: No. 3 at Colorado (minus-21 yards), No. 4 vs. Washington State (minus-18) and t-No. 9 at California (3).

• Stanford has scored on defense in five of nine games this season, the most recent coming in the first quarter at Colorado with a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown by junior FS Ed Reynolds. Reynolds has a school-record three pick-six scores this season, tied for the most in the NCAA.

• Senior RB Stepfan Taylor is 53 yards away from his third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season, which would be a first in Stanford history. Taylor carried 10 times for 43 yards last week before sitting out the second half at Colorado.

— David Kiefer/Stanford Sports Information

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