Stanford Football: 3 takeaways from win over Cal in Week 12

Stanford football hosted California in a big Week 12 matchup and the Cardinal came away with a win to move one step close to the Pac-12 North title.

Who would have thought Stanford football would be in line to contend for a Pac-12 title in the final week of the season after a 1-2 start to the year? Experts counted the Cardinal out after losses to San Diego State and USC in the first month of the year, but they have since broken out of the slump.

Stanford is 7-1 over the last two months and it looks like a completely different team, mostly because it has been. While the running back situation is still elite, the defense has played better and KJ Costello has taken over under center.

The Cardinal are now 8-3 on the season after a 17-14 win over Cal in Week 12 and they will look to improve to 9-3 with a win over Notre Dame in Week 13.

Here’s what we learned from Stanford’s Week 12 win over the Golden Bears.

3. KJ Costello is the best option under center

Stanford has taken some time to realize that KJ Costello is the best option for the Cardinal under center. It took some stubbornness in a near-loss to Oregon State a few weeks ago to set the head coach straight. He kept Keller Chryst in for far too long and that nearly cost the Cardinal against the reeling Beavers on the road.

Now that Costello is starting for the Cardinal, it seems like the offense runs much smoother. The passing game is now an option for Stanford and defenses no longer get to stack the box, forcing the Cardinal to beat them with Chryst’s arm.

Costello went 17-for-26 with 185 yards and a touchdown and just looked comfortable all night long. He has just one loss as the starting quarterback this season and is a Washington State loss to Washington in Week 13 away from leading Stanford to the Pac-12 North title.