Then, as now, the Cardinal was in the first year under a new coach tasked with rebuilding the program.
Stanford’s stunning victory at Colorado on Friday night, in which the Cardinal overcame a 29-0 halftime deficit, was the fourth-largest comeback in Pac-12 history and the biggest since UCLA rallied from 32 down to beat Washington State four years ago.As first-year coach Troy Taylor attempts to rebuild the program, the 46-43 double-overtime escape in Boulder echoes Stanford’s stunning upset of USC under another first-year head coach trying to revive the program.
Harbaugh had been on the job for 10 months and was attempting to revive a program at the bottom of the conference — a program that not only lacked the talent and depth necessary to win but also was devoid of the resources and institutional commitment required to compete with the best in the Pac-12. The 24-23 victory wasn’t merely the biggest upset in college football history ; it changed the perception of the program, legitimized Harbaugh’s tenure and provided fuel for his resuscitation operation.
Taylor must build a competitive roster the old-fashioned way, with high school recruits, and hope for some flexibility from the university with regard to transfers.Which brings us back to the present. To the unlikely events that unfolded Friday night in Boulder. But Taylor’s matter-of-fact approach landed just right. The Cardinal scored on its first possession of the second half and onthrough the second overtime period. It walked out of a stunned, silent Folsom Field at 12:21 a.m. with a victory that has few equals in the conference’s 108-year history.
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