STANFORD, Calif. — The trip to Stanford Stadium was smooth. It’s a cool, wet day here. It’s Oregon weather without the biting chill.

I’ll try to keep my comments open as much as I can, but my IT people haven’t figured out how to stop the comments from disabling itself. When I get to crunch time as the game goes on I’ll focus on my deadlines.

So, as of now, comment away and ask questions. I’ll be updating this post throughout the afternoon.

The press box is still pristine. The Cardinal spared no expense for this stadium. However, the debate here continues as where are the fans.

Stanford just doesn’t draw well due to the fact that the Bay Area has all the pro teams you could want. College sports rank low in these areas. And being a high-end academic college, there’s not as big a connection with the community.

My wife just updated her Facebook status to cheering for the Beavers. She just read my bowl story from a while back and they would very likely go to the Holiday Bowl if they are bowl eligible. That means a trip home for Christmas.

DT Brennan Olander (pectoral) is on the trip, but is not planning to dress out for the game. He’s just here for emotional support.

OT Wilder McAndrews is expected to start instead of Michael Philipp (ankle).  OLB Keith Pankey (ankle) is here. He’s a game-time decision.

The field is already a mess. It’s a real field, so it’s soaked. Paint smearing as people are walking on the field.

Beavers in white jerseys and black pants. That’s a good combo.

According to ESPN Gameday twitter, the ESPN morning show will be in Corvallis next weekend. According to SID Steve Fenk, he hasn’t heard that to be the case, yet.

First Quarter
Stanford started quick with a 71-yard touchdown drive. QB Andrew Luck hit Zack Ertz on a 21-yard scoring pass. Luck was 6-for-6 for 60 yards on the drive. Cardinal up 7-0 with 9:38 to go in the quarter.

The Beavers mustered only two first downs on their drive before stalling. Quarterback Ryan Katz couldn’t gain a yard on a sneak on third down.

Johnny Hekker punted the ball and pinned Stanford on its 9-yard line, but the Cardinal marched 81 yards for a touchdown. Luck hit receiver Doug Baldwin on a 42-yard TD pass. Cardinal up 14-0 with 2:21 left in the quarter.

Second Quarter
OSU’s drive started in the first quarter but fell apart in the second. A sack and personal foul forced a punt. The defense came alive on the next drive. The Beavers forced a punt by knocking Luck around.

Beavers couldn’t move the ball. Katz was sacked and fumbled the ball to give Stanford the ball on OSU’s 40-yard line. A minor moral victory for the Beavers was they held Stanford to a 20-yard field goal by Nate Whitaker.

Stanford is up 17-0 with 8:08 left in the first half. OSU barley competitive. The offensive struggles continued, followed by another punt. The running was inconsistent and Katz missed receivers.

Stanford chopped up the OSU defense some more with 76-yard drive. Luck hit Baldwin on a 29-yard TD pass with 1:56 left in the half. It was a short pass and Baldwin juked his way into the end zone.

Stanford leads 24-0 after the first half.

THIS JUST IN Game Day coming

The popular college football preview show, ESPN College Football GameDay, is coming to Corvallis this week and will broadcast live from Oregon State’s Memorial Union quad on from 6-9 a.m. Saturday. Admittance to the show is free.

On Friday, the ESPN GameDay crew of  Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Erin Andrews will broadcast segments for SportsCenter, College Football Live and other ESPN shows from the set in the Memorial Union quad.

On Saturday, College Football GameDay will begin airing before a live crowd at 6 a.m. The show lasts for three hours with the first hour on ESPNU and the remaining two hours on ESPN.

Fans are can attend all shows and the quad opens at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday. Check back at osubeavers.com for further details.

Three and a half hours after ESPN GameDay concludes its show the Beavers look to upset the No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks at 12:30 p.m. The game is completely sold out. It will be televised on ABC.

This is the first visit to Corvallis for ESPN GameDay.

Third Quarter
Both teams slowed down offensively. Katz threw an interception and then the defense forced Stanford to punt. Katz got the wind knocked of him on OSU’s second possession, but returned. Then he threw his third INT of the game.

Stanford took advantage of the turnover with another TD. Running back Stepfan Taylor charged through the middle of the line and scored on a 62-yard run.

FB Will Darkins (right leg) was carried off the field with 5:02 in the third. He was hurt on a kickoff return.

The game turned heated as a shoving match started with 2:57 left in the quarter. Punches were thrown.

Fourth Quarter
Stanford opened the final quarter with a 52-yard touchdown to receiver Tyler Gaffney. It was a dumpoff pass, but Gaffney ran through and around defenders.

That as Luck’s 28th touchdown pass of the season. That set Stanford’s single-season record. Cardinal goes up 38-0.

I’m heading down to do interviews. Check back on the blog later.

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