| Sport: | football |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Team: | Stanford Cardinal |
| Conference: | Pacific-10 Conference |
| Short Conf: | Pac-10 |
| Record: | 5–7 |
| Conf Record: | 4–5 |
| Hc Year: | 2nd |
| Oc Year: | 2nd |
| Codef Coach1: | Andy Buh |
| Codc1 Year: | 1st |
| Codc2 Year: | 1st |
| Uniform: | File:Pac-10-Uniform-SU-2008-2009.png |
The 2008 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Jim Harbaugh, who entered his second year at Stanford. The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California and competed in the Pacific-10 Conference. The Cardinal improved on their 4–8 record from the 2007 season by going 5–7. After winning back the Stanford Axe from rival California in 2007 for the first time in five years, Stanford lost the Axe to Cal in the 2008 Big Game.
Schedule Source: 2008 Stanford Cardinal football schedule
| Name | Position | Year at Stanford | Alma mater (year) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | 2nd | Michigan (1986) | ||
| Co-defensive coordinator/assistant head coach | 1st | Mount Union (1966) | ||
| Offensive coordinator/wide receivers | 2nd | Stanford (1995) | ||
| Defensive tackles/recruiting coordinator | 2nd | Idaho State (1996) | ||
| Co – Defensive coordinator/Linebackers | 2nd | Nevada (1996) | ||
| Offensive line | 2nd | Stanford (1992) | ||
| Tight ends | 2nd | Cal State Fullerton (1992) | ||
| Defensive ends/special teams | 2nd | Bowling Green (2001) | ||
| Running backs | 2nd | Western Kentucky (1998) | ||
| Defensive backs | 2nd | North Carolina State (2001) | ||
| Strength and conditioning | 2nd | Virginia Tech (2000) | ||
| Defensive analyst | 2nd | Middlebury College (2006) |
See also: 2008 Oregon State Beavers football team. [1]
See also: 2008 Arizona State Sun Devils football team. [2]
See also: 2008 TCU Horned Frogs football team. [3]
See also: 2008 San Jose State Spartans football team. [4]
See also: 2008 Washington Huskies football team.
See also: 2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and Notre Dame – Stanford rivalry.
See also: 2008 Arizona Wildcats football team.
See also: 2008 UCLA Bruins football team.
The week before, the Cardinal beat Arizona 24–23 in an exciting conference game, while the Bruins lost a close game to the Ducks. UCLA had a record of 44–31–3 on the Cardinal before game time.
With ten seconds left in this UCLA's homecoming game and the Bruins behind by four points, Bruin quarterback Kevin Craft passed to freshman Cory Harkey for a 7-yard touchdown to win the game, 23–20, over the Stanford Cardinal in the northeast corner of the Rose Bowl Saturday afternoon. Two turnovers by the Bruins led to the 14 Stanford points in the first half.
In the game, Craft had 285 passing yards and Taylor Embree caught 72 yards, while Stanford's Toby Gerhart rushed for 138 yards.
See also: 2008 Washington State Cougars football team.
See also: 2008 Oregon Ducks football team.
See also: 2008 USC Trojans football team.
See also: 2008 California Golden Bears football team and Big Game (American football).
The Cardinal traveled up to Berkeley in an attempt to hold on to the Axe and earn a bowl berth with a sixth win. The Bears led 10–3 at the half and ran up 20 unanswered points in the third quarter. Stanford was able to score two quick back to back touchdowns in the fourth quarter but could not close a 21–point deficit. Tavita Pritchard threw for 306 yards and a score while Toby Gerhart rushed for 103 yards and a score. Although the loss relinquished the Axe to Cal and prevented Stanford from becoming bowl eligible, Harbaugh set the standards even higher for 2009 by declaring that "Bowl Championship Series eligible is what we’re aiming for."[5]