Stanford football: Late heroics give Cardinal third win in a row

A late field goal, followed by a late fumble recovery, gives Stanford a 27-24 win at Oregon State.

Stanford extended its 11-game winning streak over Oregon State on Saturday night, but just barely.

An Oregon State fumble at the Stanford 16 with 23 seconds on the clock allowed the Cardinal to escape with a 27-24 victory at Resar Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.

The margin of difference was a 39-yard field goal by Jet Toner with 1:48 to play. It was a familiar ending; last year at Oregon State, Toner made a 39-yard field goal with one second left to give Stanford a 31-28 victory. Toner, who had missed all four of his field goal attempts in the season opener, now has made seven in a row.

Playing without injured starting receivers Connor Wedington and Michael Wilson, Stanford (3-2) got big games from quarterback Davis Mills, receiver Simi Fehoko, and running back Austin Jones.

Mills completed 21 of 29 passes for 292 yards and ran for two scores. Fehoko had 110 yards on six catches. Austin Jones rushed for 126 yards on 22 carries.

Oregon State redshirt sophomore Chance Nolan had three TD passes in his second career start, but it was his fumble, forced by Gabe Reid and recovered by Curtis Robinson, that sealed the third straight win for Stanford.

The game was originally scheduled for Stanford Stadium, but Stanford spent the whole week in Corvallis because of the Santa Clara County ban on contact sports due to rising coronavirus cases.

The Beavers (2-4) have had five consecutive games decided on the final possession.