After being defeated by USC two weeks previous, Cal faced their rivals the Stanford Cardinal in the 109th Big Game. It was not a particularly strong performance from the Bears, who only had one offensive touchdown. Nate Longshore threw for 217 yards and one score against a Cardinal defense that had tried their best to stop the California offense. Both Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett were held under 100 yards against a defense that was once the worst in the entire NCAA that season.