Clover Park graduate took over as QB in USC upset

The passage of time is starting to peel away at Stanford's history-making upset of USC, turning it now into mere history in the eyes of Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh.

"That's something that took place in the rearview mirror," Harbaugh said of Stanford's 24-23 win over the Trojans on Oct. 6. The Cardinal was a 40-point underdog, making the game the biggest upset in college-football history.

Indeed, Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard, a graduate of Clover Park High School in Lakewood, south of Tacoma, said other than the fact that "I get recognized a little bit more," life has pretty much gotten back to normal.

Certainly the glow seemed to have dimmed during a 23-6 loss at Oregon State last Saturday that left the Cardinal looking like what it is — a rebuilding team still trying to climb the ladder of respectability. That defeat left Stanford at 3-5 overall and 2-4 in Pac-10 play heading into a home game Saturday against Washington.

"We haven't won as many games as we would have liked," said Harbaugh. "But the team is playing extremely hard and that's all I ask them to do."

That the Cardinal has won as many games as it has, however, is something of a surprise. Stanford was virtually a unanimous pick to finish last in the Pac-10 after going 1-10 a year ago and ranking as one of the worst teams in recent conference history in many statistical categories. Coach Walt Harris was fired after just two seasons.

Harbaugh, a quarterback who played 15 seasons in the NFL, was hired after three successful seasons at Division I-AA San Diego and immediately set about doing something that might sound familiar to fans of the Huskies — changing the culture of the football program.

"No. 1 was changing the culture to where football mattered and [players were] less apathetic toward playing the game and there was an attitude where we loved playing and loved being around our teammates and looked forward to preparing and winning football games," Harbaugh said.

Said Pritchard: "He brings passion and intensity that carries over to the team. We attack every day."

The Cardinal has shown signs of improvement all season — a 37-0 shutout of San Jose State, a 31-24 lead at the half against Oregon before collapsing late, wins at USC and Arizona.

But injuries have hit hard, mainly at running back, where Anthony Kimble and Toby Gerhart are out. Stanford was held to minus-8 rushing yards against the Beavers, putting all the pressure on Pritchard and the receivers. Kimble and Gerhart are expected to miss this week's game as well, leaving the rushing to true freshman Jeremy Stewart.

Pritchard was the unlikely hero of the USC game, making his first start after an injury sidelined T.C. Ostrander. Ostrander is healthy now, but Pritchard remains the starter.

"He is doing a very good job," Harbaugh said of Pritchard, 59 of 118 with four touchdowns and five interceptions. "He has a great understanding of what we are doing offensively and he plays to win."

Especially this week.

Pritchard's uncle is former Cougars quarterback Jack Thompson and he long figured he'd end up playing in Pullman.

"To make a long story short, I grew up hating the Huskies," he said Tuesday. "I was a big Cougars fan. I made a lot of trips to Pullman. I remember when I was a kid my dad wouldn't allow purple and gold in the house."

But the Cougars had their eyes set on quarterback Arkelon Hall, who has already transferred from WSU without playing a down, and Pritchard committed to Stanford.

Pritchard said he talked a few times with Tyrone Willingham when Willingham was at Notre Dame, and again when Willingham became coach of the Huskies but that "recruitment was pretty much over at that point."

Pritchard said he's a Stanford guy "through and through now" and is confident the USC win won't be all he has to remember of his college days.

"I think we were kind of looked at as a doormat for a while these past couple of years," he said. "I think we might have opened some eyes when we got a win in the [L.A.] Coliseum. A lot of people think we don't have the depth or the talent that a lot of Pac-10 schools have, but that's not the case. We have some tremendous athletes. ... We feel like we can compete with anybody."

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com.