BERKELEY – Pretty much nothing about 2020 has gone according to plan for Stanford football. But one thing reverted to normal for Coach David Shaw – a wild Big Game ending with the Axe returning to Stanford.

Thomas Booker blocked an extra point with 58 seconds left as the Cardinal defeated Cal 24-23 on Friday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in the 123rd Big Game, beating their biggest rival for the 10th time in 11 years and taking a 65-47-11 lead in the series.

With no fans in the stands – other than two Cal students guarding the Axe from the front row behind the Cal bench – Stanford (1-2) avenged last year’s dramatic 24-20 defeat. It once again came down to the end in the first Big Game played on a Friday.

Down 24-17, Cal (0-3) went 90 yards in 3:30, getting into the end zone on a 3-yard touchdown run by Christopher Brown Jr. But after having a 32-yard field goal attempt blocked by Curtis Robinson to end the first half, Dori Longhetto had his extra point blocked by Booker, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive end.

.@TheThomasBooker. AGAIN. pic.twitter.com/49RB4Xx9i6

— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) November 28, 2020

The ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, and Antioch native Austin Jones gained eight yards on third-and-6 with 30 seconds left to seal the win.

Jones finished with 21 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns, while Davis Mills completed 24 of 32 passes for 205 yards and Michael Wilson had seven catches for 88 yards.

Stanford continued its season-long streak of not turning the ball over, and converted three Cal mistakes into touchdowns. In the second quarter, Bears returner Nikko Remigio fumbled a punt that was recovered by fullback Houston Heimuli at the Cal 16. Two plays later, Mills threw an 11-yard touchdown to Wilson to tie the score at 10-10.

In the third quarter, Cardinal cornerback Salim Turner-Muhammed punched the ball away from Cal running back Marcel Dancy, and the fumble was recovered by Booker. After Mills hit Wilson for 33 yards on the next play, Jones scored on a 2-yard run to put Stanford up 17-10.

Cal tied it at 17-17, but then made a third costly miscue. Mills underthrew a pass to an open Simi Fehoko that led to an interception. But the turnover was negated by a defensive holding penalty away from the play. Later in the drive, Jones muscled his way to a first down on third-and-1, and then broke more tackles on an 8-yard run that gave the Cardinal a 24-17 lead with 1:51 left in the third quarter.

The Cardinal had a chance to clinch the game in the fourth quarter, but two drives inside the Cal 35 ended in punts when freshman tackle Myles Hinton was called for holding on third down, and then Mills was sacked on third-and-3 from the 32.

But the Cardinal eventually broke a six-game losing streak dating back to last season and was able to celebrate with the Axe on the Memorial Stadium field, providing a huge bright spot for the program in what has been a trying season because of issues related to COVID-19.