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Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle
Stanford's Kaden Smith, 82 pulls down a fourth quarter touchdown, as the Stanford Cardinal ended up losing to the USC Trojans 31-28 in the PAC-12 championship game at Levi's Stadium, in Santa Clara Calif. on Fri. December 1, 2017.
lessStanford's Kaden Smith, 82 pulls down a fourth quarter touchdown, as the Stanford Cardinal ended up losing to the USC Trojans 31-28 in the PAC-12 championship game at Levi's Stadium, in Santa Clara Calif. on
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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 25: K.J. Costello #3 of the Stanford Cardinal throws a touchdown pass to Trenton Irwin #2 during their game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Stanford Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
lessPALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 25: K.J. Costello #3 of the Stanford Cardinal throws a touchdown pass to Trenton Irwin #2 during their game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Stanford Stadium on November 25,
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PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 14: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after catching a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks during the third quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. Stanford won the game 49-7. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
lessPALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 14: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after catching a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks during the third quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford
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PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 14: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal catches a thirty four yard pass over Arrion Springs #1 of the Oregon Ducks during the first quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
lessPALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 14: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal catches a thirty four yard pass over Arrion Springs #1 of the Oregon Ducks during the first quarter of their NCAA football game at
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Stanford tailback Bryce Love had a number of memorable runs on the season, with 12 of them going for 50 yards or more.
Stanford tailback Bryce Love had a number of memorable runs on the season, with 12 of them going for 50 yards or more.
Photo: David Madison / Getty Images
Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello runs against Washington during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 10, 2017, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello runs against Washington during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 10, 2017, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP
Linebacker Bobby Okereke sacks Washington quarterback Jake Browning in a November game at Stanford Stadium.
Linebacker Bobby Okereke sacks Washington quarterback Jake Browning in a November game at Stanford Stadium.
Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images
Quarterback K.J. Costello signals touchdown with the official after scoring on a 9-yard touchdown run against UCLA.
Quarterback K.J. Costello signals touchdown with the official after scoring on a 9-yard touchdown run against UCLA.
Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images
FILE - In this Sept. 30, 2017, file photo, Stanford running back Bryce Love, left, runs for a touchdown past Arizona State defensive back Demonte King (28) during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif. Love established himself as a Heisman candidate early by rushing for 564 yards in back-to-back wins over UCLA and Arizona State. He kept adding to those numbers and leads all Power 5 running backs in yards rushing (1,973) yards per carry (8.3) and 100-yard games (11), and also set an FBS record with 12 runs of at least 50 yards. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
lessFILE - In this Sept. 30, 2017, file photo, Stanford running back Bryce Love, left, runs for a touchdown past Arizona State defensive back Demonte King (28) during the third quarter of an NCAA college football
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Highs and lows of Stanford’s football season
Stanford’s season started with a 53-yard Bryce Love run on the first scrimmage play. It was the first of his 12 runs of 50 yards or longer. There’s one game left, the Alamo Bowl against TCU on Thursday night, but it’s a good time to take a look back at a memorable season that produced a Pac-12 North title and a 9-4 record.
Here’s a highly subjective look at its many high points — and a few low ones, too:
Best individual performance: Love’s school-record 301-yard show against Arizona State. It put him over 1,000 yards just five games into the season.
Best run: It wasn’t a touchdown, and it went only 39 yards. Love was completely wrapped up by ASU lineman Abraham Thompson two yards past the line of scrimmage. Love shook him off. Cornerback Chase Lucas grabbed his jersey, got an arm around him, then two arms. Love dragged him 26 yards before going down.
Best team performance: Beating then-No. 9 Washington 30-22. Love rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns against the nation’s stingiest defense.
Best sack: Bobby Okereke chased down Washington’s Jake Browning for a 9-yard loss to pretty much wreck the Huskies’ last threat.
Second best team performance: A 38-20 victory over then-No. 9 Notre Dame. Stanford scored three touchdowns in a 3½-minute span to erase a three-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Worst team performance: A 20-17 loss to San Diego State in a game that fittingly had a 20-minute power outage at San Diego Stadium. Aside from three long runs by Love, Stanford mustered just 103 yards on offense. On defense it couldn’t stop Rashaad Penny.
Second worst team performance: An anemic offensive showing in a one-point win over Oregon State. The Love-less Cardinal were on their way to an embarrassing loss in Corvallis but were saved by a late Beavers fumble and Keller Chryst’s pass to JJ Arcega-Whiteside with 20 seconds left.
Best pass: Under pressure from Notre Dame, K.J. Costello launched a 29-yard touchdown strike to a well-covered Trent Irwin in a spot where only he could get it. A close second: Costello’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Trent Irwin between two UCLA defenders.
Best catch: Kaden Smith for a 28-yard touchdown in the Pac-12 title game against USC. At full speed he leaped and grabbed the ball over cornerback Ajene Harris in the end zone.
Second best catch: Dalton Schultz’s prone catch — of a Costello pass that was behind him — for a touchdown against UCLA. The ball was inches off the ground. Not even the official closest to Schultz could believe he got his hand under the ball to make the catch; his “incomplete” call was overturned on a review.
Most spectacular season by a receiver: Arcega-Whiteside — too many amazing catches to list.
Best bobbling catch: Cameron Scarlett bobbled the ball three times before securing a pass from Chryst on a wheel rout against Rice. The play went 56 yards, Stanford’s longest pass play of the season.
Best performance(s) by an opponent: The Cardinal can’t wait for Sam Darnold to turn pro. In two wins, including one in the Pac-12 title game, the USC quarterback scorched them for 641 yards and six touchdowns. Runners-up: Penny’s 175 rushing yards for San Diego State and Patrick Laird’s 200 all-purpose yards for Cal.
Most difficult interception: A tie between Justin Reid’s leaping grab off Darnold in September and his diving pick against Arizona State. They were among five interceptions by the junior safety, tying him for most in the Pac-12.
Timeliest interception: Ben Edwards’ grab at the Stanford 6-yard line midway through the fourth quarter against Cal.
Finest sequence for the offensive line: Eleven consecutive carries by Cameron Scarlett as the Cardinal chewed up the final 7:25 to preserve a three-point win in the Big Game.
Best Jake Bailey punt: A 59-yard boot in the first USC game that was downed at the 2. (Besides leading the Pac-12 in punting, Bailey has produced 64 touchbacks on 76 kickoffs. Of the 12 returns, only one crossed the 25.)
Jet Toner’s best game: Three field goals against Utah, including a season-long 46-yarder. He is two shy of Conrad Ukropina’s school record of 22 in 2016.
Gutsiest touchdown: Costello’s 9-yard run against UCLA. He took on four Bruins at the goal line and somehow reached the pylon.
Best bounce: At Washington State, Costello lost the handle as he looked for a receiver, but the ball bounced back to him off the artificial turf. He had a wide-open lane to the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown run.
Most elusive run: A rabbit’s mad dash around the field in the Oregon game. The wayward bunny was corralled on the Ducks’ sideline and carried outside in a towel.
Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald
Alamo Bowl
Who: No. 15 Stanford (9-4) vs. No. 13 TCU (10-3)
Where: San Antonio
When: Thursday, 6 p.m.
TV/Radio: ESPN/680
