Quarterback Tavita Pritchard has already played witness to one of the biggest upsets in the history of college football.

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Gus Jewell

Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard has taken charge of the Cardinal offense against USC and TCU, going 23-57 for 320 yards and three touchdowns in his first two games as a starter. Pritchard credits the influence of his uncle, famed Washington State quarterback Jack Thompson, with helping him stay cool under pressure.

Actually, he did more than just witness it: the redshirt sophomore guided the Cardinal to its 24-23 win over the then-No. 2 USC Trojans in the L.A. Coliseum two weeks ago. And last week against TCU, the Tacoma, Wash. native propelled Stanford to one of its best offensive performances in recent memory.

But when asked about how he led the Stanford offense and its herd of receivers to one of the biggest wins in program history, Pritchard downplayed his own contributions to the victory.

“If anything, I’m the supporting cast,” he said. “Those guys, [Bradford, Sherman and Moore], they’re obviously, all three, very special.”

And what’s more, the newest Stanford starting quarterback has already shown that humility and leadership can go hand-in-hand. In the win over Southern California, Pritchard found himself exhorting his senior teammates to make a play — insisting that the game was theirs for the taking.

And, it turns out, he was right.

“That’s kind of one of those things where being a quarterback just kicks in,” Pritchard said. “It probably wasn’t really a conscious thing, but you’re in the heat of the game. I mean, I vividly remember it. It’s not like I don’t remember saying it, but it’s one of those things where I was really looking at those guys.

“Those are our seniors. Our receiver corps is very heralded, obviously one of the stronger parts of our team,” he went on. “Coming into the season we knew that. And I just told them, ‘You guys are the seniors, you guys are going to have to go make a play to win this game,’ and that’s what it came down to.”

But for Pritchard, the last-minute fade pass he lofted to senior receiver Mark Bradford on fourth-and-goal from the 10-yard line that proved the winning play in the monumental upset was merely the start. For the new Cardinal signal-caller, progress will be all about helping to author even more special moments for Stanford before he’s through.

“Hopefully, it gets better than that because I’ve got two years left,” he said. “That was a great game, obviously a huge win for this program, but not necessarily what I want to be remembered for. I want to go out there and do a whole lot more than just beat ‘SC that one time. We hope to do big things around here, and I hope that’s just a start.”

For much of the TCU game, it appeared as if that would be the case. Pritchard threw for 171 yards and two touchdowns, as well as scrambling for another 53 yards on the ground. And when the rubber hit the road in the fourth quarter, there was Pritchard leading the Cardinal down the field in the game’s closing minutes once again, dodging would-be sacks and exhibiting poise under pressure.

Pritchard credited his family’s football background for his strong play late in games, particularly the influence of his famous uncle, Jack Thompson. Thompson, nicknamed “The Throwin’ Samoan,” starred for Washington State in the 70s, setting what was at the time an NCAA record for career passing yards and Pac-10 records in career passing attempts, completions and touchdowns.

So although the Cardinal’s second comeback attempt in as many weeks fell short on Saturday, the near miss seemed to leave little doubt that Pritchard has a knack for playing at his best with the game on the line.

“Honestly, I think it’s just from playing football [for] a long time,” Pritchard said. “I think my uncle did a good job of instilling my poise and leadership in me, and I think that one of the things he always harped on was just being poised and calm no matter what was happening. Whether it be in a game, or whether it be off the field, always be poised as a quarterback. The thing is if you don’t have things under control, look like you have things under control.”

On Tuesday, head coach Jim Harbaugh praised Pritchard’s development in the short time he’s been under center. Harbaugh touted his quarterback’s ability to understand the game quickly and not force bad throws as the keys to his successes against USC and TCU.

“I was impressed [by Pritchard’s play against the Horned Frogs],” the first year coach said. “He really did a good job understanding what we were doing, and you could see the improvement from one game to the next. He took care of the football and made plays when they were there to be made.”

Pritchard, who lauded the tremendous team unity and camaraderie he has found in the Stanford locker room, was adamant that the key for the Cardinal would be to keep looking forward. For a team still in the hunt for bowl-eligibility, that would seem to be good advice indeed.

“We need to get some marks in the win column,” he said. “By any means necessary, whatever it takes. We’re not worried about stats at this point or anything like that — just wins.”