Stanford senior receiver Mark Bradford has seen a lot in his five years on the Farm. Three coaches, four starting quarterbacks and more teammates have come and gone than he can likely count. And, sadly, four Big Game losses.

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Eddie Martinez

Senior wide receiver Mark Bradford shined against Notre Dame last weekend, catcing seven passes for 111 yards. Bradford and his teammates will look to beat Cal for the first time since 2001.

But since the 2003 season, when he started eight games and became the first freshman to lead the Cardinal in receiving yards, Bradford has accomplished plenty on his own, including 2,347 receiving yards in 45 games and 14 career touchdowns. Playing just 12 days after the death of his father, Bradford’s leaping grab on a fourth-down fade route sealed the Cardinal’s upset for the ages over then-No. 2 USC on Oct. 6 — a highlight sure to be repeated for years to come.

Which makes it hard to believe that after this Saturday’s Big Game, the senior wideout will have played his last down for the team he has made plays for so many times over the last five years.

“To sum it up, it’s bittersweet,” Bradford said. “I’m coming to the end of my career at Stanford, having all these ups and downs during the season. I’m just happy I was able to come back and enjoy this year with my fellow teammates and guys that I came in with. Just to be out there on the field and be in their company and enjoy being here and the chemistry we have on the field, I’m not going to have this anywhere else.”

Bradford’s 2006 season was slated to be his last with the Cardinal, but after injuring his foot in the second game of the season, the Los Angeles native was sidelined for the remainder of the year and allowed to return for a fifth season by the NCAA.

As senior quarterback T.C. Ostrander explained, Bradford’s presence on the field has been a true blessing for the rebuilding Cardinal.

“He’s got great hands; he’s a great athlete, an incredible route runner,” Ostrander said. “I’ve never seen a guy be so precise and be able to just beat his man one-on-one as well as Mark has, and he’s been able to do it since he stepped on campus five years ago.

“I think the thing about Mark is he’s just so consistent,” Ostrander added. “It helps as a quarterback to have him out there and know that he’s going to do what he needs to do on every play.”

Bradford’s contributions in recent weeks, including 12 receptions for 141 yards against Washington State and seven catches for 111 yards against Notre Dame last week, have led the Cardinal through the air in a pair of close losses. They are especially impressive in light of persistent knee problems that have hindered Bradford for most of the season.

But with the game on the line against the Irish last weekend and Bradford the only Stanford receiver to notch more than one reception on the day, a pair of passes to the back of the end zone, which could have tied the game for the Cardinal, went to other targets and were dropped.

While it’s fair to wonder why Bradford’s number wasn’t called in crunch time, that’s not something he’s been overly concerned with.

“For me it was more disappointing that the catch [wasn’t made],” Bradford said. “I just wanted the pass to be completed, no matter if it goes to me, Evan [Moore] or Richard [Sherman]. You know, those guys were open and if they’re open I want them to get the ball and make the catch and I’ll celebrate at the end of the game.

“It’s not a matter of ‘I want every ball to come my way,’ I just want the plays to work and the offense to move the ball down the field and score touchdowns.”

Still, Bradford’s statistics in recent weeks have put him back into the spotlight going into this weekend’s showdown with Cal — and the Cardinal veteran wouldn’t have it any other way because he knows exactly what’s on the line as he closes out his Stanford career.

“It means everything,” he said. “Having to live in the Bay Area these last four and a half years, never winning that Axe — it’s been excruciating. Going around Cal fans and knowing guys up there, every time you see them it’s something else. It’s a little bit of bragging rights and a little bit of pride. You never want to go out never having beaten your rival, so it’s something that we’re going to be working hard [for], and it has to happen this year [for me]. If not now, then never.”

And when that’s over, the Cardinal’s most consistent playmaker at receiver over the past half-decade will walk away with plenty of memories of time well spent.

“I wouldn’t have had the chance to meet guys of this caliber anywhere else in the country, and that’s something I’m going to cherish. They’re going to be there for me, I’m going to be there for them and that’s something I’m going to carry with me forever.”