On the eve of the Stanford football season, coach David Shaw put out the word on Ty Montgomery, a receiver plagued by self-doubt last year as he dealt with lingering knee problems.

"It's up to him," said Shaw. "It's been a process, but he's got the speed. He's got the intent. He's more confident in everything he does." And in the words of quarterback Kevin Hogan, "Ty now has it in his mind that he's one of those elite players."

There had been hints in recent weeks that Montgomery was adding a bold and spectacular dimension to the Stanford passing game. Saturday night, in a thrilling 31-28 victory over Washington, Montgomery showed the type of game-changing ability that brought to mind Darrin Nelson, James Lofton, Gene Washington and other Stanford greats of the past.

This was the first really significant showdown of the Pac-12 conference season, and Montgomery became the centerpiece with a 99-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff, a sublime 39-yard touchdown connection with Hogan, and a 72-yard kickoff return that set up a Cardinal touchdown for a 31-21 lead late in the third quarter.

This is becoming one of those great October sports weekends in the Bay Area, wondrous tales being spun in all directions. Stanford Stadium was packed (never a guarantee) in sublime, balmy weather, just a few miles down the road from the A's heart-stopping Game 2 victory against Detroit. Sunday night brings the 49ers and Raiders back into focus. It's a time of great promise, and unbeaten Stanford (5-0) just might hold the edge when it comes to meeting long-term goals.

This was such a satisfying evening, in fact, it made people forget that in a stadium filled with red-clad fans, entertained by that bright-red Stanford band, the players showed up in black - that's right, jerseys and pants. Tragic fashion statements have become an annoying trend in the collegiate game, making one wonder if the Cardinal may one day show up in UC Berkeley blue and gold, just for the hell of it.

George Nikitin/Associated Press

So much of the conversation this week centered around Washington coach Steve Sarkisian and the fact that, in many ways, he's the perfect candidate to become USC's head coach when the Trojans find a permanent replacement for Lane Kiffin. The Southern California-raised Sarkisian was a USC assistant from 2005-08 and was a highly regarded offensive coordinator under Pete Carroll.

Perhaps it was Montgomery's presence that led to a strange and costly decision by Sarkisian just before halftime. Washington had just driven 88 yards for a touchdown when, with 59 seconds left, he ordered placekicker Cameron Van Winkle to loft a little popup, ostensibly to prevent another long-distance Montgomery sprint.

But the end-over-end floater was easily handled by Joe Hemschoot (a linebacker by trade), and his 6-yard return gave Stanford the ball at its own 39-yard line. A gift, other words, for a team needing substantial yardage in a short amount of time.

The Huskies' defense had been nothing short of brilliant to that point. If you want to talk about the coaching staff of this 15th-ranked club, acknowledge Sarkisian's defensive coordinator, Justin Wilcox, who made a brilliant debut last year and came into this game with the Pac-12's No. 1-ranked defense. Hogan and his receivers had been stifled all night, and the Huskies' aggressive defensive backs made it clear, with their celebratory gestures, that they were loving every minute of it.

All of a sudden, everything changed. Montgomery, racing down the right sideline, got a step on heralded cornerback Marcus Peters. Hogan threw a perfect pass over Montgomery's right shoulder. Peters' coverage was tight, but the connection was just too pure. Montgomery made the catch and completed a 39-yard touchdown that had the Cardinal steaming into intermission with a 17-7 lead.

Coach David Shaw certainly couldn't have been happy that his rushing game was ineffective, that Hogan threw for just 105 yards, that the Huskies' Bishop Sankey (the nation's leading rusher) racked up 125 yards, or that quarterback Kevin Price was 33-of-48 for 350 yards. But Shaw is a little like his Stanford predecessor, Jim Harbaugh, in his thirst for a basic, hard-hitting game that eventually rewards the toughest players.

It couldn't be called an outright triumph for the defense, not when Washington scored a hurry-up touchdown with 2:38 left and had the ball, ready to crush Stanford's Rose Bowl hopes, in the desperate final moments. But in the end, on the 4th-and-10 play that represented Washington's last gasp, it came down to an officials' review. What appeared to be a catch, by the Huskies' Kevin Smith at the Stanford 48, was ruled incomplete. All was well on this fine October weekend.