SANTA CLARA — Confidence shouldn’t have been a problem for Stanford in its Foster Farms Bowl game with Maryland at Levi’s Stadium near Great America on Tuesday evening. The Cardinal came in a two-touchdown favorite. College football guru Phil Steele had Stanford as his No. 1 bowl pick out of the 38 bowls, meaning Steele felt the Cardinal had the best chance to win of any team participating in a bowl game.

Stanford scored on its first drive and kept the pedal on the metal, rolling to a 45-21 win. The Terrapins scored on a late kickoff return, adding a touchdown with its first string going against the Stanford backups with 2:12 to play in the game. Stanford’s biggest lead was 42-7, the Cardinal threatening to break the bowl record for greatest margin of victory — 34 points.

The announced attendance was 34,780, but it was more like 14,780. Foul weather, or rather, fowl weather, combined with the game being telecast on ESPN, no doubt kept fans away. The cold wind swirled on the field, the strips of cloth attached to the top of each goal post blowing every which way non-stop. Outside the stadium, tailgaters probably thought they were at Candlestick Park, the old home of the San Francisco 49ers, not the new Niners’ home, the wind was so bone-tingling.

The Stanford band performed before the game, forming a large question mark, as if asking, “Where are we?”

A few brave band members wore shorts, as did the drum major. A trumpet player wore a cheese head hat like the one often worn by Green Bay Packers fans, getting in the frigid spirit.

The Terps deferred after winning the coin toss and Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan made them pay, completing 5-of-5 passes as the Cardinal marched down the field for a touchdown. On one play on the drive, running back Christian McCaffrey zigzagged 50 yards for a 1-yard gain, thrilling onlookers.

There was a bit of worry for Stanford when Maryland’s tricky option attack meandered the other direction on the ensuing drive for an equalizing touchdown. Not to worry. Stanford out-physicalled the Terps, wearing them down on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

Stanford put in fresh players on defense. True freshman Harrison Phillips, who wears No. 66, sacked Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown late in the third quarter. The Terps were out of gas, so fitting it was Phillips, 66, who got the sack.

This was a feel-good game for the Cardinal in many respects. In his final game, running back Ricky Seale got his first collegiate touchdown. Safety Kyle Olugbode, who prepped at nearby Bellarmine-San Jose, came up with an interception after the Cardinal had turned the ball over on a fumble. Olugbode, playing his last game at Stanford, came close to picking off two other passes.

Linebacker James Vaughters, wrapping up his Cardinal career, was named the game’s top Defensive Player. Vaughters was deserving with five tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. My vote went to tackle Henry Anderson, who was in Brown’s kitchen on more than one occasion, sacking Brown late. Anderson, a fifth-year senior, took on the initial block at the point-of-attack and was pushing his weight around all night.

Hogan was an obvious choice for Offensive Player of the Game and that was good to see. Hogan had taken some heat during the regular season, but he finished the year like gangbusters. Hogan’s return at the helm could only help the Stanford offense next year.

Stanford’s success in 2015 may rest on who returns and who doesn’t. Left offensive tackle Andrus Peat is a projected top 10 draft pick, but he could come back for more seasoning. Wide receiver Devon Cajuste, who caught two touchdown passes, will announce today, one way or the other, if he’ll return.

Stanford’s defense will take a hit with five fifth-year seniors in the starting lineup, along with four-year seniors Vaughters and safety Jordan Richards departing. Corner Alex Carter, who has another year of eligibility, may leap to the NFL.

Stanford may squeak into the AP Top 25 after all the bowl dust has settled. The Cardinal has outscored the last three opponents 114-48, finishing 8-5. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if Stanford players were heard chanting in the bowels of Levi’s Stadium, “Let’s start over!”

Stanford should be confident going into the fall, especially if the likes of Cajuste and Carter return. And if Peat returns, Stanford could receive a top 10 preseason ranking.

True, the season didn’t go the way Stanford football coach David Shaw had it scripted. However, the inaugural meeting with Maryland in the Foster Farms Bowl had to have been exactly what the doctor ordered for the Cardinal, which didn’t come out and lay and egg.

No yoke.

Email John Reid at jreid@dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at twitter.com/dailynewsjohn.