Josh Nunes is ready to carry on the legacy of Stanford’s quarterbacks

It wasn’t only Andrew Luck.

When Josh Nunes was named Stanford’s starting quarterback, following in the footsteps of the top pick in the 2012 NFL draft was only one of the potential burdens.

“There’s inherent pressure being behind Andrew,” Nunes acknowledged during a phone interview. “Not only that, but there’s the quarterback tradition at Stanford from Jim Plunkett to John Elway and Andrew.”

Not that Nunes is anxious about it.

“That kind of all went out the window,” he said, “as soon as I got that first snap out of the way.”

A fourth-year junior from Upland, Nunes has guided the No. 21 Cardinal to victories over San Jose State and Duke. Now, he is preparing for the Pac-12 Conference opener Saturday against second-ranked USC at Stanford Stadium.

The Cardinal has defeated the Trojans three consecutive times, the last two games coming down to the final play.

Luck led a rout of the Trojans in 2009, engineered a drive to a game-winning field goal two years ago and bounced back from a pick-six interception to lift the Cardinal to a triple-overtime victory at the Coliseum last season.

“Luck,” USC linebacker Dion Bailey said, “was one in a million.”

The Trojans are happy that the two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up has moved on to the Indianapolis Colts, but they are not looking past the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Nunes, who has passed for 400 yards and four touchdowns.

“This guy,” senior safety T.J. McDonald said, “is a good quarterback too.”

From an early age, Nunes appeared on track to play in Palo Alto.

Though his family has UCLA ties, Nunes said his father “had this idea that I fit the Stanford mold.” So Nunes grew up wearing a Stanford cap and other Cardinal gear he received on birthdays and other occasions.

He passed for 54 touchdowns in three seasons at Upland High and enrolled at Stanford in 2009, a year after Luck.

Nunes, 22, was a redshirt his first season and played in four games in 2010. But he did not take a snap last season after suffering a foot injury in training camp.

Last month, Coach David Shaw chose Nunes over sophomore Brett Nottingham after a competition that lasted through spring practice and the first few weeks of training camp. Shaw cited Nunes’ consistency as the deciding factor.

In the first game of the post-Luck era, Nunes completed 16 of 26 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in a closer-than-expected 20-17 victory over San Jose State.

“My goal was just to manage the offense,” he said. “I feel like I rushed a few things.”

Last week, he completed 16 of 30 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception, in a 50-13 rout of Duke.

“He made some mistakes,” Shaw said, “but you never see him rattled.”

USC Coach Lane Kiffin noticed.

“He’s been efficient,” Kiffin said. “They do a great job of coaching and finding a lot of easy completions.”

Nunes, a management science and engineering major, sees plenty of room for improvement, citing Luck’s command of the offense and ability to read defenses.

“That’s what I’m really working toward,” he said. “To get to the level of comfortability he had throughout the game.”

Stanford is expected to rely on its rushing attack against USC, which could open play-action opportunities for Nunes.

Running back Stepfan Taylor averages 92.5 yards rushing per game for a team that features receivers Ty Montgomery and Drew Terrell and tight ends Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz.

Nunes, who watched Luck engineer last-second victories over the Trojans, said he would be prepared for whatever unfolds Saturday.

He won’t try to be Luck.

Or worry about measuring up to any other quarterback in the Stanford legacy.

“Now it’s easy to set aside,” he said. “I’m focusing on the game.”

gary.klein@latimes.com

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