STANFORD – Playing as a member of the ACC for the first time, Stanford had a chance to make a statement win on national TV against a Power Four opponent.
But after taking the lead with six minutes left, the Cardinal reverted to last year’s form when it mattered most in a 34-27 loss to Texas Christian, showing how much improvement still needs to happen in coach Troy Taylor’s second season.
Stanford will have another chance for Taylor to get his first home win when it faces Cal Poly next Saturday at 4 p.m. But for now, it will regret a missed opportunity to make a solid first impression in its new league.
“We had the lead late in the fourth quarter, so our guys battled,” Taylor said. “They’re a good team, resilient. Just didn’t finish it.”
For three-plus quarters, Ashton Daniels’ dual-threat capabilities and Justin Lamson’s short-yardage prowess kept the offense moving. The defense, overpowered last season, had forced two turnovers and kept TCU contained.
But after the Cardinal took a 24-20 lead with 6:57 remaining, Stanford’s defense allowed TCU to go right down the field to regain the lead. Josh Hoover completed all six of his passes for 67 yards, including a 4-yard TD pass with 3:13 to play that made it 27-24.
When it was Stanford’s turn to engineer a winning drive, Daniels threw three long passes that fell incomplete and took a sack. After that, it took just 23 seconds for TCU to score an insurance touchdown and seal the win.
“TCU has always been a well-known football school, great squad, and good early test for us,” Daniels said. “We came out and showed our potential in every aspect. I think we should have won that game. We couldn’t execute tonight like we wanted to, but we’re just going to use that as motivation for the next games coming up and looking forward to all the challenges.”
Here are the key takeaways from Stanford’s season opener:
OFFENSE SLOWS
Stanford took advantage of TCU’s miscues in the first half. On its first touchdown drive, the Horned Frogs committed three 15-yard penalties, including two on third-and-long. And its second touchdown drive started on the TCU 20 after a fumble.
But the Cardinal struggled to move the ball in the second half once TCU cleaned up its play. Daniels ran for a game-high 89 yards on a combination of scrambles and designed runs but completed less than half of his passes (17 of 35) for 169 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
“We struggled to protect,” Taylor said. “It starts with that. And then we got to win our routes versus man coverage and we got to throw the ball accurately. It was really all three of those things.”
Stanford couldn’t take the pressure off Daniels with the running game, which allowed TCU to blitz and force the junior QB to throw earlier than he wanted.
Top receiver Elic Ayomanor was targeted 12 times and caught seven passes for 102 yards, but no one else had more than 17 receiving yards.
AGGRESSIVE MENTALITY
Taylor went for it earlier in the game on fourth-and-5 from his 35 and fourth-and-1 from his 34. But the most significant decision came at the end. With two timeouts and 2:19 left, Taylor chose to go for it on fourth-and-16 from his 19 instead of relying on a tired defense to get the ball back.
“We have analytics, and we play the percentages,” Taylor said. “We trust that for the most part. It was a situation where it said it was in our best interest to go for it. We converted some big fourth downs that I think kept us in the game. Always try to be aggressive.”
Stanford also converted a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line instead of kicking a field goal. Some of the gambles worked, and some didn’t, but they showed that Taylor isn’t afraid to keep his offense on the field no matter where the ball is.
QB DECISION
Though it wasn’t announced until game time, Daniels learned earlier in the week that he had won the three-way competition over Lamson and early enrollee Elijah Brown.
Daniels started 10 games last year and was also named a team captain. Taylor said that Daniels’s experience and consistency gave him the edge.
“All three of them really had a good camp,” Taylor said. “I think we can win with all three of them. But probably his experience and he’s a good runner, dual-threat guy. But all three of them could play.”
Lamson made the most of his three snaps on Friday – throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal, running for a touchdown on third-and-goal from the 1, and running for two yards on fourth-and-1 from Stanford’s half of the field.
NEW FACES
Freshman Micah Ford got the bulk of the carries among the running backs, running 10 times for 18 yards. He was also targeted four times out the backfield, making two catches for 10 yards.
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“He’s been the most productive, consistent guy in camp so we thought he deserved the start,” Taylor said. “It’s a big stage for a young guy. He did some good things but there’s a lot of things he can improve and do better.”
Linebackers Sam Mattingly and Kahlil House also made their collegiate debuts on Friday night, while Washington transfer Jay Green and Yale transfer Clay Patterson made their Stanford debuts.
Green, a junior safety, had a career-high seven tackles, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble, while Patterson, a graduate defensive tackle, recovered a fumble deep in Stanford territory to ensure the Cardinal would go into halftime with a 17-10 lead.
