On Saturday, Stanford fell to Virginia Tech at home by a final score of 31-7. Below are five thoughts I have.
RECAP: Stanford gets vanquished by Virginia Tech
#1. The Elijah Brown era can’t come soon enough: Regardless of who is starting at quarterback between Justin Lamson and Ashton Daniels, it’s clear that Stanford has a quarterback problem. Make no mistake, Daniels is better than Lamson. Daniels has more mobility and I think throws a better ball, but his decision making isn’t great and it’s clear that the offense just isn’t able to reach its full potential with either guy at quarterback.
As for true freshman Elijah Brown, just in the limited sample that we’ve seen from him, it’s clear that his decision making is better and that he’s just a better overall quarterback. He’s currently out with a hand/finger injury, which is a bummer for Stanford. Based on my intel, there’s a possibility he’s available later this month, but if I had to guess, Stanford would like to preserve his redshirt. So we may not be able to see him until the final three games of the season. Should he be available for those three games, I would be very surprised if Stanford doesn’t let him loose and starts him. Elijah Brown starting Big Game in Berkeley would certainly inject a lot of buzz into that rivalry game.
#2. Elic Ayomanor needs help: It’s pretty telling that wide receiver Elic Ayomanor scored his only touchdown thanks to a touchdown pass from running back Micah Ford, who used to play quarterback in high school. Ayomanor had three receptions for 33 yards to go along with his touchdown. He made the most of the opportunities he got, but without quality quarterback play, it’s hard for him to have the kind of impact that he wants to have.
#3. Stanford needs to get more out of the tight ends: Sam Roush had three receptions for 17 yards and on the season he has just 12 receptions for 97 yards. Stanford needs to get Roush going and get more out of the tight end position in the receiving game.
#4. Stanford really misses Jay Green on defense: Stanford safety Jay Green’s absence was very noticeable. He’s such a great hard hitting presence in the secondary who has an excellent feel for the game. Without him, it was clear that the secondary wasn’t what it has been. As for his status, he has a knee injury and from what I’ve heard, he’s likely done for the year. It’s going to be tough to soldier on without him, but it looks like the Cardinal don’t have much of a choice.
#5. Tiger Bachmeier is a solid return man: Stanford wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier already has a punt return for a touchdown this season and in two kick returns on Saturday, he totaled 57 yards. Bachmeier didn’t do much with his punt returns on Saturday, but he clearly has a hang of the return game and a good feel for the position. That’s something that Stanford has lacked the past few years, but they seem to have somebody in him who can do some damage. It’s just a matter of getting him the blocking that he needs.
“Yeah, he's a fearless guy back there, so he doesn't like to fair catch, and he'll try to make a play for us,” Stanford head coach Troy Taylor said of Bachmeier’s returning. “I thought we did a good job of creating some space for him there, and you've got to make the first guy miss typically on punt returns, and he's done a really good job of that.”
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