On Friday, Stanford football defeated Syracuse on the road by a final score of 26-24 as Emmet Kenney drained the game-winning field goal. Below are five takeaways I have from the Cardinal’s historic victory as it was their first ACC game in program history.
RECAP: Stanford stuns Syracuse at The Dome
#1. The defense has taken a major step forward: If anyone had any questions about whether or not Stanford’s defense was better, I think Friday’s win at Syracuse should put those questions to rest. That’s not to say Stanford’s defense doesn’t still have areas to improve on. They gave up a 67 yard touchdown and also a 17 yard touchdown run, so there are some issues that they need to address. But on the whole, they are much better on defense than last year. They had two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six by Mitch Leigber and then also when faced with short field position after Ashton Daniels threw an interception, they were able to hold Syracuse to a field goal. Not to mention the fact that they were putting decent pressure on the quarterback all night long.
For the first time in a while, one can actually say the Stanford defense is more reliable than the Stanford offense. The past couple of seasons it has been the opposite. Suffice to say, the Stanford defense is definitely better than last year. Everyone is much more in sync and then the addition of safety Jay Green and defensive lineman Clay Patterson from the transfer portal is huge as well.
#2. Chris Davis Jr. and Micah Ford are gonna be a good: Freshmen running backs Chris Davis Jr. and Micah Ford both had strong outings: Davis rushing for 79 yards on nine attempts with a long of 47 yards; Ford rushing for 47 yards on eight attempts with a long of 10 yards. Ford actually had a touchdown reception called back due to a holding penalty, which was a bummer. That would have been a great play. The fact that Stanford has two really good true freshmen running backs is exciting and then true freshman Cole Tabb, who is injured, is one who they have high hopes for as well. So, lots to be excited about with the running backs.
#3. Get the ball to Elic Ayomanor and good things happen: Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Elic Ayomanor had a huge one-handed touchdown and then also a clutch reception on 4th and 9 that saved their game-winning drive. He continues to show why he’s so special. This game was just another reminder that if you get the ball into Ayomanor’s hands, good things will happen. He’s legit.
#4. Troy Taylor knows how to inspire his players: One thing that came through Friday night is the belief that head coach Troy Taylor has instilled in his players. They fought all the way until the end and didn’t give up even after Syracuse took the lead late in the game. It’s not just the fact that Stanford won at Syracuse that’s impressive. It’s the way they won it. They didn’t have the game won until the clock hit zero, but that didn’t stop them from believing.
#5. Emmet Kenney is an NFL prospect: Back in the spring, punter Aidan Flintoft told me he thought Emmet Kenney had a chance to be as good of a kicker as Josh Karty. I thought that was just a teammate backing his guy, but after the way Kenney performed on Friday night going 4-4 on his field goals with a long of 51 yards including the game-winner from 39 yards out, I think we can start talking about Kenney as an NFL prospect. So far, there’s been no drop off from Karty to Kenney, which is really amazing to say since Karty is a phenomenal kicker.
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