On Friday, Stanford football defeated Hawaii 37-24 on the road to win their opening game of the season. In his first career start at quarterback, Stanford sophomore Ashton Daniels went 25-36 for 249 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions for a 145.9 passer rating while senior tight end Benjamin Yurosek had 9 receptions for 138 yards and 1 touchdown. Stanford sophomore outside linebacker David Bailey was the top performer on defense for the Cardinal with 6 solo tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. Hawaii junior quarterback Brayden Schager went 30-53 for 355 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions while redshirt freshman wide receiver Pofele Ashlock had 8 receptions for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. Stanford improves to 1-0 on the season while Hawaii falls to 0-2.
BOX SCORE: Stanford at Hawaii-Friday, September 1st
VIDEO: Stanford Football: Hawaii Postgame Press Conference
“Really thrilled for our guys and our coaching staff and everybody, our administration,” Stanford head coach Troy Taylor said after the game. “Everybody has put so much into this win and getting to this point to be successful. Our guys have worked really hard and it’s nice to see them celebrate and see success today.”
Stanford won the toss and deferred, allowing Hawaii to receive. The Warriors’ opening drive was a quick three and out as they punted on 4th and 10 from their own 25 yard line. It was only a 25 yard punt, giving the Cardinal great field position. However, Stanford did not capitalize as they had a quick three and out of their own. Connor Weselman punted 51 yards for a touchback to give Hawaii the ball back with 13:09 to go in the 1st quarter.
The next Hawaii drive was also a three and out as Matthew Shipley came on for his second punt of the night. This time he punted forth a solid ball that traveled 50 yards in the dewy Hawaii atmosphere. Casey Filkins would fair catch the punt at the 28 yard line for the Cardinal with 11:42 to go in the 1st quarter.
Stanford would make a series of short to medium yard gains to get themselves to set up a 1st and 10 from the Hawaii 35 yard line. Daniels then connected with Yurosek for a 25 yard completion to set up 1st and goal from the 10 yard line. The next play, Daniels ran nine yards to the 1 yard line before E.J. Smith punched it in for the touchdown. 7-0 lead for the Cardinal with 7:25 to go in the 1st quarter after the extra point by Joshua Karty.
Both teams would then trade punts, making it so that Hawaii started on their own 25 yard line with 4:59 to go in the quarter. Hawaii would do a solid job of marching down the field as Schager had a 21 yard gain along with multiple 10+ yard completions, the longest being a 17 yard pass completed to Landon Sims. After Schager rushed up the middle for four yards, the quarter ended. It was a 7-0 lead for Stanford, but Hawaii had a 2nd and 6 from the Stanford 16 yard line.
Hawaii would find the end zone to tie the game up 7-7 with 14:11 to go in the 2nd quarter as Schager connected with Ashlock for a 7 yard touchdown completion. Hawaii had responded, putting some pressure on Stanford.
After a touchback on the kickoff, Stanford got the ball on their own 25 yard line to start their next drive. The first play from scrimmage was a 22 yard completion from Daniels to Yurosek, getting the ball to the Stanford 47 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Daniels connected with Yurosek again on a 20 yard completion. Then, Daniels found Tiger Bachmeier for a one yard gain. On 2nd and 9, Stanford ran a pretty flea flicker that resulted in Daniels finding Yurosek for a 32 yard touchdown. It was now a 14-7 lead for the Cardinal with 12:24 to go in the half.
“Yeah, there were some matchups that Ben had against a linebacker and he’s so talented,” Taylor said of Yurosek’s performance. “He’s got great ball skills and great in traffic and he’s a really good runner after he catches the ball. So, the more we can utilize him [the better].
“The trick play was a hand off with a lateral back to the quarterback and they did a pretty good job of recovering. It was an unbelievable throw by Ashton and an even better catch by Ben with a lot of traffic where a lot of times those balls get punched out or deflected or they just lose their focus and he did a great job. He made a number of catches where people call them 50/50 balls where you’re not sure if they’re gonna be able to come up with them. They were all really huge moments in the game.”
“It felt good to win,” Yurosek said. “It felt good to win. It’s good to get the ball and feel like you’re helping the offense and all that stuff, but it was a great win to start the era…Yeah, you’re obviously excited whenever those plays get called. And we know you’re gonna get the ball and so for you a big play. Definitely some butterflies starting up in the stomach and all, but yeah, I have complete confidence in our offense and when a play like that happens, you know it’s gonna be a success.”
Hawaii would be a quick three and out once more as they had yet another punt. As a result, Stanford got the ball on their own 34 yard line with 10:24 to go in the half. Like clockwork, Daniels connected with Yurosek on the opening play of the drive for a nine yard reception. Thanks to a personal foul against Hawaii on 3rd and 1, Stanford’s drive stayed alive, advancing them to the Hawaii 41 yard line.
Stanford took advantage as Filkins had back-to-back runs for a combined nine yards after which Daniels was able to rush for a first down. Then, Daniels connected with Jayson Raines for an 11 yard completion. It was now 1st and 10 for Stanford on the Hawaii 19 yard line.
“Yeah, Hawaii had a great defense,” Yurosek said. “A lot of fans, a lot of energy. This defense came out to play for sure today. I would say anytime we knew we were gonna be in man, obviously that’s a matchup I’d love to have and whether it was a linebacker or safety, I think I’m obviously taking on anybody. So I had a good amount of man opportunities this game and great play calling.”
Thanks to an eight yard run from Daniels along with a targeting call against Hawaii, it became 1st and goal for Stanford on the Hawaii 6 yard line. From there, Stanford found the end zone as Bryce Farrell scored on a two yard touchdown sweep. He wasn’t even touched as he waltzed into the end zone. 21-7 lead for Stanford with 4:25 to go in the half.
“Yeah, just staying consistent,” Daniels said of the key to their strong start. “Being able to move the ball on the ground and in the air. Obviously we weren’t too happy with the outcome. I think there was a lot of space that we could have done better as an offense…I think we’re gonna get that cleaned up before next week. But yeah, just staying consistent, trusting the schemes, trusting my o-line, trusting my receivers to get open down the field, and just kinda staying calm is what helped us the most.”
Hawaii would find a way to add three more points before halftime, making it a 21-10 lead for Stanford as both teams headed into the tunnel. The Cardinal offense was in a nice flow while the defense was doing their job to make things tough on the Warriors. Bailey was having a huge impact for the Cardinal defense as he had four solo tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks.
“David is a really talented young man,” Taylor said of Bailey. “Quick, explosive, powerful, and I think he’s just gonna get better and better as his confidence improves and he becomes just a more experienced player. But, it’s all there for him. He is as talented a guy as I’ve been around and it’ll be fun to watch him grow.”
The 3rd quarter was quieter as the only points that were scored were courtesy of two field goals from Karty. Karty’s first field goal came on a 4th and goal from the 7 yard line with 11:07 to go in the quarter while the next field came on a 4th and 5 from the Hawaii 8 yard line. A pair of chip shots. As a result, Stanford led 27-10 at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Hawaii did have one chance to add points in the quarter, deciding to go for it on 4th and 3 from the Stanford 10 yard line. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Anthony Franklin would sack Schager for a seven yard loss and a turnover on downs. This happened midway through the quarter.
“Yeah, I think resiliency,” Taylor said of what he most liked about his defense. “And it’s an explosive offense. They can really throw the ball. Their wide receivers make plays. And just hanging in there and obviously gave up some yards and some plays, but never a lot of points. So, I’m really proud of how they hung in there and they made them a very one-dimensional team. Obviously the running game was not existent and I thought they played cleanly as well. So, really proud of those guys.”
While they did not score at all in the 3rd quarter, it should be noted that Hawaii ended the quarter with a bit of momentum as they had the ball on the Stanford 24 yard line with a fresh set of downs to start the 4th quarter. The opening play of the 4th quarter would be a 24 yard touchdown pass from Schager to Steven McBride, making it a 27-16 game after Hawaii failed to score on the two-point conversion.
The opening drive of the 4th quarter for the Cardinal started on the Hawaii 25 yard line with 14:52 to go. A 12 yard reception by Farrell and a nine yard reception by Elic Ayomanor helped set up a 46 yard field goal attempt by Karty, which of course split the uprights. 30-16 was the lead for the Cardinal with 9:15 to go.
“Those field goals were huge,” Taylor said of Karty. “They were pivotal. There was momentum changes in the game where Hawaii closed a little bit and Josh being able to come in and just hit those things right down the middle, it’s a huge weapon.”
Hawaii would not score on their next drive as it ended after they went for it on 4th and 10 from their own 43 yard line. On a safety blitz, Scotty Edwards got a huge sack for the Cardinal, forcing a turnover on downs and giving the Cardinal the rock on the Hawaii 31 yard line. After two rushes from Ryan Butler for a combined 18 yards, Daniels found John Humphreys for a 13 yard touchdown reception with 5:30 to go. Humphreys wasn’t even breathed on by the Hawaii defense. It was now a 37-16 lead for the Cardinal.
In the end, Hawaii would find the end zone one more time and convert a two-point conversion but failed to recover an onside kick attempt. This made it a 37-24 victory for Stanford. Hawaii was able to make the final score look a bit more respectable in the end, but Stanford proved to be the better team.
To win the opening game of the Troy Taylor era is huge for Stanford. Especially when you consider all the uncertainty that has been surrounding the program due to conference realignment. To open up the season with a win and on a day when they find out they’ll be joining the ACC is a great day for Stanford.
Touching more on the game itself, Benjamin Yurosek was a beast on offense while David Bailey was a beast on defense. At quarterback, Ashton Daniels was steady all night, doing a sound job of leading the offense. Just all-around it was a great team victory.
“I thought he played really well,” Taylor said of Daniels. “His demeanor was great throughout the entire game. You know, first start and so that’s a pretty big deal on the road. And he’s just really calm and he was never flustered. He didn’t play perfectly. Nobody did, but he played really well and I thought he made great decisions.
“He was under duress a number of times and a lot of times quarterbacks will throw the ball up or make a really poor decision. He didn’t do that. Obviously we didn’t turn the ball over. So, he was a big part of that. So, I thought he did a great job and he’s a good runner as well. So, he’s a dual threat guy.”
“Yeah, I found [I would be starting] Wednesday right before practice,” Daniels said. “And then we actually flew out. After that practice, too. But, figuring that news out was awesome. Just being able to hold that role at such a prestigious university, that has a great football program with all the great guys that played this position before.
“So knowing that, I just went into this game locked in. Ready to go, ready to lead my team out there, but just kinda taking it step by step and making sure that we got the job done…It was so much fun. We knew that going into this game we were going to go out and try to have a lot of fun. Be creative. And just execute when the right plays were called. And going out there for my first start and getting that win is just huge. Kinda just stacks that on to everything that I’ve worked hard for. Everything that these guys have worked hard for. It was a long time coming, but we put the work in and just going out there and being able to lead those guys was an amazing feeling.”
As for Hawaii, a disappointing loss, but they battled hard. To cut them some slack, I do think Stanford is better than advertised. So, it’s not as bad of a loss as others might make it out to be. They got some weapons on offense and should be able to make a bit of noise in the Mountain West.
Up next for Stanford is a road game at USC. That will be on Saturday, September 9th at 7:30 PM PT on FOX and KNBR Radio.
“Yeah, I learned a ton about our guys,” Taylor said of coaching his first game for Stanford. “We talked about that all week that this was not gonna be perfect. It was gonna be a tough game. It was gonna be where we had times where we had to bounce back and they were gonna get momentum. And just thrilled how they reacted. Very happy for our guys. We’ve been through so much and coaching changes are difficult and they’ve embraced us and it was a great feeling to get a win and winning on the road. That’s not an easy thing to do. Coming into somebody else’s [field], it was a great crowd, and a great evening. So, just really proud of our guys.”
Note: Casey Filkins and Jimmy Wyrick both got injured. Those are two names to keep an eye on heading into next week as it is unclear at the moment what their status is.
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