On Friday, Stanford football defeated Syracuse on the road at “The Dome” by a final score of 26-24. Stanford senior kicker Emmet Kenney hit the game-winning field goal from 39 yards out, going 4-4 on the day on his field goals and 2-2 on his extra points with a field goal long of 51 yards. Stanford redshirt sophomore wide receiver Elic Ayomanor had seven receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown while senior safety Mitch Leigber had an interception returned for a touchdown.
Regarding quarterbacks, Stanford junior Ashton Daniels went 23-38 for 178 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions while Syracuse senior Kyle McCord went 27-42 for 339 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Stanford improves to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the ACC while Syracuse falls to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the ACC.
VIDEO: Stanford Football Postgame Press Conference | Syracuse
BOX SCORE: Stanford at Syracuse-Friday, September 20th
Stanford was the first and last team to score in the game. After both teams traded punts, Stanford would score a touchdown on their second drive of the game, getting the ball on their own 22 yard line with 11:29 to go in the 1st quarter after a fair catch by Tiger Bachmeier. It would end up being a nine play, 78 yard drive ending with Ashton Daniels finding Elic Ayomanor for a 17 yard touchdown pass in the right of the end zone as Ayomanor reeled it in with one hand. The longest play of the drive was a 19 yard reception by tight end Sam Roush. Stanford would lead 7-0 with 7:22 to go in the 1st quarter.
Stanford’s defense would force another punt, giving the Cardinal the ball back on their own 29 yard line with 4:42 to go in the 1st quarter following a personal foul called against Syracuse on the return. Stanford would also get aided by a roughing the passer call on the drive, giving them another 15 yards. Unfortunately for Stanford, they would be called for holding against the offensive line on 2nd and 9 from the Syracuse 22 yard line, backing them up 10 yards to end the 1st quarter.
The opening play of the 2nd quarter would be Ashton Daniels connecting with wide receiver Ismael Cisse for a gain of 12 yards, but in the end Stanford would have a to settle for a field goal. A 38 yarder that Kenney made with no trouble. It was now a 10-0 lead for Stanford with 14:03 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Stanford would then force a Syracuse punt only to fail to capitalize on the next drive as Daniels threw an interception to Devin Grant, giving Syracuse great field position with the ball on the Stanford 23 yard line and 11:03 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Stanford’s defense was able to hold Syracuse to a field goal as Brady Denaburg drained a 30 yarder to get the Orange on the board. It was a 10-3 lead for Stanford with 9:26 to go in the 2nd quarter.
After both teams traded punts, Stanford had 1st and 10 from their own 20 yard line with 2:35 to go until halftime. Stanford freshman running back Chris Davis Jr. had a huge 47 yard gain on the first play of the drive to get the ball into Syracuse territory. Unfortunately for Stanford, a 10 yard holding penalty against the offensive line backed them up, forcing them to bring out Kenney for a 51 yard field goal attempt, which he made. Stanford now was up 13-3.
On the next drive, Syracuse quickly answered as Kyle McCord found wide receiver Umari Hatcher for a 67 yard touchdown pass. Stanford cornerback Zahran Manley stumbled and Hatcher took advantage. It was now a 13-10 game as the Orange were right back in it with only 28 seconds left in the half. With so little time left, Stanford wasn’t able to answer before halftime, making it a 13-10 lead for Stanford at halftime.
Stanford’s defense forced a punt on the first drive of the second half, giving them the ball back on their own 17 yard line with 12:52 to go in the 3rd quarter. That drive didn’t go well for Stanford as Daniels threw an interception to Clarence Lewis that was caught at the Syracuse 25 yard line and returned for zero yards. Fortunately for Daniels, the Cardinal defense would get an interception on the next drive as McCord was picked off by Stanford safety Mitch Leigber, who took it to the house for a 71 yard touchdown. Stanford now led 20-10 with 4:16 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Stanford’s defense then had a breakdown on the next drive as Syracuse completed a nine play, 75 yard drive to find the end zone as McCord redeemed himself with a 19 yard touchdown run to end the drive. It would be a 20-17 lead for Stanford at the end of the 3rd quarter as a result.
Stanford’s opening drive of the 4th quarter resulted in a punt as Aidan Flintoft punted it 47 yards to the Syracuse 32 yard line, giving Syracuse the ball on their own 32 yard line with 14:03 to go. Fortunately for Stanford, they would get the ball right back as the first play of the next drive would result in an interception by safety Jay Green, giving the Cardinal the ball on the Syracuse 47 yard line.
Stanford’s next drive coming off that interception would be a bit stale, resulting in the Cardinal having to settle for a 35 yard field goal, which Kenney of course made. It was now a 23-17 lead for Stanford with 9:19 to go.
Both teams would then trade punts, giving Syracuse the ball back on their own 40 yard line with 6:40 to go. Syracuse would chew up a good amount of clock on a seven play, 60 yard drive to find the end zone as McCord found wide receiver Jackson Meeks for a 13 yard touchdown to make it a 24-23 lead for Syracuse with 3:13 to go.
Stanford got the ball at their own 25 yard line to start the next drive, hoping to find a way to at least get into field goal range. On 3rd and 2 from the Stanford 33 yard line, freshman running back Micah Ford had a huge 10 yard gain to move the chains. Later on in the drive on 2nd and 20 from the Stanford 44 yard line after a holding penalty, Daniels was able to connect with Ayomanor for an 11 yard completion to set up 3rd and 9. Daniels then threw an incomplete pass intended for Ismael Cisse, setting up 4th and 9 from the Syracuse 45 yard line.
With the game on the line and only 37 seconds left, Stanford converted their 4th down as Daniels found Ayomanor for a 27 yard completion to move the chains and comfortably get in field goal range. Daniels then ran the ball forward a couple yards to center it for the field goal attempt. Stanford called for time with three seconds left. After a false start penalty backed Stanford up five yards on the initial field goal attempt, Emmet Kenney had to attempt a 39 yard field goal to win the game instead of a 34 yard field goal. The extra five yards didn’t matter as Kenney drained the game winning kick to make it a 26-24 victory for Stanford.
For Stanford, this is a massive win. This was their first ACC game in program history and to come all the way to Syracuse, New York and win at “The Dome” says a lot about the culture and program that head coach Troy Taylor is building. Stanford could have given up and folded the tent, but instead they dug deep and found a way to pull out the win.
All three phases of the game made an impact: The offense stepped up in crunch time, the defense kept them in the game, and the special teams both closed it out and delivered the goods all night long. This is a win that everyone on the team should feel proud of.
If I could highlight one phase of the game it would be the defense. A couple years ago, they were filled with holes like Swiss cheese. They couldn’t get stops or force turnovers. Against Syracuse they did both of those things and got a pick six to boot. They have really turned things around.
Up next for Stanford is a road game at No. 21 Clemson on Saturday, September 28th. That will kick off at 4:00 PM PT on ESPN.
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