On Tuesday, Stanford head coach Troy Taylor, redshirt freshman wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, and junior linebacker Gaethan Bernadel spoke to the media in advance of Saturday’s game against Arizona.
VIDEO: Stanford Football: Coach Taylor Weekly Press Conference | Arizona
Troy Taylor kicked off the press conference and was first asked about what he’s looking for from his quarterbacks, namely Ashton Daniels and Justin Lamson. He said the first thing they look for is for them to make good decisions and be accurate with the ball. He feels like they have for the most part done that. He feels like they need to do better to help them while also them improving. All about playing better at every position. Really key to stay out of 3rd and long situations. Taylor said he has confidence in both quarterbacks.
Regarding the quarterback rotation on Saturday against Sac State, Taylor said he wanted to see Lamson against the Hornets. It wasn’t necessarily the plan to have Daniels play the first half and Lamson the second half, but that’s just how things went based on feel. Going into the game, the plan was to play both and that’s just how things ended up happening. Going forward, Taylor plans to continue use them both. Sounds like we’ll see a steady mix of them against Arizona and beyond.
Taylor was asked about senior tight end Benjamin Yurosek having a quiet game against Sac State with no receptions and what went into that. Taylor said some of that had to do with how the game went and them needing to do a better job of getting him involved. He also credited the Sac State defense for the way they contained them.
Regarding facing dual threat quarterbacks, Taylor said it’s challenging and something they have to improve on. Taylor said the scrambles and extension of plays is what does the most damage. Less about the intentional runs and more about the impromptu runs. That’s really where they need to focus.
As for the passing game, Taylor said seeing guys like Elic Ayomanor and Mudia Rueben make big plays really excites him. He wants to continue to give those guys opportunities to make big plays. He wants to make sure he gives those guys a shot by not overthrowing passes and giving them good looks to reel those passes in. Pass protection also really key in that. Not just on the offensive line, but everybody who is tasked with that.
Taylor said Arizona is really explosive on offense. Really good running backs, quarterback, wide receivers, etc. They do a lot of different things and are well coached. He said they are a handful on offense. On defense, he said they play a lot of linemen, rotating a lot of guys. A lot of talent across the entire defense and very sound schematically. They make it difficult and don’t make mistakes. He said it’s a really good team that will earn more respect as the season goes on.
Taylor said with regard to getting his guys to bounce back from the Sac State loss, it’s all about trying to not get them to have a hangover going into the next practice. He said he likes how mentally tough his team is and is confident they’ll bounce back.
Talking about the secondary, Taylor said he likes what he’s seen from the secondary. He is excited about both cornerbacks Zahran Manley and Collin Wright. He said they don’t have a ton of depth in that group but do hope to get Jaden Slocum going this week and getting him back to full strength.
When asked about the onside kick from Saturday, Taylor said that was special teams coach Bob Gregory’s idea and they executed it well. Really a credit to Joshua Karty and his amazing kicking skills.
Taylor said they want to get more explosive runs. While there is a balance between running the ball and taking shots in the passing game, he said he has confidence in their running backs. He thinks there is a lot of potential for that group to do more and be a real weapon for them.
Injury-wise, Taylor said John Humphreys is improving and getting better. Time will tell if he’s a go. No news beyond that on that front.
Moving on to Elic Ayomanor, he was first asked about the touchdown he scored against Sac State. He walked us through the play and felt like if he could get open that he’d get the ball. He felt like the defensive back was playing a bit soft and he took advantage. He realized it was thrown a bit shallow, cut back to the ball, caught it, and made a play.
Ayomanor said he doesn’t notice much of a difference between Daniels and Lamson. It’s all about just focusing on his assignment. He hasn’t spent much time thinking or worrying about which quarterback is out there. He praised their accuracy.
Regarding the loss to Sac State, Ayomanor said they have flashes where they look good and flashes where it’s clear they need to work on things. He thinks everyone feels like consistency is the key and getting better. All about executing the fundamentals.
Ayomanor shared his journey to college football from Canada. He got hooked up with the right people and made the decision to come to the United States. Stanford was always the top choice of destination.
Ayomanor had nothing but good things to say about wide receivers coach Tyler Osborne, really praising his all-around coaching abilities. His knowledge regarding schematics and technique really stand out to him. Just his attention to detail and really helping them understand why they are doing what they are doing. He also really praised all the upperclassmen that he has played under. Guys like Michael Wilson, John Humphreys, and Elijah Higgins. Just the way they approach things. He learned a lot from them in that respect.
On Arizona’s secondary, Ayomanor said he has confidence in his group. All about executing each and every play. Knowing your assignment and doing it well. He feels like if they do their job, they’ll be fine. Ayomanor says if the ball comes his way, he’ll make a play, but he doesn’t think about his statistics. All about the team winning.
On his teammate and fellow receiver Mudia Reuben, Ayomanor is excited about how well he picks things up and gets better every day. He’s had a lot of fun growing with him.
Ending with Gaethan Bernadel, he started off by just talking about adjusting to life on The Farm after transferring from FIU. He said he’s loving his time at Stanford. The weather. Everything.
Bernadel said they had a guest speaker before the game against Sac State. He said the message was about potential. He said he feels the defense has a lot of potential, but it’s about turning that potential in to acutal results. All about putting the pieces together.
Bernadel feels like against dual threat quarterbacks, they need to keep their eyes on the quarterback. Especially in zone coverages. All about getting to the sticks and staying in their rush lanes. He said they have to be better at that. He also feels like gang tackling will be key against Arizona because of how well they run the ball.
Bernadel feels like the red zone defense is about being intentional about what they are doing. Getting an interception in the red zone felt good and that they just need to do more of that. All about turning seven points into three points.
Bernadel shared his recruitment to Stanford and how much the staff wanted him. He felt like Stanford was the right place for him. As soon as Stanford wanted him, he said it was a done deal. He’s really enjoyed playing under defensive coordinator Bobby April. He feels like they have a great relationship. A coach who wants to make his guys better.
Reflecting on the loss to Sac State, Bernadel said it’s all about looking forward and learning from the mistakes. Not getting bogged down by it. Learn from the film and get better.
Bernadel is having fun playing alongside Tristan Sinclair as a linebacker. He said they have to be on their stuff and it helps having a guy like Sinclair by his side. He said a lot is on their plate because of how much linebackers have to do.
Bernadel said he feels like he brings poise on the field. All about building trust amongst each other. That’s the biggest thing he’s tried to bring to the defense.
Finally, Bernadel is excited for the Pac-12 opener against Arizona. He said the community is behind them and it’s been fun to see the support from the student body. He can’t wait.
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