Last Saturday, our beloved Stanford Cardinal hosted the #5 Washington Huskies, and expectations were earth's core low. Vegas generously gifted Stanford +26.5 points on the line, and our very own staff writer David Ta predicted that we still wouldn't cover.
"SURPRISE!" said new head coach Troy Taylor. Stanford balled out for four quarters, keeping the game competitive and within 9 throughout. With just 6 minutes to play, the Card intercepted Heisman favorite Michael Penix Jr., setting up a 35-33 nailbiter and a legitimate chance to topple a CFP contender. While the Card couldn't convert down the stretch with Washington padding their lead by another 7, the surprise performance left the Channel Tree staff on the edges of our seats and full of hope for the future... something we haven't been full of since 2019.
Stanford QB Ashton Daniels went crazy throwing 31-48 for 367 yards and 1 TD in the air, just two yards shy of his opponent Mr. Heisman (Candidate)'s total. To boot, Daniels added another 18 carries for 81 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. Standout WR Elic Ayomanor caught 9 balls for 146 yards and 1 TD on the night. Interestingly, QB Daniels rushed more times than all other Cardinal backs combined.
Imagine what we could've done if 12+ starters hadn't transferred last summer? Good thing we have a top 26 recruiting class coming in (it was top 25 but a few recruits decommitted in the last few weeks). The above underscores that there will always be challenges for Stanford in the NIL / transfer era, but reports of our death have clearly been greatly exaggerated. Take that Big Ten.
One week later, Stanford played the other Washington school and emerged victorious in Pullman with a 10-7 victory. For Wazzu fans, a season that started 4-0 with wins against two top-20 programs (#19 Wisconsin, #14 Oregon State) has now descended into a hellish 0-5 streak. Ugly as the Coug's streak has been, it's nothing compared to the ugliness of Stanford's win.
Daniels once again stood under center, this time throwing 15-31 for 115 yards and 1 INT. If you're wondering where our other QB has been, Justin Lamson also played a significant role in this game... but as our primary rusher. Lamson rushed 20 times for 54 yards and Stanford's lone TD. WR Ayomanor once again came in clutch, collecting 53 yards, including a critical and bonkers 30 yard connection setting up the game-clinching field goal:
Another bright spot in the game? Stanford might have found another in a long line of NFL-caliber TEs. Sophomore Sam Roush from Nashville, TN caught 7 passes for a team-leading 61 yards, making a name for himself. It feels like every week, we find a new player to be excited about. Is this what it feels like to be a CFB fan again?
Let's also take a moment to acknowledge that Stanford's defense held a team who averages 30 points per game to just 7 points. What a change of pace!
The win against Wazzu—who is still conferenceless next year thanks to the consequences of U$C's greed—keeps Stanford bowl-eligible at 3-6, with three games to play. Unfortunately for the Card, two of those games are against ranked opponents (#16 Oregon State, #15 Notre Dame) and one of them is a frisky Kal squad. Really makes you wish we could have the last 5 minutes of the Sac State and Arizona games back...
With both Washingtons behind us, we look ahead to an exciting trio of matchups and the even more exciting prospect of year over year improvement in win total for the first time since *checks notes* the 2015 season. Let's Go Card!
--Fear The Me.