Coming off a stretch of brutal losses, Stanford hoped to come back with a win against one of the best teams in the country. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, a young and depleted secondary would give up explosive plays early, and ultimately nothing—not even a switch at the quarterback position—could ignite their anemic offense.
The Mustangs galloped out to an early lead on an 87-yard pass to WR Moochie Dixon on the first play from scrimmage. Stanford then stalled, and a blocked punt gave SMU excellent field position. Stanford did stop the ensuing Mustang drive, holding them on fourth down, but the Cardinal could not take advantage on the other end.
Two long SMU touchdown strikes to Key'Shawn Smith and RJ Maryland would give the Mustangs a commanding 21-0 lead before the first quarter ended.
“It was a tough night right from the start, obviously giving up the big plays. It's tough…” Troy Taylor admitted, ”They're attacking you with really talented guys, a talented quarterback.”
Troy Taylor benched struggling junior QB Ashton Daniels for the highly touted recruit Elijah Brown.
“We were down 21-0 and wanted a spark.” Taylor said. “He was ready to go, and I wanted to see what he could do for an extended time.”
However, the young signal caller would quickly overthrow a pass, which bobbled into the hands of defender Deuce Harmon, an interception.
SMU was unable to capitalize on the early mistake, and the two ACC foes would trade punts. Cardinal punter Aidan Flintoft pinned the Mustangs on their six.
On the next drive, SMU QB Kevin Jennings narrowly avoided a safety but could not avoid Cardinal safety Mitch Leigber who made a toe-tapping interception in front of a Mustangs receiver. Taking advantage of the turnover, Elijah Brown would find Elic Ayomanor in the endzone for the only Stanford touchdown of the night to shorten the lead to 21-7.
The visitors from Dallas would soon respond with a touchdown. Stanford WR David Kasemervisz had a strong 17-yard return but a series of inaccurate passes under pressure from Elijah Brown would result in a Stanford punt.
The Mustangs made quick work of the Stanford secondary to put SMU in position to score a field goal right as the second half ended to make the score a lopsided 31-7.
Stanford started the second half with the ball yet still could not advance down the field. SMU’s Roderick Daniels Jr. would muff the punt deep in Mustangs territory giving the Cardinal excellent field position at the SMU 28... but Stanford was only able to gain 5 yards via a Chris Davis Jr. scamper to the SMU 23. They settled for a 42-yard field goal from Emmet Kenney, making it a 31-10 game.
The Stanford defense held, giving Elijah Brown the ball back. The first year quarterback led the offense down the field 41 yards only to turn the ball over on downs at the SMU 37.
After trading punts, SMU would advance to Stanford territory only to miss a 48-yard field goal. On the other end, another Elijah Brown interception stopped any Stanford momentum gained.
With the ball back, SMU would attempt to score once more to put away the game, but a resurgent Stanford defensive swarmed the Mustangs with a tackle for a loss and a sack limiting the drive to -7 yards.
SMU punter Isaac Pearson would pin Stanford at the one-yard line. Stanford RB Chris Davis Jr. rushed for 2 yards giving the offense some space. However, on the next play SMU's Cale Sanders Jr. came in on a blitz to sack Elijah Brown for a safety to extend the lead to 33-10.
SMU would again march down the field to score their final touchdown 40-10. A failed Stanford drive closed out the game... one that felt very familiar given the last several weeks of blowouts.
Next week, Stanford will host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who are coming off a 23-20 victory over the UConn Huskies. While QB Elijah Brown saw his first extended play in the college game, Troy Taylor is not certain if Brown will be the starter moving forward. “We'll evaluate the tape…” Taylor said, “...I haven't made a decision on that.”
Despite another blowout, Troy Taylor remains optimistic.
“It's tough. It's painful for everybody to lose when it's not close at the end,” Taylor said. “You're always concerned about it. But these are the most resourceful men I've been around. They continue to battle. ... I know they will continue to compete and we’ll bounce back from it for sure.”
--Sam made me make a signature.