Elic Ayomanor Bursts Onto The Scene After Mossing Travis Hunter, Torching Colorado In Stanford Win

Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor had a breakout game on Friday

On a cold evening in Boulder, Colorado on Friday the 13th, things certainly got spooky for Deion Sanders and Colorado.

The Buffaloes blew a 29-point lead, losing 46-43 largely due to the second-half masterclass from Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels and wide receiver Elic Ayomanor. The Canadian wideout was targeted twice in the first half, and could not haul either in, but something clicked in what turned out to be a historic second half.

Daniels hit Ayomanor on a slant that saw him shake the defender covering him to the ground and outrun Shilo Sanders for a 97-yard touchdown. The score ignited some life back into the Cardinal, which means his next catch against Travis Hunter which he took for 60 yards and a score really invigorated the team. 

He had been one of the more consistent targets this season for Stanford, but prior to his 13-catch outing, he had just 15 career catches and had yet to surpass four catches in a game. Daniels was constantly looking his way, and Colorado had no answer for it even despite Hunter being one of the best corners in the country.

However, it was his third touchdown catch that everyone was discussing as Ayomanor pinned it against Hunter's helmet and dragged the former No. 1 overall recruit into the end zone. 

Elic Ayomanor with the ELITE catch pic.twitter.com/tpnT7sIew1

— Inside The Stanford Cardinal (@InsideStanford) October 14, 2023

Ayomanor finished the day with 13 catches for 294 yards and three scores, which marked the first Pac-12 player since John Ross in 2016 to have multiple touchdowns of 60 yards or more in a game. He also fared quite well against Hunter, recording seven catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns when covered by the best corner in the country.

He also emerged at the perfect time for a Stanford offense that lost star tight end Benjamin Yurosek to injury.