Initial Observations of Stanford Football After Week One Loss

Dylan Grausz | Sep 2, 2024

Aug 30, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels (14) warms up before the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Stanford football opened up its season this week with a narrow 34-27 loss to TCU at home, falling to 0-1 on the season. Here are some first impressions on the Cardinal following opening week.

Micah Ford appears to be the favored running back 

All training camp long, the competition for the starting running back role was one to watch, with presumed starter Sedrick Irvin going up against guys like Chris Davis Jr., Ryan Butler and Micah Ford, with each fighting for meaningful carries. And while Irvin was listed as the top ball carrier heading into the game, it was in fact Ford who took a majority of the handoffs during week one after a strong training camp showing.

“He’s been the most productive, consistent guy in camp,” head coach Troy Taylor said. “And so we felt like he deserved the start. It’s a big stage for a young guy, he did good things but there’s a lot of things he can improve. He’ll get better.”

It is still early in the year, but if Friday night was any indication of what is to come, expect to see a lot of Ford this season.

Jackson Harris’ big role

Playing a limited role in his freshman season, Harris came into this year poised to be an impact player, ascending his way up the depth chart with his strong camp. And while he only caught two passes in week one, he proved to be a central part of the offense, being thrown to eight times and showing how much his connection with his quarterback has grown through the offseason.

“I have a lot of trust in Jackson,” Daniels said. “That's why I targeted him a lot tonight. I've built a lot of trust and chemistry with all of our receivers, so there is not a certain guy that I want to target every single game, there’s not a certain guy I want to target every single drive. He was open. I threw the ball up, and gave him a chance. You know, he's beating himself up for it, but he's a young guy and I would never lose trust in him based off one game because I know how great he is and I know that he’s gonna use this game as motivation and he’s gonna have a really good season.”

Harris brings size and length to the receiver position and in an offensive system that likes to throw, Harris figures to be a major part of the puzzle for the foreseeable future.

Offensive line had some consistency issues

The offense put up 27 points and showed a lot of dominance all throughout, but there were moments when the Horned Frogs’ defense was too much to handle, especially up front.

Allowing four sacks and 10 tackles for loss, TCU’s defensive line was able to stand stout and get through the line. But there was also a lot of good in terms of run blocking, with Daniels having 17 carries for 89 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and Sedrick Irvin carrying the ball five times for 24 yards, averaging 4.8 per carry. 

In the first game of the season, a lot of nooks and crannies usually need to be ironed out and now that Stanford was able to see what it has in its offensive line, the team can now focus on establishing that consistency in order to really get the offense going.

Transfers are already providing a huge boost 

Depth was a point of worry last season for the Cardinal, especially on defense, and in the offseason they made it a point to address that as they were able to bring in defensive back Jay Green from Washington, linebacker Jahsiah Galvan from Northern Iowa and defensive lineman Clay Patterson from Yale. Early on, those additions have provided a huge boost.

Against TCU’s offense, the Cardinal defense was able to record two turnovers, both via fumble recoveries, coming from Green and Patterson, with Green forcing one of the fumbles as well. Responsible for both turnovers, the transfers made their presence known and have given Stanford more pieces to work with for its defense.

Ashton Daniels cements his status

All week long, the question remained as to what the quarterback situation would be heading into the game, with Taylor being coy on who would be the starter. And while he reiterated that all three of the competing quarterbacks are options, Daniels’ experience in the system and his prior performances led to him taking a majority of the snaps under center.

“I’d say experience, consistency,” Taylor said when asked what led him to choosing Daniels. “All three of them really had a good camp, I think we can win with all three of them but probably his experience and he’s a good runner. He’s a dual threat guy. But all three of them can play.”

Daniels has shown that he is the guy, but knowing that the options behind him can get the job done in case of emergency has the confidence of where the offense can go is sky high in Palo Alto.