Stanford football falters in a 40-10 loss to SMU

Unable to come away with the win, the Cardinal will look to rebound next week and get back to their winning ways.

Oct 19, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Elijah Brown (2) throws a pass against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

It was another tough day at the office for the Stanford Cardinal (2-5, 1-3 ACC). In a 40-10 loss to SMU on Saturday night, the Cardinal struggled to really get anything going as the Mustangs took quick control of the game and went home with the victory at Stanford Stadium.

It all started on the very first play of the game, as SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings connected with Kelvontay Dixon for an 87-yard touchdown, putting SMU up by a score after one play. While occurring early in the game, the big play proved to be a major momentum shifter, giving SMU the upper hand the rest of the way.

“I think it's a tough way to start, for sure,” Taylor said. “For a young guy, for Cam [Richardson], I think just in general. I thought our guys continued to compete. Down 21-0 pretty quickly, our guys continued to battle. It's a tough deficit to roll out of. We weren't able to run the football. That was something we were going to need to do to beat this team. Keep their offense off the field.”

For Stanford, the biggest storyline of the game was arguably the return of true freshman quarterback Elijah Brown, who after getting injured in his college debut against Cal Poly and was expected to miss a significant amount of time, was way ahead of recovery and able to return to action this week. Brown entered the game late in the first quarter in relief of starter Ashton Daniels and played the rest of the way. Showing promise, it is still TBD as to whether or not he will be the starter going forward.

“Very tough. He hung in there and he took some hits,” Taylor said.  “He continued to go through his progression. For the most part he made good decisions. He had a couple drops, I thought were really good throws. The first down was a big-time throw. Just his mental toughness, consistency and hanging in there. It's not easy to do as a true freshman to come in under that scenario. I was proud of how he hung in there. Obviously he can play better. He will. But I was proud of how he competed.”

After getting ahead early due to that long 87 yard score, the Mustangs were able to pull away and take a 21-0 lead by the time the first quarter ended, with Jennings finding receiver Key’Shawn Smith for a 45 yard touchdown with 4:31 left in the opening quarter, followed by Jennings connecting with RJ Maryland for a 38 yard reception that ended with Maryland crossing the end zone line for six. The biggest scoring quarter of the game, the Cardinal were forced to make adjustments, but the three score lead by the Mustangs was ultimately too much for the Cardinal to handle.

“Got some young guys in the secondary and they attacked 'em immediately,” Taylor said. “We got in a hole, 21-0. Good thing is I think those guys settled in. A 21-point deficit, it was a tough start. Tough for young guys playing in the secondary, especially against a team like that. They attacked them right away. They had a good plan. Put us in an early deficit.”

Stanford finally got on the board with 6:39 left in the first half, with Brown connecting with star receiver Elic Ayomanor for a 18 yard score, making it 21-7 after a converted PAT from kicker Emmet Kenney. For the day, Brown went 16-for-32 with one touchdown and two interceptions, earning his shot to play with how he looked in practice this week despite limited reps.

“He got some reps, for sure. Not a lot [but we] kind of brought him along,” Taylor said. “He's had a lot of reps through fall camp and he had a few this week. He knows the system well. He felt comfortable. That's where we went.”

To end the first half, SMU scored two more times, with running back LJ Johnson scoring on a five yard run for the Mustangs followed by a converted 51 yard field goal from kicker Collin Rogers to make it 31-7.

Coming out of the half, Stanford started with the ball and were able to drive down the field on its opening drive, setting Kenney up to convert a 42-yard field goal to make it 31-10. 

In the fourth quarter, SMU’s defense pulled through in a big way, this time resulting in points. With the Cardinal pinned back deep in their own territory, a sack from defensive back Cale Sanders Jr. with 11:40 left in the final quarter resulted in a safety. SMU then capped things off with another touchdown with around five minutes left in the fourth quarter, with Johnson running the ball two yards up the middle for six, resulting in the 40-10 final.

For the Cardinal, freshman receiver Emmett Mosley V continues to be an integral part of the offense as in just his fourth-ever college game, he led the Cardinal in targets with 10, despite only catching three passes, signaling that the team is looking to make him a major focus on offense. However, he did see some struggles in the game, having a hard time winning battles against the SMU defensive backs with a pair of big dropped passes. One resulted in an INT and the other a failed fourth down conversion deep in SMU territory.

“We'll have to see the whole tape. He can play better. He's a talented guy,” Taylor said. “He's a tough kid. Had some really good blocks. Made some nice catches. Obviously had I think one drop, which he's beating himself up over. But he's a really talented kid that is a tough kid. I'm really excited about him.”

Now having lost four straight and dropping to 2-5, every game now becomes a must win for a team looking for a bowl berth. Eager to get back into the win column, the Cardinal will regroup this week before beginning preparations for a game against Wake Forest. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (PT) at Stanford Stadium.