Stanford Football on Positives From 34-27 Loss to TCU

Jason Burke | Aug 31, 2024

Aug 30, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels (14) drops back to pass during the first quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Stanford dropped the opening game of the 2024 season 34-27 to TCU at home, and while the result was not what the team was hoping for, both head coach Troy Taylor and quarterback Ashton Daniels were able to draw some positives in defeat.

"Just the way we moved the ball when we wanted to. Those big touchdown drives were huge. They were great to see" Daniels said postgame. "That first touchdown to Jackson [Harris], that was awesome. We kind of beat ourselves up on that first drive, it wasn't our best drive, and we still went down and put seven points on the board. That goes to show our potential."

Jackson Harris was the number two option of Daniels in the opener, collecting eight targets while hauling in two for 14 yards. Part of that was the defense holding number one Elic Ayomanor in check for the first two quarters, with the star wideout having one catch on two targets for 21 yards at the break. Another part was the connection that Daniels and Harris have developed.

"I have a lot of trust in Jackson. I targeted him a lot tonight. I've build a lot of trust and chemistry with all of our receivers."

Head coach Troy Taylor gave some credit to the effort the defense put in as one of his positive takeaways. "We got turnovers, that was great to see. Our guys keep competing. Those are positives for sure. We had a chance to win. The disappointing part is not being able to finish and make some plays down the stretch."

Despite the score, Daniels felt that the team should have come out on top in this one, saying TCU came out in some defensive schemes that they expected, and some that they didn't expect. "But ultimately, I think we had the better side out there. We just couldn't execeute to the best of our ability."

Stanford will now get an extra day of rest ahead of next week's matchup against Cal Poly, with a chance to even up their record.