Stanford vs. Cal Poly Offensive Players to Watch

Dylan Grausz | Sep 7, 2024

Oct 13, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Stanford Cardinal tight end C.J. Hawkins (88) and running back Ryan Butler (15) and wide receiver Ismael Cisse (25) celebrate defeating the Colorado Buffaloes in double overtime at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Suffering a heartbreaking defeat in week one at the hands of TCU, losing by a score of 34-27, the Stanford Cardinal will return to Stanford Stadium on Saturday eager to redeem themselves when they face Cal Poly. 

Stanford (0-1) looked poised to win its first home game since 2022, possessing a halftime lead before the Horned Frogs turned it up a notch in the second half, unleashing their potent offense en route to the win and sending the Cardinal home with a loss to start the new era. 

Aside from the Cardinal, only Clemson (0-1), Virginia Tech (0-1) and Florida State (0-2) have lost games with all the other 13 teams in the ACC starting the new campaign off with a win, creating a situation where Cardinal must win this week if they want momentum heading into conference play.

Cal Poly is coming off of a 27-21 loss to San Diego, and after experiencing high roster turnover following a 3-8 season, will face a lot of uncertainty throughout the year. This will be the first time that Cal Poly and Stanford will face each other in either program’s history.

Here are three offensive players to watch for on Stanford and three to watch for on Cal Poly as we look ahead to Saturday’s 4 p.m. kickoff.

Stanford

Jackson Harris, WR

Despite only catching two passes, Harris was second on the team in targets, being thrown to eight times by quarterback Ashton Daniels. After seeing limited action as a true freshman last season,Harris is looking like he will be a major part of the offense this season. 

Micah Ford, RB

Initially, it looked like Sedrick Irvin would be the main running back, as he was listed as the top running back on the depth chart but come game time, it was actually Ford who led the way in carries, carrying the ball nine times vs. Irvin’s five. Despite only averaging 1.2 yards per carry and picking up 11 yards, it was Ford’s first ever college game and having put together a strong camp, he has earned the right to see meaningful playing time again in week two.

Ismael Cisse, WR

Limited to only two games in his true freshman season while only being targeted once, Cisse’s debut as a main contributor resulted in him catching his first ever touchdown. While having to share reps at receiver with guys like Elic Ayomanor, Jackson Harris and Tiger Bachmeier, Cisse brings a lot of athleticism to the position while also possessing a lot of speed. He is someone who will be hard to leave off the field.

Cal Poly

Kian Salehi, WR

The offense may not have put up any flashy numbers last week, but Salehi was one of the select few that had some padded stats, being the top target in week one for quarterback Bo Kelly, catching five passes on six targets for 62 yards and averaging 12.4 yards per catch. Despite not scoring, Salehi did a good job of getting open and after a solid first game, he should factor in quite nicely this week.

Giancarlo Woods, WR

Salehi had a very formidable game in week one, but Woods was very good as well, as he hauled in six passes for 62 yards while finding the endzone and also led the team with 12 targets. Standing at 6’1”, 195, Woods is both a good size and provides good speed to the receiver position and also is known for his ability to be aggressive for a catch. While Salehi is beginning to emerge as the team’s top target, potentially taking some targets away from Woods, his talent has shown that the Mustangs have the potential to have a receiver room that wreaks havoc.

Bo Kelly, QB

Last week, he threw three interceptions but he also was able to throw a key touchdown pass while leading the Mustangs in rushing yards, running the ball only three times but picking up 15 yards and averaging five yards per carry. An athletic quarterback with a good arm who also has prior experience in the offensive scheme, Kelly is still growing in his first full year as a starter and it will be interesting to see how he does against an FBS defense.