Virginia Tech vs Stanford: Three Players to Watch on The Cardinal Offense

Three of the top players on Stanford's offense this Saturday to watch out for.

Sep 20, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Stanford Cardinal place kicker Emmet Kenney (13) is carried by teammates following his game winning field goal against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The Hokies are going up against a new conference opponent at Stanford this Saturday, and are coming off a heartbreaking loss to 8th-ranked Miami. In last week's game, we saw Miami mix it up against the Hokies, which became a struggle for the defense and Stanford presents similar problems that we've seen the Hokies face all season long.

1. WR Elic Ayomanor

Nov 25, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (13) cannot quite hold a pass from quarterback Justin Lamson as he gets ahead of Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety DJ Brown (2) during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Standford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor has been a major contributor this season, receiving 21 passes, 284 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns. Ayomanor also averages 71 yards a game, with an average of 13.5 yards a catch, and his longest reception is 29 yards, in the first game of the season against TCU where he finished with 102 yards receiving. Last season, Ayomanor finished with 1,013 yards, and 6 touchdowns, his longest reception was 97 yards. Keep a close eye on how the Hokies will defend him and who they will have on him for the game.

2. QB Ashton Daniels

Sep 20, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels (14) looks to pass against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Ashton Daniels has proven to be a duo-threat quarterback for Stanford this season, both throwing and passing the football. So far on the season, Daniels has 633 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, with a pass completion percentage of 59%. His rushing stats for the season, are 50 attempts for 250 yards and 62.5 rushing yards a game which is good enough to be the team-leading rusher. This is important to note as we've seen the Hokies struggle with duo-threat quarterbacks and run-heavy offenses, so it will be interesting to see what the Hokies have to defend against this.

3. WR Ismael Cisse

Sep 7, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Ismael Cisse (84) scores a touchdown against the Cal Poly Mustangs during the second half at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Ismael Cisse is the second-leading receiver for Stanford this season, having 170 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 42.5 yards a game, with 8.5 yards a catch. In the first two games of the season, he scored a touchdown in both, and his best performance came against Cal Poly, where he finished with 8 receptions for 79 yards and 1 touchdown.