On Tuesday, Stanford football head coach Troy Taylor spoke at a weekly press conference prior to Saturday’s home game against Wake Forest.

Signal Caller Shuffling

After falling into a 21-0 deficit early against SMU, Stanford football head coach Troy Taylor decided it was time for something new. Freshman quarterback Elijah Brown played over three quarters of the contest, replacing junior Ashton Daniels. When asked about Brown’s performance, Taylor praised his toughness and his resilience.

”After taking some hits, he kept his eyes downfield. He’s a tough kid. He didn’t blink,” he said.

Taylor also praised Brown’s decision-making, telling the media how Brown grew into the game and adjusted to the speed of play. Brown ended the game 16-32, with 153 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions (one of those interceptions bounced off of his receivers hands). 

Taylor said both Daniels and Brown will be available and will split first-team reps in practice while competing for the starting position. 

Belief in the Program?

During Tuesday’s press conference, sixth-year inside linebacker Tristan Sinclair said that while he still believes in the team’s ability to win games, there are younger players who are concerned about whether they will be able to win in the program.

“You see young guys on the team that are new and fresh, and they’re uncertain about if we can win here and whatnot,” Sinclair said. “I try to remind them that this is one of the better teams I’ve been on and the coaches are really amazing. They’re really developing us.”

Despite Sinclair’s kind words for the coaching staff, his revelation about some of the younger players on the team could indicate that the Cardinal will have more roster turnover at the end of the year than expected.

Doctor’s Office

When asked what he learned from the game against SMU, Coach Taylor’s immediate response was ”get healthy.” 

In trying to overcome injuries to players like junior nickel Jaivion Green and fifth-year cornerback Zahran Manley, Stanford has been forced to play a lot of young players, especially in the secondary. SMU picked against young cornerbacks Cam Richardson and Brandon Nicholson early on, including an 87-yard score on the first play from scrimmage. 

However, Coach Taylor said he felt the secondary settled in and was able to be more effective after those early struggles, noting that SMU was still playing their starters well toward the end of the game. 

Taylor shared that the team is hoping sophomore cornerback Aaron Morris and junior safety Scotty Edwards are able to return this week, depending on how they progress throughout the week.