Coming into Saturday’s game against Wake Forest, Stanford football fans had diminishing hope that Troy Taylor’s reign at Stanford would pay dividends. Coming off blowout losses to Clemson, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and SMU, morale surrounding the program had dissipated to lows reminiscent of the Buddy Teevens or Walt Harris era. 

But there was one thing Stanford fans could look forward to this weekend: true freshman Elijah Brown’s first start on the Farm. Despite a pedestrian 153-yard performance against the Mustangs last week, the highly-touted quarterback Brown was going to play against one of the worst pass defenses in the nation, and fans expected him to elevate his play from last week.

However, an early interception and a fumble a drive later in the first quarter demonstrated that the young quarterback was flustered. 

Later in the first half, head coach Troy Taylor pulled Brown in favor of junior Ashton Daniels, searching for stability amid the rocky start. Daniels settled the offense somewhat, but Stanford’s struggles continued, evidenced by a missed 46-yard field goal attempt from Emmet Kenney that kept the deficit at 7-0.

The Cardinal later fell into a 14-0 hole, marking the second consecutive week they were down by multiple scores early — last week’s opening quarter against SMU ended 21-0.

“That was a point of emphasis,” Taylor said. “We need to start out fast…just not clicking right away on offense and kind of putting our defense on the short field.” 

With Stanford teetering on the edge of an early blowout, Daniels orchestrated a critical drive, culminating in a quarterback sneak from junior Justin Lamson for Stanford’s first score of the contest. The Cardinal defense soon answered with a strip-sack touchdown from junior linebacker Tevarua Tafiti, who credited his success to defensive coordinator Bobby April’s game plan. 

“I knew I was going to rush off the edge. It finally paid off,” Tafiti said, acknowledging the contributions of the defensive line in creating pressure.

After rallying to tie the score 14-14, Stanford’s offense continued to struggle with turnovers, a persistent theme throughout the game as they tallied four on the afternoon. A fumble from freshman running back Chris Davis Jr. in the second quarter handed Wake Forest a short field and led to a 19-yard touchdown, extending the Demon Deacons’ lead to 24-14. Stanford’s defense continued to hold, though, forcing a crucial fourth-down stop at the one-yard line in the third quarter. Taylor praised his defense’s effort, especially in high-stakes situations. 

“We had a tough goal-line stand, and kept them out of the end zone. I thought it was a pretty gutsy performance,” Taylor said.

Yet, as resilient as Stanford was on defense, the offense could not capitalize. Daniels, who had a great first half, finishing the first half 11-for-13 for 116 yards, was picked off twice — most crushingly on the final drive of the game with the Cardinal on the brink of field goal range to force overtime. 

“We had him earlier on a double move…just probably faded a little too much,” Taylor reflected on the late-game interception, crediting the defensive effort from Wake Forest. 

“He (Daniels) didn’t miss many throws today, but it was a nice play by their safety,” he added

Stanford’s offensive inconsistency was especially disappointing in light of standout efforts from individual players. Junior tight end Sam Roush’s 16-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter tied the game at 24-24, showing his increasing value in the passing game. 

“The touchdown was one of the best efforts I’ve seen as a player or coach,” Taylor said.

Despite significant strides in the offense and defense today, Stanford’s recurring struggles with slow starts and turnover-prone possessions continue to thwart their efforts.

“We just got to start faster. We just have to execute the trusted plan, and that’s it,” Tafiti said.

With the 27-24 loss, Stanford’s record slipped to 2-6. The Cardinal must now grapple with the disappointment of another narrow defeat, yet take lessons from these close contests. 

“When you’re trying to build a program, all the losses hurt, but you have to respond and be resilient,” Taylor said.

For next week, the Cardinal will head back on the road to face NC State (4-4, 1-3 ACC) who are coming off of a bye week. Stanford will look to snap their five-game losing streak and pick up their second road win of the season.  

Other Notes:

• Sophomore cornerback Aaron Morris was shaken up following a tackle in the second quarter, as his right arm appeared to give him discomfort, but was able to return a few plays later.
• Connor McLaughlin received his first start at tackle since the TCU game earlier this season.
• Freshman running back Micah Ford went down with an injury, appearing to injure his right leg. Ford later returned late in the second quarter.
• The Cardinal defense surrendered only three points in the second half, which is the fewest points allowed in a half since they held Cal Poly scoreless in the second half of the Sept. 7 match up.