by Hollywood Sports
Saturday, Nov 30, 2024The Stanford Cardinal finished 3-9 in the second season under head coach Troy Taylor after their 34-31 loss at San Jose State on Friday, November 29th. While this team seemed to be better this season in their first year in the ACC, the results do not do much to back that claim up.
Last year was destined to be a trying season for Taylor’s first season as he was taking over a decimated Cardinal program whose high academic standards made things very difficult in the new world of college football with the NIL and the transfer portal. Taylor inherited the fewest returning production of all Power Five programs. A 3-9 campaign ensued with Stanford getting outgained by -128 Yards-Per-Game in Pac-12 play. But there were bright spots. The Cardinal pulled off upsets against Colorado and Washington State. Dual-threat quarterback Ashton Daniels showed flashes with 11 touchdown passes. Sophomore wide receiver Elic Ayomanor caught 62 balls for 1013 receiving yards in Taylor’s fast-paced stretch Air Raid offense. With four starters back, Stanford may have had the most improved offensive line in the country. But the defense suffered by ranking 129th in the nation by allowing 37.2 Points-Per-Game and 461.7 YPG. Fifteen of the 20 players who logged in at least 200 snaps return with the hope that a second year under defensive coordinator Bobby April will lead to a significant growth spurt. Taylor has improved recruiting — they ranked 31st and 27th respectively by 247 Sports and Rivals for their 2024 class. He is not attempting to take shortcuts in the transfer portal (which simply may not be an option for a school like Stanford) so things remain a long-term project.
Stanford blew a 21-7 lead in the third quarter the previous week against California and lost the game after the Golden Bears executed a 98-yard touchdown drive in the final two minutes. They got outgained by -112 net yards in that contest. They entered their final game of the season against the Spartans surrendering 412.3 total YPG which resulted in 39.3 PPG. The 412.3 passing YPG they were giving up is the eighth most in the FBS. They ranked 110th in Opponent Pass Success Rate Allowed with opposing quarterbacks completing 66% of their passes against them with 27 touchdown passes. San Jose State gained 443 yards against them with their defense continuing to be a problem. Spartans’ quarterback Walker Eget completed 33 of 49 passes for 385 yards with four touchdown passes and an interception in that game. The previous week against UNLV, Eget only completed 4 of 22 passes for 81 yards albeit in rain and sloppy conditions.
Stanford's offense did play better in their final game in 2024. After going into that contest scoring only 19.2 PPG on the road, they gained 379 yards with Daniels leading the offense down the field midway in the fourth quarter to take a 31-27 lead. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 252 yards with one touchdown pass — but he did throw three interceptions. He added another 91 yards on the ground with another touchdown. But the defense could not stop the Spartans who scored the winning touchdown with just under two minutes to go in the game.
The Cardinal offense had not rushed for at least 120 yards in seven of their games — and they had failed to pass for at least 200 yards in eight of their games. They overcame those low standards against San Jose State. They were converting on just 34% of their third downs going into that game. They ranked 116th in Havoc Rate Allowed with their offensive line giving up 38 sacks and 95 tackles for loss — but they only gave up one sack in their final game against a Spartans team that ranked 30th in Havoc Rate with 22 sacks and 77 tackles for loss going into that game.
Optimists can point to Stanford’s offensive numbers against San Jose State along with their general improvement on defense to conclude that the Cardinal is moving in the right direction under Taylor. Yet after two straight 3-9 campaigns, these are baby steps, at best.
Stanford would probably be ill-advised to let Taylor go after only two seasons given his commitment to rebuilding this program with a strong foundation rather than quick-fix gambles. But he probably needs to see the Cardinal make significant strides on the field in his third season next year.
Best of luck — Frank.
Last year was destined to be a trying season for Taylor’s first season as he was taking over a decimated Cardinal program whose high academic standards made things very difficult in the new world of college football with the NIL and the transfer portal. Taylor inherited the fewest returning production of all Power Five programs. A 3-9 campaign ensued with Stanford getting outgained by -128 Yards-Per-Game in Pac-12 play. But there were bright spots. The Cardinal pulled off upsets against Colorado and Washington State. Dual-threat quarterback Ashton Daniels showed flashes with 11 touchdown passes. Sophomore wide receiver Elic Ayomanor caught 62 balls for 1013 receiving yards in Taylor’s fast-paced stretch Air Raid offense. With four starters back, Stanford may have had the most improved offensive line in the country. But the defense suffered by ranking 129th in the nation by allowing 37.2 Points-Per-Game and 461.7 YPG. Fifteen of the 20 players who logged in at least 200 snaps return with the hope that a second year under defensive coordinator Bobby April will lead to a significant growth spurt. Taylor has improved recruiting — they ranked 31st and 27th respectively by 247 Sports and Rivals for their 2024 class. He is not attempting to take shortcuts in the transfer portal (which simply may not be an option for a school like Stanford) so things remain a long-term project.
Stanford blew a 21-7 lead in the third quarter the previous week against California and lost the game after the Golden Bears executed a 98-yard touchdown drive in the final two minutes. They got outgained by -112 net yards in that contest. They entered their final game of the season against the Spartans surrendering 412.3 total YPG which resulted in 39.3 PPG. The 412.3 passing YPG they were giving up is the eighth most in the FBS. They ranked 110th in Opponent Pass Success Rate Allowed with opposing quarterbacks completing 66% of their passes against them with 27 touchdown passes. San Jose State gained 443 yards against them with their defense continuing to be a problem. Spartans’ quarterback Walker Eget completed 33 of 49 passes for 385 yards with four touchdown passes and an interception in that game. The previous week against UNLV, Eget only completed 4 of 22 passes for 81 yards albeit in rain and sloppy conditions.
Stanford's offense did play better in their final game in 2024. After going into that contest scoring only 19.2 PPG on the road, they gained 379 yards with Daniels leading the offense down the field midway in the fourth quarter to take a 31-27 lead. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 252 yards with one touchdown pass — but he did throw three interceptions. He added another 91 yards on the ground with another touchdown. But the defense could not stop the Spartans who scored the winning touchdown with just under two minutes to go in the game.
The Cardinal offense had not rushed for at least 120 yards in seven of their games — and they had failed to pass for at least 200 yards in eight of their games. They overcame those low standards against San Jose State. They were converting on just 34% of their third downs going into that game. They ranked 116th in Havoc Rate Allowed with their offensive line giving up 38 sacks and 95 tackles for loss — but they only gave up one sack in their final game against a Spartans team that ranked 30th in Havoc Rate with 22 sacks and 77 tackles for loss going into that game.
Optimists can point to Stanford’s offensive numbers against San Jose State along with their general improvement on defense to conclude that the Cardinal is moving in the right direction under Taylor. Yet after two straight 3-9 campaigns, these are baby steps, at best.
Stanford would probably be ill-advised to let Taylor go after only two seasons given his commitment to rebuilding this program with a strong foundation rather than quick-fix gambles. But he probably needs to see the Cardinal make significant strides on the field in his third season next year.
Best of luck — Frank.
