Stanford football’s upset bid against Clemson falls flat due to turnovers

There was little, if any, belief that Stanford football (2-2, 1-1 ACC) would be able to keep Saturday’s game against Clemson close. The Tigers, one of college football’s premier programs, had come off back-to-back blowout wins, even scoring 59 points in last week’s victory against NC State.

But despite the 40-14 loss, Stanford’s ability to keep the game within striking distance for three quarters should warrant approval by fans.

The rushing attack was potent, with the Cardinal tallying 236 yards on the ground. Micah Ford was the leading rusher, with 122 yards on 15 attempts. Junior quarterback Ashton Daniels also excelled on the ground, to the tune of 87 yards on 10 attempts, and only taking one sack. 

Stanford’s first ever trip to Clemson was marred by mistakes, and although there were glimpses of hope, the final score of 40-14 showed that Stanford still has a ways to go to compete at the level they want to. 

The Cardinal’s defense excelled for their second straight game in a hostile environment, showing signs of being a unit that the team can lean on. Junior cornerback Collin Wright displayed why he should be on NFL draft boards, getting his first pick of the season while also tackling well in space. The defense forced Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik into a rare inaccurate performance, as Klubnik completed less than 50% of his passes.

But self-inflicted wounds eventually came back to bite Stanford.

Early in the game, two turnovers and a failed fourth down conversion killed promising drives for the Stanford offense. A couple of ill-advised throws from Daniels in the first quarter began a disappointing day for the passing offense. Daniels passed for 71 yards and nine completions on 19 attempts, to go along with a touchdown and three interceptions, before exiting the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent ankle injury. 

“We just did a poor job of taking care of the football,” Taylor said in a post-game press conference. “We should have had two field goals at the beginning. Then I really think it’s a different game.”

“If you’re gonna come into a place like this against a great team, you can’t have that many mistakes.”

Taylor lauded Daniels for his performance in the run game.

But, “quarterback is one of those [positions] where you can have 70 good plays and you have three bad plays, and it’s a rough game,” he said. “That’s just the nature of the position.”

Redshirt junior quarterback Justin Lamson came in for the remainder of the fourth quarter, and threw four completions and a touchdown in eight attempts. But Lamson also had the fumble on the first drive of the game that wiped away a first down, setting up a short field for Clemson’s first score.

Unfortunately, too many quick drives and turnovers by the offense kept the defense on the field for a long part of the night, and they were unable to keep Klubnik from connecting on deep passes late in the game. Stanford also missed some opportunities for scores due to Taylor’s aggressiveness on fourth down, but the former Sacramento State head coach does not regret his strategy.

“We’re not here to play to keep it close,” he said. “So we play the game and we make calls to go for it on certain downs to win the football game.”

Up next, Stanford will head back home to face the Virginia Tech Hokies (2-3, 0-1 ACC) on Oct. 5. While the Hokies possess a losing record, their controversial loss to Miami on Friday should keep Stanford fans on their toes for the rest of game week.

Injury Report

• Daniels was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent ankle injury. Taylor said there were no updates on Daniels’ status during the post-game press conference.
• Junior safety Jaivion Green also left the game during the first quarter after being injured on Klubnik’s 34-yard touchdown run. Similar to Daniels, Taylor noted there was no update on Green’s status.
• According to Stanford play-by-play announcer Troy Clardy, junior wide receiver Mudia Reuben is out for the rest of the season. Reuben was injured in Stanford’s game against Syracuse last week. 
• Fifth-year defensive lineman Tobin Phillips had his first start since his injury against Cal Poly earlier this month.
• Freshman wide receiver Emmett Mosley V made his collegiate debut after battling injuries during the first three games of the season. Mosley also had the first touchdown reception of his career in garbage time and tallied seven receptions for 48 yards for the game.
• Inside linebacker Jahsiah Galvan made his Stanford debut in Saturday’s game. Galvan tallied his first sack in a Stanford uniform during the third quarter.

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