Yays, Nays and OKs for 1-1 Stanford football

By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
Sept. 15, 2022

The first half of Saturday’s Stanford–USC game was a nightmare. The Cardinal coughed up the ball on three of its first four possessions and fell behind 28-7 at the 9:02 mark in the second quarter. The Trojans scored on their fifth possession to go up 35-14. The advantage held up even though Stanford outscored the visitors 14-6 in the second half.

It was not an ideal result for a Cardinal team that has lost its last eight meetings with Football Bowl Subdivision opponents.

Yays

• Casey Filkins, running back. The junior ran for 77 yards on 16 carries, both career highs, and scored his second career touchdown on a two-yard run. The Lake Oswego, Ore., native also caught three passes for 28 yards and returned three kicks for 66 yards with a long runback of 32 yards. Going forward, Filkins seems likely to play a major role in both the air and ground attacks for Stanford as well as on special teams.

• Benjamin Yurosek, tight end. Stanford’s breakout receiver from 2021 was a nonfactor in the season opener, with a single catch for just one yard. The junior was much more prominent in game two, running an end-around for 50 yards and catching a team-high five balls for 45 yards. That rush represented the longest gain by the Cardinal on the night.