Yays, Nays and OKs for 2-6 Stanford football

By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
Nov. 4, 2023

Am I crazy, or was Saturday night’s 42-33 loss to No. 5 Washington the most encouraging Stanford football loss in years?

Looking back over recent campaigns, the Cardinal register is riddled with two types of defeats: Losses of two or more scores, usually but not exclusively to good or great teams, and close losses, typically to mediocre or bad teams and almost never to good teams.

Technically, the defeat at the hands of the Huskies was a two-score loss. The thing is, it’s the team’s best result against a ranked team since the Card pulled off its infamous 31-24 overtime upset of No. 3 Oregon in 2021. That game, of course, was followed by seven straight losses, among them a 28-10 loss at No. 22 Arizona State and a 45-14 home loss to Notre Dame.

Stanford shows spirit but comes up short in 42-33 loss to Washington

By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
Nov. 2, 2023

In a game full of scoring, the outcome of No. 5 Washington’s game at Stanford on Saturday night came down to a fourth-quarter trick play dialed up by Troy Taylor, the Cardinal football head coach and offensive play caller.

On fourth down and two, the Cardinal needed to reach the home 30-yard line to keep its offense on the field and preserve a chance to erase a 35-33 deficit with three minutes and 23 seconds in the fourth quarter. Operating under center in a tight formation, sophomore quarterback Ashton Daniels took the snap and pitched the ball to Tiger Bachmeier, who was standing behind him and to his left. The freshman receiver ran several steps to the right and planted his feet while facing an oncoming defender.

Little-used receiver Jayson Raines had set the edge on the right side of the line. As soon as the ball was snapped, ignoring and ignored by pass rushers, Raines began running a curl route toward the right sideline. Now, approaching the home 35-yard line, the junior turned back toward Bachmeier, who had thrown a weak pass. Raines reached down to corral the ball, but it dribbled off of his hands and onto the turf for an incompletion and a turnover on downs.