PALO ALTO – Stanford will go into its first ACC conference game coming off its first blowout and first home win of the Troy Taylor era.

The Cardinal broke open a surprisingly tight game against FCS-level Cal Poly with 34 unanswered points en route to a 41-7 win Saturday at Stanford Stadium.

Ashton Daniels completed 19 of 23 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns and highly-touted freshman Elijah Brown threw a touchdown pass on his first possession. Stanford’s defense dominated except for one trick play that resulted in Cal Poly’s only score, and the special teams also came through. Sophomore receiver Tiger Bachmeier became the first Cardinal since Christian McCaffrey to return a punt for a touchdown, linebacker Tristan Sinclair ran 6 yards for a first down on a fake punt and 6-foot-7 defensive tackle Aristotle Taylor blocked a 41-yard field goal.

The result was expected — Stanford came in as a 35-point favorite. But the game was tied deep into the second quarter before Stanford finally pulled ahead.

“Cal Poly came out and did some really good things,” Taylor, the Cardinal coach, said postgame. “But it was about sustained focus, passion for the game, and believing in yourself that eventually the tide of the game is going to move in your favor. You certainly have more belief after you’ve done it a few times, but hopefully we’ll build on this and gain confidence.”

A fumbled exchange between Daniels and freshman running back Micah Ford on the first possession was recovered by Cal Poly at the Stanford 38, but Taylor’s block on the ensuing field goal kept the game scoreless.

On the final play of the first quarter, Daniels hit junior Mudia Reuben on a crossing route for a 5-yard TD that put Stanford up 7-0. Cal Poly responded with a wide receiver pass from Michael Briscoe to a wide-open Jake Woods for a 22-yard score to tie the game.

The Cardinal went ahead to stay on a two-minute drill before the end of the half. Starting at its 27 with 1:32 left, Stanford needed only six plays and short-yardage QB Justin Lamson scored on a 2-yard run.

Stanford blew open the game in the third quarter, first on Bachmeier’s 90-yard punt return and then on a fourth-and-goal pass from Daniels to tight end Sam Roush after Collin Wright’s interception set Stanford up in Cal Poly territory.

Brown then entered in the fourth quarter. On his first possession, he completed all five passes for 80 yards, including a 51-yarder to running back Sedrick Irvin and a 12-yard touchdown to Ismael Cisse.

Stanford finished 3-9 in Taylor’s first season, but the three wins were by a combined 19 points, and the team lost all seven home games, including one against FCS-level Sacramento State.

The Cardinal have an off week before back-to-back road games against Syracuse and Clemson.

Originally Published: September 7, 2024 at 7:31 p.m.