- Virginia Tech at Stanford: Saturday, Oct. 5, at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT) from Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif.
- Betting line: VT -8.5
- Roster cards: Click here
- Game notes from HokieSports: Click here
- Stanford weather: Click here
Taylor is in his second year in Palo Alto after leading the Sacramento State program, where he was 30-8 over three seasons, including a 23-1 record in the Big Sky Conference. His team made the FCS Playoffs all three years, advancing to the quarterfinals in his last season in 2022. Ironically, the Cardinal head coach played at Cal before having a brief stint in the NFL.
Things didn’t go particularly well at Stanford in Taylor’s first season. The team went just 3-9, and that included a 30-23 loss to the Sacramento State program that Taylor had just departed. So far in 2024, Stanford is 2-2 with wins over Syracuse and Cal Poly and defeats at the hands of TCU and Clemson.
Taylor is considered to be an offensive guru. His official titles are Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, Andrew Luck Director of Offense and Kevin M. Hogan Quarterbacks Coach. I threw all that in there so you can have a laugh, but I also wanted to point out that he’s heavily involved in the X’s and O’s and gameplanning on the offensive side of the ball. That said, the offense has struggled this season, particularly through the air.
Stanford appears to be a better team than it was a year ago, but like everyone else, it has its strengths and weaknesses. For the Cardinal, most of its weaknesses appear to be on the offensive side of the ball.
The Stanford Offense, By The Numbers
First, a look at some of the traditional numbers for the Stanford offense. It’s October now, so I’m going to start throwing out the stats accumulated against FCS teams because there is plenty of other data to go on by now.
Rushing: No. 46
YPC: No. 46
Passing: No. 112
YPA: No. 131
QB Rating: No. 127
Total Off: No. 94
The Cardinal has been pretty good at running it, but its passing numbers have been absolutely brutal.
Here are some advanced metrics:
FEI Offense: No. 95
OF+: No. 89
Available Yards: No. 110
The rough numbers indicate Stanford has been completely one-dimensional offensively so far this season.
The Stanford Quarterback Situation
Ashton Daniels (6-2, 215, Jr.) is the Stanford signal-caller. He is in his second season as a starter, and his career as a passer hasn’t been much to write home about. He’s completed 59.2% of his passes for 2,919 yards with 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Daniels has arguably been worse this year, with more interceptions (6) than touchdowns (5) and a yards-per-attempt average that has dropped from 6.9 last season to 5.5 this year.However, he is a quality runner. He has 250 yards in four games this year and has averaged five yards per carry. Check out these two games in particular:
- TCU: 17 carries, 87 yards, 5.1 ypc
- Clemson: 11 carries, 87 yards, 7.9 ypc
Virginia Tech got torched on the ground at times by Miami quarterback Cam Ward, and Ward isn’t a guy who usually likes to run. (It’s hard to not forget what Diego Pavia did to this defense at the beginning of the season either.) Tech will obviously need to do better against Daniels since that’s a much bigger part of his game than Ward’s.
Assuming Daniels plays, of course. That would be a big assumption. He left the Clemson game late with an apparent foot injury, and there are rumors among Cardinal fans that the injury is serious. The fact that the line jumped all the way up to the 8.5 to 9.5 range (with VT being favored) on Monday morning is an indicator that Vegas has perhaps heard something about the Daniels situation.
If he can’t play, Justin Lamson (6-2, 215, Jr.) will likely be the starter. He went 4-of-8 for 54 yards and a touchdown after Daniels exited against the Tigers. As a comparison, Daniels was 9-of-19 for 71 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
Lamson played some for the Cardinal last season, though interestingly he had more carries than passing attempts, running for 334 yards on 120 carries with five touchdowns. That’s a not-so-great 2.8 yards per carry, but Stanford wouldn’t have asked him to run it that much if he wasn’t capable. Daniels only averaged 2.7 yards per carry last season but has been much more productive this year because the overall Cardinal operation has improved. I think either way you slice it, the Hokies are going to be facing a quarterback who can cause issues with his legs.
How good is Lamson as a passer? Well, it’s a small sample size, but “Not great, Bob” would seem to be an appropriate answer. For his career, he’s 43-of-97 (44.3%) for 560 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Stanford is going to be somewhat one-dimensional. No matter who starts, I doubt they’ll be able to pass it consistently against the Virginia Tech defense. That doesn’t mean their entire passing game can be ignored, however…
Virginia Tech Must Stop Elic Ayomanor
Elic Ayomanor (6-2, 210, r-So.) had a dominant freshman season in 2023, catching 62 passes for 1,013 yards (16.3 ypc) and 6 touchdowns. He’s a former three-star wide receiver from Massachusetts who ranked outside of the top 100 receivers in the country as a recruit. He’s obviously proved those recruiting rankings wrong thus far.
In 2024, Ayomanor has already caught 21 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns in four games despite subpar quarterback play. He had seven catches for 102 yards in the season opener against TCU, and seven catches for 87 yards and a touchdown in Stanford’s victory at Syracuse.
It’s imperative that Virginia Tech slow down Ayomanor on Saturday, as he is the only Stanford receiver who has shown the ability to make plays. No other Cardinal wideout is averaging more than 8.5 yards per reception this year. I’m not sure if that’s because the group as a whole lacks talent or because Daniels is having extreme difficulties, but either way, the passing game is bad outside of Ayomanor, who is known for making spectacular plays.
The Stanford Running Game
Daniels has been Stanford’s top rusher, whereas the traditional running game has been somewhat inconsistent. Here are the numbers for the three backs who have gotten carries:- Sedrick Irvin (5-10, 190, So.): 14 carries, 64 yards, 4.6 ypc
- Micah Ford (6-0, 210, Fr.): 36 carries, 183 yards, 5.1 ypc
- Chris Davis Jr. (5-10, 185, Fr.): 18 carries, 141 yards, 7.8 ypc
Even though Irvin has technically been listed atop the depth chart, Ford and Davis have been the most productive backs. I would expect to see all three get action against the Hokies, but Ford seems like he’ll be the main man going forward. He was only a three-star recruit and the No. 27 player in New Jersey, but he seems like a very good find by the Stanford coaching staff.
A major factor in what is holding back the Stanford offense is blocking. The Cardinal start a true freshman and a pair of sophomores up front, a group that hasn’t been very good at keeping the opposition defense out of the backfield.
- Tackles for loss allowed: 8.25 per game, No. 130 out of 134
- Sacks allowed: 2.5 per game, No. 103
That’s a good matchup for the Hokies. Virginia Tech is No. 59 in tackles for loss, which isn’t great but is above average. It also is tied for No. 13 in the country with 3.2 sacks per game. Tech should be able to do a decent job of playing in the backfield in this game. If it can make Stanford play in long-yardage situations, that would be fantastic against an offense that has really struggled to pass the football (outside of Ayomanor).
The Stanford Defense, By The Numbers
Things have been pretty similar for the Stanford defense this year. The Cardinal has been strong on the ground but weak through the air. Here are the traditional stats, not including matchups with FCS teams:
Rushing: No. 16
YPC: No. 33
Passing: No. 125
YPA: No. 99
QB Rating: No. 99
Total Def: No. 92
Stanford has done a very good job against the run but a poor job against the pass. That’s a very interesting matchup for the Hokies, who have a strong running game but an inconsistent (at best) passing attack.
Here are the advanced numbers for the Stanford defense:
FEI Defense: No. 73
DF+: No. 83
Available Yards: No. 82
Despite their success against the run, this is a sub-par defense that has allowed 32.7 points per game against FBS teams, a mark that ranks No. 100 in the country. Still, this one is as much about matchups as anything, and there are some interesting ones.
The Stoppable Force vs. The Moveable Object
The Stanford passing defense has really struggled this season. Let’s take it game-by-game against FBS opponents:- TCU: 28-of-42 for 353 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs
- Cuse: 27-of-42 for 339 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
- Clemson: 15-of-31 for 255 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
Meanwhile, the Virginia Tech passing game has had major issues this season. Kyron Drones got going in the second half against Vanderbilt, but other than that, things have been hit or miss, and mostly the latter. Here’s where the VT passing game ranks:
Yards per Game: No. 96
Yards per Attempt: No. 98
Completion %: No. 90
QB Rating: No. 103
Slice it and dice it however you want, Virginia Tech’s passing offense has been one of the worst in the country. It has been particularly bad over the last four games:
Marshall: 14-of-21, 130 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
ODU: 15-of-26, 176 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rutgers: 13-of-27, 137 yards, 0 TDs,1 INT
Miami: 20-of-34, 188 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Drones has failed to hit 200 yards for the last four games. Last season, he never went more than two straight starts without reaching 200 yards. He’s already got two starts with fewer than 150 passing yards. That only happened to him twice all of last year, and one of those was in the Military Bowl when it was pouring rain.
Can Virginia Tech get a consistent passing game going for the first time this season against Stanford? Likewise, can the Cardinal consistently stop the pass for the first time in 2024?
The Unstoppable Force vs. The Immoveable Object
On the legs of running back Bhayshul Tuten, as well as Drones, the Virginia Tech running game has been nothing short of outstanding in recent weeks. Take a look at the numbers from the last four games:
Marshall: 51 carries, 208 yards, 4.1 ypc
ODU: 51 carries, 289 yards, 5.7 ypc
Rutgers: 27 carries, 183 yards, 6.8 ypc
Miami: 32 carries, 206 yards, 6.4 ypc
Total: 161 carries, 886 yards, 5.5 ypc
It doesn’t get much better than that. The Tuten-Drones combo on the ground has been every bit as good as we hoped and thought it would be.
On the other side, the Stanford rushing defense has done well.
TCU: 34 carries, 104 yards, 3.1 ypc
Cuse: 17 carries, 26 yards, 1.5 ypc
Clemson: 30 carries, 150 yards, 5.0 ypc
It wasn’t as good against the Tigers, but it was very good against TCU and absolutely dominant against Syracuse. In fact, Orange running back LeQuint Allen was a 1,000-yard rusher last season but managed just 25 yards against the Cardinal. This is a guy who had seven 100-yard games a year ago.
The Hokies have a better running game than Syracuse because they can add a QB to the mix (and I think their O-line is better, believe it or not). However, I don’t think the Hokie offensive line is as good as Clemson is up front.
How will this one work out? How will it balance out against the battle between the VT passing game and the Stanford pass defense?
Special Teams
Stanford kicker Emmet Kenney is a perfect 8-of-8 on his field goal attempts this year with a long of 45 yards. He was the ACC Specialist of the Week after making a game-winner from 39 yards to beat Syracuse. Though he’s been in the program for four years, this is his first season as the starting kicker. So far, so good. Aidan Flintoft is a sophomore who has started his entire career and is averaging 44.9 yards per punt.
The Stanford coverage teams have been solid so far this season. Opponents are averaging 6.4 yards per punt return and only 18.6 yards per kick return. Meanwhile, the Cardinal has been pretty good in the return game in its own right, particularly Tiger Bachmeier. Here’s a look at what he’s done this year:
Punt returns: 8 returns, 109 yards, 1 TD
Kick returns: 1 return, 27 yards
With that said, all of Bachmeier’s big plays came against Cal Poly. Oddly enough, Stanford has only returned two kickoffs in four games.
Virginia Tech-Stanford Prediction Poll
Before our staff makes their picks, tell us what you think will happen Friday.
Virginia Tech-Stanford Final Thoughts
Stanford had a great effort against TCU in a 34-27 loss and later picked up a big road win against Syracuse. It lost 40-14 against Clemson, but don’t let that final score fool you. The Cardinal had a tough travel situation, sitting at the airport for quite a while on Thursday before their flight got canceled, and then being forced to repeat the entire thing on Friday. The game itself was more competitive than it seemed.
Clemson only outgained Stanford 406-361, but the Cardinal kept turning it over. Not only did it have three traditional turnovers, but it also had three turnovers on downs. Troy Taylor is pretty aggressive in that situation, going for it a whopping 13 times in four games so far this season. The Hokies are going to have to be prepared to defend for four downs unless they have the Cardinal pinned back deep in their own territory.
I do think Virginia Tech will win, and on the whole, the Hokies have more talent. Some of the matchups concern me, though. If Stanford does stop the Tech running game, how will the Hokies win? By forcing turnovers? By finally putting together a consistent passing game? I’m not entirely sure.
There are a few things in this game I don’t like, such as the Stanford defensive front, and obviously Elic Ayomanor scares me. However, I don’t think the Cardinal has a good passing game at all, though I suppose you can insert the backup quarterback joke here (I think Lamson will be the guy, not Daniels). I think it will be a good game, but ultimately the Hokies have more positives than Stanford. I see Tech winning a rare game that isn’t a blowout... but I don’t think it will be a one-score game either.
Chris’ Prediction: Virginia Tech 27, Stanford 17
Will Stewart (Founder): Chris did a good job of covering Stanford’s strengths and weaknesses, and this looks like a tough matchup for the Hokies. The Cardinal can run the football and its front seven on defense is legit. Everything Chris talked about, good and bad, is summed up in this highlight package from last weekend’s road game at Clemson:
You see Ashton Daniels and his backs running well and you see that Stanford front seven make plays on defense. You also see Daniels throw some head-scratching interceptions and you see Stanford getting whipped through the air on defense.What concerns me about this game is Stanford’s run game, which features option and RPO concepts. This is going to force VT’s linebackers to make tough reads on run defense, which they didn’t really have to do against Miami’s more conventional running game. The Hokies were more aggressive defensively against Miami, bringing pressure and defending the run well, something that will be more difficult in this game.
I don’t want to consider the prospect of Virginia Tech coming home with a 2-4 record, and I also can’t pick the Hokies to win a one-score game with a straight face, so let’s assume they figure it out.
Will’s Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Stanford 21
David Cunningham (Managing Editor): This is a unique game for the Hokies for a number of reasons. It’s their chance to respond after the emotional roller coaster at Miami. This is could be a turning point for their season, win or lose. They’ll either leave California with a 3-3 or 2-4 record, one of which is more manageable than the other.
I like Virginia Tech in this one, but it’s a complex game from a schematic standpoint, which makes this more of a toss-up. If Daniels doesn’t play, it’s much more favorable. I’m more curious about Tech’s mindset, though. Do the players want to come out and smash Stanford in the mouth to prove a point or is there a lack of energy? From things I’ve heard and seen, I think I’ll lean the former. It feels like this group is locked in and ready to bounce back.
I believe Tech’s defense will find itself in the backfield a bunch and the offense will settle into a rhythm in the passing game, two crucial points against the Cardinal. Stanford’s very one-dimensional, as Chris pointed out, and I feel like the Hokies can take that away. If they get off to a good start, things should bode well.
I’m not crazy confident about this one, but I’m not sure I’d want to be Stanford playing an angry Virginia Tech team this week. I think that energy and intensity is the difference in the end.
David’s Prediction: Virginia Tech 38, Stanford 24
Andy Bitter (Senior Staff Writer): This one feels like it's more about Virginia Tech than Stanford. How will the Hokies respond after last week's crushing finish? The guess here is that they're ticked off and show up for this one. If the team that shows up last week at Miami goes out to California, the Hokies might win this one by double digits.
That might be a stretch, though, since Tech feels like a team that plays to its level of competition. I think the Hokies are the better team, but I don't think they run away with this one, especially since Stanford has a rush defense that could slow down the best thing about this Virginia Tech offense. The Cardinal's offense might have a tough time in this one if Daniels can't go, too. So I'm taking Tech in — gasp! — one-score win.
Andy’s Prediction: Virginia Tech 27, Stanford 20
Nick Brown (Director of Media): Well, last Friday sucked. As mad, frustrated, or upset as you may feel about it, triple that, and that’s how the team feels. I’ve heard from direct sources that the team is ticked off, to put it lightly, and Brent Pry’s demeanor in his press conference yesterday confirmed those reports. This team should not be trifled with this week.
While the RPO gives me pause about predicting a runaway victory for the Hokies, I can’t ignore the high interception numbers from the Stanford quarterbacks. Whether Ashton Daniels or Justin Lamson plays, neither has me quaking in my boots. This isn’t an RPO offense where Tech has to worry about a standout running back like Kyle Monangai or a proven, experienced quarterback like Diego Pavia. The Hokies' defense should stifle this offense, even with Elic Ayomanor lurking on the outside.
The Hokies will not hold back offensively, and I don’t expect Stanford’s monstrosity of a marching band to play much on Saturday. Virginia Tech will roll into the open week with a reassuring victory.
Nick’s Prediction: Virginia Tech 38, Stanford 17
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| Fan Poll | Score | ||
| Hokies Win by 11+ (73%) |  |
Vanderbilt 34, Hokies 27 | |
| Hokies Win by 11+ (50%) |  |
Hokies 31, Marshall 14 | |
| Hokies Win by 11+ (63%) | |
Hokies 37, ODU 17 | |
| Rutgers Wins by 1-10 (39%) | |
Rutgers 26, Hokies 23 | |
| Miami Wins by 11+ (84%) | |
Miami 38, Hokies 34 | |
| Hokies Win by 1-10 (48%) | |
Hokies 31, Stanford 7 | |
| Hokies Win by 1-10 (54%) | |
Hokies 42, Eagles 21 | |
| Hokies Win by 1-10 (51%) | |
Hokies 21, Jackets 6 | |
| Hokies Win by 1-10 (48%) | |
Orange 38, Hokies 31 | |
| Tigers Win by 11+ (54%) | |
Tigers 24, Hokies 14 | |
| Blue Devils Win by 1-10 (46%) | |
Blue Devils 31, Hokies 28 | |
| Hokies Win by 11+ (46%) | |
Hokies 37, Hoos 17 | |
| Gophers by 11+ (45%) | |
Gophers 24, Hokies 10 | |