Hawaii game thread - Printable Version

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RE: Hawaii game thread - jacket3ree - 08-30-2026

A couple of thoughts and a word on UVA.

I was not aware college football started until my son called. It's always been a ritual like the first day of school even when he was deployed to the Far East. I know Tech plays Thursday and had to ask if Stanford started next week or (at the time) today. He alerted me to the UVA-Pack game (conference? yes.) and he knew Stanford played later but he's only making room for UVA and Navy, dumping his childhood team because he has better things to worry about and it's easy because they are so bad. Fair enough.

I thought about walking up but that bamboo is not clearing itself and I plunked down in front of ACC Net at 4. Glad they won even though I knew they were going to lose as Hawaii started running roughshod. In a binary world, that is important and good. A good outcome.

Mostly I was struck by how small Stanford looks compared to Captain Luck's glory years. Maybe that is slim-fitting unis these days, maybe that glory was roid-fueled as alleged, maybe it is my own size compared to the glory years. And to be frank with TMI, it was more important to get my five miles in than drive down to Palo Alto.

Unbelievable luck on two major calls. The Ford TD that sure looked like the ball had started to come loose going across the goal line and I still don't think that sideline catch on the penultimate scoring drive was legit. But luck is part of it. No takebacks.

Hawaii is a decent opponent relative to Stanford, so again, good outcome. Whether its the difference between 2 wins or 3, or getting a bowl remains to be seen. If Stanford can even hang with the Canes, maybe there is something there. If not, I don't know how much there is to read into anything about the rest of the season. As someone said in-thread, make progress.

Hope it brings more people to the stadium. Wow that was sparse. The L.A. Coliseum was downright embarrassing for a team with USC's expectations. 90 degree heat is no joke. This has definitely become a TV sport, maybe forever. I'll be in the woods without reception next weekend so Miami will happen without me watching or being there. I will be there when the Jackets roll into town but any concern about maybe I should worry about tickets evaporated. Remember when the concern about Stanford Stadium Mark II was whether they downsized too much?

UVA. They did look good against NSCU and they should with late-20s offensive lineman at their third or fourth school and seven years of experience. They have leaned into the new reality and had a full Scott Stadium. UVA has less history of success than Stanford and no one mistakes Charlottesville for Knoxville or Gainesville in terms of football madness. Tony Elliott didn't turn from mediocre over his head coach into savant overnight. There was a MASSIVE infusion of cash into the program and they let basketball crater for all of a year before shoring that up. Virginia has a robust Olympic sports program, dominates swimming like no one's business and I haven't heard the academic reputation of the school has suffered one bit.  I don't know what "the Stanford way" is that Donahoe referred to but they should look to UVA probably more than the easy Duke comparison when trying to crawl out of the hole and have more than what, 10k at a football game.  Whatever way, cash is the entree into being successful. Stanford is not allergic to outside cash, so we'll see what anyone wants.

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SkiBum80 - SkiBum80 - 08-30-2026

Watched the game on delay last night due to family commitments. 
Lots great comments & observations on here.
Things that impressed me most were solid (not perfect) QB play, Ford did bring the running game back behind a banged up OLine, exciting receivers, our DLine pretty strong against their run with very active Linebackers flying around.
Biggest concern was our D and much of O disappearing for big parts of 4th Qtr.
Salvaged by one great drive and one great D series
If we play like 3/4 of the game we’ll get the 4 (or more) wins that I guessed this season even against a tough schedule.
If we play like much of 4th Qtr then rest of season will be pretty ugly.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - KartyFan - 08-30-2026

Really hoping msqueri is still around and posting Sunday morning/afternoon/evening thoughts. Would love Matt's thoughts on this one!

In the meantime, some observations from the stadium and watching key plays after...

1. My biggest takeaway was that despite OL injuries, we were able to control the line of scrimmage on offense. Ford and others generally could get a couple yards before contact, and there were many instances of an extra 2-5 yards pushing the pile. Credit to both Ford and the OL for not giving up on the play. Regardless of current talent level (Stanford and Hawaii), I saw the foundations of a physical brand of football returning to the farm. Pass was generally quite good as well.

The run and pass protection made this look like a "normal" offense. The past few years, it felt like we were trying to figure out any way to gain yards with no run game and nonexistent pass blocking, even against mediocre competition. It was nice to feel like I was watching a real team, even if it turns out not to be a very good real team.


2. Agree with those who said Davis Warren was good-not-great. There were several key throws that were slightly off, and the receivers did not do Warren any favors making tough catches (until Liam Thorpe on the last drive).  I think game management was strong, and he did make quite a few good throws. I think a very underrated aspect of his performance was pocket presence. We had good pass protection, and Warren made the protection look even better by making good decisions in the pocket. This was sorely missing last year with Gulbranson and Brown, who didn't seem to be able to scan field while avoiding pressure. 


3. Tackling seemed solid, very few (any?) missed tackles. A welcome change - we'll see how that looks against Miami. Defense also had some nice lateral speed. There were a few times I thought Alejado or a RB had the corner on us, and the DL or LB tracked him down. Again, we'll see how that looks against ACC competition.


4. Obviously disappointing to go from dominating the game to trailing. I don't agree with those who thought we turtled, or that our OL fell apart after losing our center. I did not generally see conservative play calling, I saw quite a few pass attempts, including well down field. We just didn't execute well and never built momentum on a drive. Penalties hurt us, and we didn't quite connect on some passes. I don't think mentality or strategy was the issue - we are just not a great team and these runs will happen.


5. I thought the offensive scheme was varied and interesting. Tried to get positive yards but took some shots, recognizing that it is very hard to sustain a drive 4-5 yards at a time. Liked what I saw.


6. QB/WR connection was promising but also needs to get much better. Felt like most completions were to wide open receivers. Throws into traffic did not connect. But so great for two true freshmen to contribute meaningfully. If we can sustain last year's talent retention going forward, this bodes very well.


7. OL injuries, sigh... Seems like for several years we have started the year down a couple starters, and we lost another one today. Not good when you get taken into the locker room in a cart. Let's hope some of these guys can return in the coming weeks.


8. Game atmosphere - Fan Fest was chock full of people celebrating Pacific Islander Heritage Day. A great concept for Tavita's first game, and it attracted a good number of people who would not have otherwise come. Thank goodness, because attendance was again poor.  I had hopes that the Tavita era would provide an immediate bump. Not quite. The sunny side was virtually empty along with all corners. The shady side first deck did seem full. I was chasing children around and couldn't tell from the crowd that Ford's fumble was overturned to a TD. Bottom line, get some wins and people will come back. In this day and age, we probably need a lot of wins for that. I will keep coming.


9. This feels like 2008. Coming off 4-8 season with some momentum, still not a good team but laying the foundation for something better. Not sure the next Andrew Luck is on the roster so I am not predicting greatness in two years, but we seem to have the wind at our backs. Next week won't tell us much unless we contend (quite unlikely), so we'll have to wait three weeks until Duke for another measuring stick of where we are.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - needle - 08-30-2026

(08-30-2026, 09:20 PM)KartyFan Wrote:  Really hoping msqueri is still around and posting Sunday morning/afternoon/evening thoughts. Would love Matt's thoughts on this one!

In the meantime, some observations from the stadium and watching key plays after...

1. My biggest takeaway was that despite OL injuries, we were able to control the line of scrimmage on offense. Ford and others generally could get a couple yards before contact, and there were many instances of an extra 2-5 yards pushing the pile. Credit to both Ford and the OL for not giving up on the play. Regardless of current talent level (Stanford and Hawaii), I saw the foundations of a physical brand of football returning to the farm. Pass was generally quite good as well.

The run and pass protection made this look like a "normal" offense. The past few years, it felt like we were trying to figure out any way to gain yards with no run game and nonexistent pass blocking, even against mediocre competition. It was nice to feel like I was watching a real team, even if it turns out not to be a very good real team.


2. Agree with those who said Davis Warren was good-not-great. There were several key throws that were slightly off, and the receivers did not do Warren any favors making tough catches (until Liam Thorpe on the last drive).  I think game management was strong, and he did make quite a few good throws. I think a very underrated aspect of his performance was pocket presence. We had good pass protection, and Warren made the protection look even better by making good decisions in the pocket. This was sorely missing last year with Gulbranson and Brown, who didn't seem to be able to scan field while avoiding pressure. 


3. Tackling seemed solid, very few (any?) missed tackles. A welcome change - we'll see how that looks against Miami. Defense also had some nice lateral speed. There were a few times I thought Alejado or a RB had the corner on us, and the DL or LB tracked him down. Again, we'll see how that looks against ACC competition.


4. Obviously disappointing to go from dominating the game to trailing. I don't agree with those who thought we turtled, or that our OL fell apart after losing our center. I did not generally see conservative play calling, I saw quite a few pass attempts, including well down field. We just didn't execute well and never built momentum on a drive. Penalties hurt us, and we didn't quite connect on some passes. I don't think mentality or strategy was the issue - we are just not a great team and these runs will happen.


5. I thought the offensive scheme was varied and interesting. Tried to get positive yards but took some shots, recognizing that it is very hard to sustain a drive 4-5 yards at a time. Liked what I saw.


6. QB/WR connection was promising but also needs to get much better. Felt like most completions were to wide open receivers. Throws into traffic did not connect. But so great for two true freshmen to contribute meaningfully. If we can sustain last year's talent retention going forward, this bodes very well.


7. OL injuries, sigh... Seems like for several years we have started the year down a couple starters, and we lost another one today. Not good when you get taken into the locker room in a cart. Let's hope some of these guys can return in the coming weeks.


8. Game atmosphere - Fan Fest was chock full of people celebrating Pacific Islander Heritage Day. A great concept for Tavita's first game, and it attracted a good number of people who would not have otherwise come. Thank goodness, because attendance was again poor.  I had hopes that the Tavita era would provide an immediate bump. Not quite. The sunny side was virtually empty along with all corners. The shady side first deck did seem full. I was chasing children around and couldn't tell from the crowd that Ford's fumble was overturned to a TD. Bottom line, get some wins and people will come back. In this day and age, we probably need a lot of wins for that. I will keep coming.


9. This feels like 2008. Coming off 4-8 season with some momentum, still not a good team but laying the foundation for something better. Not sure the next Andrew Luck is on the roster so I am not predicting greatness in two years, but we seem to have the wind at our backs. Next week won't tell us much unless we contend (quite unlikely), so we'll have to wait three weeks until Duke for another measuring stick of where we are.

Great post! Seeing wide receivers wide open speaks well about the playcalling / offensive scheme, imo. (Tho it also may suggest Stanford played against a poor defensive secondary.)

Also, while I'm not sure, I'm thinking that injuries may have hit the WR corps as well as the offensive line. Neither Nico Brown, the Yale WR transfer, nor Carter Shaw, the UCLA transfer (and David's son) showed up in the participation chart. We already knew that a starter from last year, Caden High, was out because of injury. Overall, I thought the group that got on the field played pretty well, fwiw.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - Langdude - 08-31-2026

On the injury report before the game: Caden High, Carter Shaw, Niki Prongos, Simione Pale, Nick Fattig, Nathan Mejia, Aaron Morris. There were probably more injured than that, maybe including Nico Brown, but that was the report. Notable is that High, Prongos, Pale, Fattig, and Mejia were projected starters at one point, a list that includes four OL. (It will be five now with Kilstrom.)

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RE: Hawaii game thread - Mick - 08-31-2026

Just an aside, but the U$C vs. SJSU game attendance was so bad, that the Trojans felt the need to issue a press release about it. Technically, about 51k, realistically, closer to 25k to 30k.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - msqueri - 08-31-2026

1. The Tavita Pritchard era begins with a win enabled by scoring by all three phases! We all would have taken that, especially considering the most important player delivering provides hope in the most crucial of areas. We're also continuing the welcome pattern of making gameday on The Farm a fun family experience by winning home games and providing whatever pageantry we can despite football irrelevance. After it took us five years to win three FBS games at home, we've now won five of the last seven at home. Stanford Stadium is becoming a place where people leave the games happy or at least relieved, not despondent. It's also great to get Tavita the win in his debut. That tells us nothing about the trajectory ahead (Walt Harris and Troy Taylor each won debuts on the road), but when you're scratching for wins they all matter a lot. Nice to start in the win column, first time we've done that since the Taylor Hawaii debut in 2023. The ten point margin of victory was befitting a team better than last year, both compared to the Hawaii game and to what algorithms would have expected based on our season-long 2025 quality. This is something we can build on and at this point that's fundamentally what Tavita is seeking.

2. This was so much better than last year's opener. A big part of that is the dramatic road swing affecting both teams. Still, our improvement was notable enough in most factors that it leaves me with a cautiously optimistic feeling. We scored 2.33 points per non-garbage drive (subtracting the single play before the half and the defensive and special teams scores). That's a lot better than last year's 1.44 but portends an offense that will struggle this year. 2.33 points per drive defenses have tended to be in the 78-79 range nationally in this era and SP+ projected Hawaii's defense #91, so the offense wasn't strong. We gave up 2.08 points per non-garbage drive (subtracting the white flag at the end), better than giving up 2.62 to Hawaii last year. 2.08 points per drive offenses have tended toward the low 70s in this era and SP+projected Hawaii's offense #68, so Stanford's defense was better than offense. The yardage battle tells a more vivid story of domination we can take encouragement from. We gained 6.8 yards per play, third most against any FBS foe since October 2021, though Hawaii gave up more four times last year so we should be clear that a bad defense had a vote in this. We gave up 4.35 yards per play, the third most stifling FBS defensive performance of this era (Hawaii has had two games worse than that per year under Chang). That made for our biggest yards per play margin against an FBS opponent since 2021 Vanderbilt. In the entire half decade era, we only have had even a positive margin against an FBS team seven times (2025 Cal, 2025 Boston College, 2023 Hawaii, 2023 Arizona just barely, 2021 UCLA, 2021 Vanderbilt, 2021 USC). We don't often get to see Stanford outplay somebody, so to start the Pritchard era that way is nice.

3. Solid way to start Pritchard's tenure from a coaching perspective, especially considering how nervous I was about a novice head coach (who is also a novice playcaller) and rusty defensive coordinator. It wasn't perfect. A delay of game coming off the sideline to start a crucial fourth quarter possession is brutal. Some may have well-argued bones to pick with electively taking a delay of game to punt rather than trying a long field goal, trying a short field goal rather than try to push forward for a first down and hopefully seven points rather than three (we got zero but that wasn't his fault), the fourth down attempts (I think analytically right both times he went for it but people can always argue), etc. To me these are fundamentally sound decisions, with I think the punt on the short field the one that stands out as one I wouldn't have done in real time. I don't think it's accurate to say he turtled but one could argue the sequence of consecutive Ford runs followed by an incomplete pass was valuing the clock over possession. I don't focus on playcalling as much as some, but the number of third down runs to convert could be seen as tendency-breaking, and the number and timing of downfield chunk plays seemed pretty well dialed-up. If this is game one of playcalling and situational decision making and he's a professed lifelong learner who his colleagues say has humility as a superpower, I am feeling pretty good about the gameday aspect. I always give that less stock than some and certainly less than having the horses in your locker room, but I'd rather he be a good decisionmaker than not. And the thing Pritchard wants to emphasize and wants to grade team on/be graded on is finish. So far so good.

4. The big blemish of the game vibes-wise is blowing the lead. If we hadn't executed the comeback drive this would have been devastating, historic for both squads. It would have been Hawaii's best ever fourth quarter comeback. The announcers said the last time Stanford blew a lead like that was the 2005 UCLA game. We would feel a lot different about this game had the last sequence not played out like it did. A lot of people have asked me what happened to the defense. I don't exactly know. We may have lost some focus. Pritchard suggested the offense not staying on the field long enough played a role - and indeed, the Stanford drives prior to the last two Hawaii touchdowns combined for eight plays, 26 yards, and 3 minutes and 43 seconds. Our best defensive player giving up two touchdowns is not something that didn't happen (explanation for cute elocution: I definitely would not blame 35 solely for the collapse but he was proximate line of defense on both touchdowns). At the same time, the beginning of Hawaii's comeback was fueled by a drive of very good execution and chains moving by Alejado. The next scoring drive was given a mulligan by Jay Green's facemask penalty. I understand hand-wringing over squandering a seemingly comfortable lead, but sometimes you take a shot from the other team or the bounce of the ball. Ultimately we weathered the storm and the final score was more reflective of the game than the nerve-wracking fourth quarter. Yes, we could have lost. But we deserved to win and probably by about ten.

5. There was something encouraging about each phase. We have had a number of good run defense games the last few years and this game did not disappoint. 46 yards on 2.09 yards per attempt is the most Hawaii has been bottled up on the ground in 14 games, though Barfield only got one carry before getting hurt. In pass defense, 5.3 yards per attempt is the fourth lowest of the era. We really have the Air Raid's number the last few contests as the only other teams to contain them like we have were two of last year's elite national pass defenses (Arizona, Fresno State). When we had the ball, the passing stats would have been the third best statistically each of the last two years (Hawaii got carved worse 3-4 times last year). The run game is my primary concern. The encouraging thing is that we had the most yards per carry and second most rushing yards (just behind last year's Hawaii game) in our five Group of Six games this era. Alas, I would advise caution here in light of the opponent. Half of Hawaii's opponents last year ran this well, and they played the #107 schedule. The run game stats got a boost from not giving up any sacks, the first time we accomplished that in three years (2023 Hawaii). That's a very positive data point for the pass protection but makes the run game even more troubling.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - msqueri - 08-31-2026

6. How can you not be upbeat coming out of a game when the most important player you've wondered about all offseason plays great? It's not beating Ohio State or Alabama but Warren beat his 2024 bests in yards and yards per attempt and fell a hair shy of his passer rating against Alabama. It was an extremely clean sheet. 300+ yards with no turnovers and no sacks hasn't happened for us since Costello against Arizona in 2019. Total QBR, powered by the clean sheet, the two long connections to put us in the red zone, and the comeback drive, judged it a 78.9 (reminder that Total QBR updates all season as the algorithm learns more about the teams). PFF's provisional take is that it was the third best game of Warren's career. A fair case can be made this was our best QB performance since Tanner McKee, perhaps as far back as the UCLA and USC games in 2021. We need more data points to know what we have in Warren; this could be the high point. Still, this bodes well for the hope that Warren will drive the team's improvement.

7. The actual team game ball for the offense went to Ford. It's hard to argue. His line's blocking was not good yet he took the yoke as the workhorse, plowing in for three touchdowns and keeping the chains moving all game. He continues to be a marvel at turning one yard into four. That is going to be so valuable for us this year, as long as he stays healthy. Equally encouraging, during the drive Ford got a breather somebody who can't read jersey numbers would have been forgiven for thinking Irvin was the same guy. Both RB1 and RB2 made the run game considerably more effective than the blocking alone warranted. The one thing I will credit the OL for is helping push piles/fight for those marginal yards. Anderson in particular had a spirited game and it was very fun to hear the stadium announcer shout him out on a long run for blocking downfield. He was the bright spot on a patchwork line (especially since he had to play two positions on it due to Kilstrom's injury). PFF did not like the rest of the line's performance. Pritchard talking up the line's blocking in the post-game press conference was for me a tell that his expectations for them are in the gutter. If Ford running well behind his pads on 25 carries against a Group of Six defense to rack up not quite a hundred yards is good play up front, there is not much hope for us against power fronts. The big story among the pass catchers was how Warren spread the ball around, shades of Gulbranson versus San Jose State with five 40+ yard receivers. Most amazing was true freshman Atticus Joseph in his first career game getting in the end zone and moving the chains more than any other receiver. Always delighted when somebody proves (my) expectations wrong. What a big debut, and it seemed on a few route types. Blackburn was quiet until he wasn't, pivotal in the comeback drive. SportsCenter top 10 play for Liam Thorpe! And that's three pass catchers before getting to our biggest chunk yard weapon of the day in Hall and the guy who with better Warren execution probably should have been in Robinson. For the receivers to deliver like this without High and Brown is encouraging. Onovughe was WR1 in snaps and I continue to not get it at all. We have talked all offseason about the run identity, but our team's relative strengths and weaknesses may necessitate letting Warren cook more than many of us expected. Or maybe with Prongos and/or Pale returning it becomes halfway respectable as an offense. [Moving the chains (first down) leaderboard: Ford (7), Joseph (4), Irvin (4), Blackburn (2, plus drew a pass interference), Hall (2), Thorpe (2), Robinson, Warren]

8. The defense made a credible statement in their quest to be viewed as ruthless and relentless. The aforementioned breakdowns that led to the lead being trimmed made it a mixed scorecard for them, but they did generally stifle Hawaii and there were 8-10 players with multiple positive box score plays: Kaminski, Tafiti, Bryant, Rowell, McAllister, Rose, Mattingly, Bachhuber, Davis (second was uncredited but stopping a two point conversion seems important to me!), Staples (second was garbage time). So sweet to be validated so quickly on Kaminski's studliness. A pass breakup, involvement in two sacks, a third down tackle to force a punt, and a run stop. As big a part of this as anybody. Wonderful to see Tafiti show out on the day his heritage is honored against his hometown school/many high school mates. I also like that it was a mix of plays - hands up in passing lanes, pass rush, run defense, opportunism on a loose ball - as we are going to need him as a bit of a utility guy. Rowell forced fumble obviously enormous, and not his only play. You can't watch a Stanford game without Rose being front and center but to be honest this one was disappointing, breakdowns on angles on one brobdingnagian play and coverage on another one or two. Nonetheless, that speaks to a high standard - very few players I don't gladly take a hurry to force a punt and a tackle for loss. Bryant showed very useful facility in making tackles before the sticks, plus broke up a pass. McAllister similarly was patrolling before the sticks much better than I anticipated. Never anticipated in a million years Bachhuber getting a crunch time tackle for loss, exciting to learn out of nowhere that he's on schedule. My guys Galvan and Johnson disappointed me in this one, Mattingly looked better at least this week. And then there were two guys who had quiet weeks but PFF judged as doing exactly what they need to do, Marceau-Olayinka enabling the above and Nicholson being too good to target and breaking up a pass when he got the chance.

9. There is a very low bar to clear for special teams and this may have been the right direction....if we're grading on a curve. Most exciting was a punt block for safety by Eckhardt. Most aggravating was a bad operation leading to a blocked field goal and no points on a red zone trip. Flintoft had net punts of 42 to the 30 (solid), 35 to the 19 (mediocre), 40 to the 45 (mediocre), 21 to the 20 (bad, albeit a super close call from being a perfect downing; box score messed this up but I'm going with what I think is accurate), 40 to the 37 (solid), 47 to the 10 (very good). Davis' returns were a slog until the crucial one that wasn't. Punt returns were modest, Neely had a holding penalty, and Jackson's fielding a bouncing ball was scary, though the screwball punting by Hawaii gives our unit an excuse. Williams and Neely had coverage tackles. Maybe this is improved special teams? Maybe? Pretty scary Pritchard took the ball off Kenney's foot in the second half.

10. Game balls: Davis Warren, Gabe Kaminski, Charlie Eckhardt, Tavita Pritchard

11. We have the opener in the books as a win for Pritchard. Now we have the game nobody expects us to be competitive. I am as interested in injury tea leaves and getting ready for the crucial post-bye stretch as I am about Friday. Hopefully there will be signs that we can build on and we don't get beat up too much. I don't see Miami as a real chance, but as Tavita Pritchard knows better than anyone it's those games that can be most magical. I'm just glad we can talk about football again. Hopefully several more wins we can talk about as the season unfolds.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - rogpodge - 08-31-2026

I seem to recall that the last few seasons, the boards complained about the lack of separation between the receivers and the defensive backs. Now the boards are complaining about the quarterback missing wide open receivers. I know which problem I would rather have.... Not that it isn't an issue, or that it doesn't need work, but it is a luxury Stanford hasn't had in a while.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - needle - 08-31-2026

Somewhat surprising (to me, anyway) was how much the TEs were targeted.

Blackburn ranks second among all TEs with five receptions (behind Eastern Michigan's Joshua Long), and then there was that near-connection for a long TD to Aiden Black. 

Could just be one game, but I suspect Pritchard really, really likes getting these TEs involved in the pass game. Will defenses adjust? Something to watch as the year goes on.

Here's an article pointing out that TE usage is up in college football:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-tight-end-production-stats-nfl-draft/

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RE: Hawaii game thread - rogpodge - 08-31-2026

(08-31-2026, 07:24 AM)needle Wrote:  Somewhat surprising (to me, anyway) was how much the TEs were targeted.

Blackburn ranks second among all TEs with five receptions (behind Eastern Michigan's Joshua Long), and then there was that near-connection for a long TD to Aiden Black. 

Could just be one game, but I suspect Pritchard really, really likes getting these TEs involved in the pass game. Will defenses adjust? Something to watch as the year goes on.

Here's an article pointing out that TE usage is up in college football:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-tight-end-production-stats-nfl-draft/

https://x.com/ESPN_BillC/status/2094422146118250552

Stanford gets a nice bump. Now within striking distance of Cal, and Wake Forest. Obviously, small sample size, pre-season expectations weighting, etc., but arrow up.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - needle - 08-31-2026

(08-31-2026, 07:30 AM)rogpodge Wrote:  

(08-31-2026, 07:24 AM)needle Wrote:  Somewhat surprising (to me, anyway) was how much the TEs were targeted.

Blackburn ranks second among all TEs with five receptions (behind Eastern Michigan's Joshua Long), and then there was that near-connection for a long TD to Aiden Black. 

Could just be one game, but I suspect Pritchard really, really likes getting these TEs involved in the pass game. Will defenses adjust? Something to watch as the year goes on.

Here's an article pointing out that TE usage is up in college football:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-tight-end-production-stats-nfl-draft/

https://x.com/ESPN_BillC/status/2094422146118250552

Stanford gets a nice bump. Now within striking distance of Cal, and Wake Forest. Obviously, small sample size, pre-season expectations weighting, etc., but arrow up.

Bill C. projects Stanford to cover quite easily against Miami (has them winning by 17, spread is Miami by 24.5). So, if Vegas is right, could be a short-lived rise in his rankings.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - Goose - 08-31-2026

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RE: Hawaii game thread - KartyFan - 08-31-2026

A few more comments, because hey it's football season!

msqueri makes great points (as always) on our run blocking, and I now see that I gave our OL too much credit (and maybe our RBs too little). Let's hope we get some starters back, at least by the Duke game. It's really depressing to lose most of our OL every year before the season even starts.

Goose, thanks for the analysis of the blocked kick. I didn't see all the extra points, but the last two would have missed from 30 or 35 yards. Kenney has been decent in the past, so I hope this was just an off night. We can't afford to be afraid to kick field goals.

Timmy Chang's decision to give up with 1:12 to play and one or two timeouts was really bizarre. He pulled the starters and ran out the clock! If Tavita had done this, I would have been furious. William & Mary pulled this exact comeback off a few days ago: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OF_soE4E0_g

How I will define success on Friday:

1. I'd like to see our OL give Warren a chance to throw the ball, and I'd like to see Ford & Co. have the opportunity to run the ball without being met in the backfield every time. I don't mean 5 yards a carry, I mean gaining yards most plays. This alone would be significant progress over last year. If we completely abandon the run early, it's not a good sign.

2. A DL that can stop the run occasionally and apply some amount of pressure. I'm sure we will give up some big plays. I'm more interested in our physicality.

3. Acceptable FG/XP operation (hopefully we get a few attempts!).

I have no illusions of winning this game. To me, the eye test is more important than the final score. Do we look like a tackle football team, or do we look like a flag football team on offense doing whatever we can to misdirect and avoid physical confrontation? If we have to resort to contrived playcalling to keep the big boys away from us, we're farther than I hoped.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - norcard10 - 08-31-2026

let's see how this board is after the duke game. it will be very telling as others have noted.  Stanford was favored in this game and it was at home. it's tough for me to read much into it given it was the first game agianst a weak opponent.

While I was and still am not a fan of this hire, I'll wait 3 years to assess tavita to see if he is shaw era 1.0 or 2.0.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - Mick - 08-31-2026

(08-31-2026, 08:37 PM)KartyFan Wrote:  I have no illusions of winning this game. 

Stanford vs USC 2007 Highlights - Biggest Upset in College Football History

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RE: Hawaii game thread - BostonCard - 08-31-2026

Matt, as usual, I find myself looking forward to your post game notes, and as usual, you do not disappoint.  Wish you would post more outside of the post-game missive, but I will take what I can get.

One quick question, when you are evaluating the punts you wrote: “40 to the 45 (mediocre)… 40 to the 37 (solid)”

Two punts, exactly the same net distance, within 8 yards of each other in final field position near the middle of the field, I would have expected them to receive the same rating (probably “solid”).  To me, a 40 yard net punt is solid, unless it pins the opponent within its 10, in which case it is very good (or even spectacular if it is downed at the 1) or if it is kicked out of the end zone, in which case getting it out without surrendering a safety gets you some bonus points.  But I’m curious to hear what prompted the ratings difference.

BC

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RE: Hawaii game thread - rogpodge - 09-01-2026

(08-31-2026, 09:22 PM)BostonCard Wrote:  Matt, as usual, I find myself looking forward to your post game notes, and as usual, you do not disappoint.  Wish you would post more outside of the post-game missive, but I will take what I can get.

One quick question, when you are evaluating the punts you wrote: “40 to the 45 (mediocre)… 40 to the 37 (solid)”

Two punts, exactly the same net distance, within 8 yards of each other in final field position near the middle of the field, I would have expected them to receive the same rating (probably “solid”).  To me, a 40 yard net punt is solid, unless it pins the opponent within its 10, in which case it is very good (or even spectacular if it is downed at the 1) or if it is kicked out of the end zone, in which case getting it out without surrendering a safety gets you some bonus points.  But I’m curious to hear what prompted the ratings difference.

BC

https://x.com/statsowar/status/2094475114482164199

Interesting defensive stats. Stanford linebackers had the majority of the tackles. DBs had quite a few, but I think that goes with facing a run and shoot offense. North Carolina's DL are TCU's OL for breakfast.

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RE: Hawaii game thread - Mick - 09-05-2026

(08-31-2026, 05:49 AM)Mick Wrote:  Just an aside, but the U$C vs. SJSU game attendance was so bad, that the Trojans felt the need to issue a press release about it. Technically, about 51k, realistically, closer to 25k to 30k.

They published the actual attendance at 35,585 vs. announced attendance of 51,144...smallest crowd of the Lincoln Riley era.

USC football’s actual shocking attendance figures for first home games reveal discrepancy

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