Stanford defeats Kansas State 26-13

Stanford started the year off with a win. Not very convincing nor dominating but a win is a win. Here’s how Stanford won the game 26-13:

Burns started the game by burning the defense. He looked really impressive by completing 9/9 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown, which was a deep pass to Michael Rector. Meanwhile, Christian McCaffery had thirteen carries for seventy four yards and scored a touchdown. The whole offense looked in sync during the first half. Stanford dominated the defensive side of the ball as well to start the game. Kansas State struggled to move the ball up field and didn’t score until a field goal before halftime. Leading 17-3 at half, Stanford seemed poised to run away with tonight’s game.

The third quarter was a different story. The offense was in a good position to score after a Dallas Lloyd interception but wasted the opportunity by fumbling the ball in a handoff exchange. Kansas State grabbed the ball, ran it down the field, and scored a field goal. 17-6. Kansas State then missed a field goal on their next drive. Stanford’s offense struggled out of halftime, but their defense was strong and kept Kansas State out of the end zone.

Stanford’s offense still couldn’t get any momentum going in the fourth quarter. After Quenton Meeks intercepted Jesse Ertz’s pass, Stanford had great field position but yet again was forced to punt. With 4:19 to go, Kansas State had the ball up against their own end zone, and Jordan Watkins and the defensive line pressured the quarterback and brought him down for a safety. Following the safety, Kansas State recovered an onside kick and began to drive down the field. The defense forced a fourth down in the red zone, but Kansas State scored on an end zone pass. 19-13. One possession game. However, remember that guy Christian McCaffery? He broke out for a forty one yard touchdown on the first play of the drive to seal the win.

Only seventy one yard total yards in the second half for Stanford. That’s really bad. The offense shined in the first half but struggled in the second. They’ll have to repeat more first half performances for a successful season. Fortunately, the defense stayed strong all game and only allowed one touchdown. The defense looks promising going forward.