Sep 7, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier (24) is tackled by Cal Poly Mustangs safety Jeremy Justice (25) during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Ashton Daniels tosses 2 TDs as Stanford routs Cal Poly

Ashton Daniels threw two touchdown passes and Tiger Bachmeier scored on a 90-yard punt return as Stanford overcame a slow start to roll past Cal Poly, 41-7, Saturday in Stanford, Calif.

In the first-ever meeting of the schools, Stanford (1-1) fumbled on its first possession. But the Cardinal pulled away in the second half to snap their 10-game home losing streak.

Daniels was efficient throughout as he completed 19 of 23 passes for 221 yards and no interceptions.

Meanwhile, the Cardinal defense stonewalled the rushing game of Cal Poly (0-2). The FCS Mustangs gained just 25 yards on 20 carries.

Cal Poly quarterback Bo Kelly completed 17 of 25 passes for 149 yards and an interception.

The Mustangs, who were gunning for their first win over an FBS school since toppling Wyoming in 2012, played Stanford even up in the first 28 minutes before the Cardinal took the lead for good with a textbook hurry-up drive.

In the final 1:32 of the first half, Daniels completed six straight passes for 70 yards before giving way to Justin Lamson, who scored on a 2-yard quarterback keeper to put the Cardinal in front 14-7.

Stanford then dominated the second half. Bachmeier struck first with his 90-yard burst, which tied the second-longest punt return in program history.

After a 32-yard field goal, the first of two by Emmet Kenney, Collin Wright picked off a Kelly pass to set up another Stanford score.

It came as Daniels zipped a 5-yard touchdown pass over the middle to tight end Sam Roush, which swelled the lead to 31-7.

With the victory secured in the fourth quarter, freshman Elijah Brown made his college debut, completing all seven of his passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Ismael Cisse, who made the touchdown grab, was the game’s top receiver with eight catches for 79 yards.

Cal Poly’s lone score came early in the second quarter when wideout Michael Briscoe threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jake Woods.

It was Stanford’s first home win since October of 2022 when it topped Arizona State. The last Cardinal loss to an FCS school came last year when they fell to Sacramento State.

–Field Level Media

Sep 1, 2022; Fresno, California, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs wide receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper (5) is tackled by Cal Poly Mustangs defensive lineman Elijah Ponder (14) after making a catch in the third quarter at Valley Children's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Stanford hosts Cal Poly, looking for first home win since 2022

Still seeking its first home win under coach Troy Taylor, Stanford will host FCS opponent Cal Poly on Saturday in Stanford, Calif.

The Cardinal (0-1) opened Taylor’s second season of leading the program with a 34-27 loss last week to visiting TCU, Stanford’s eighth defeat at home since the beginning of last season.

The Cardinal’s home woes include a 30-23 setback against Taylor’s former team and Cal Poly’s Big Sky Conference counterpart Sacramento State last season.

“FCS is really good football, and they’ve got good coaches,” Taylor said Tuesday. “With the amount of talent that is out there, especially with the transfer portal, you can create a really good football team in a short amount of time.

“There’s no overconfidence in us. We lost to an FCS team last year,” he added.

While Sacramento State came to Stanford having become a perennial playoff team under Taylor, Cal Poly represents the other end of the Big Sky standings.

The Mustangs (0-1) have not had a winning record since 2016 and finished their first season under coach Paul Wulff at 3-8 last year.

Wulff said before the 2024 opener that Cal Poly has “been growing this thing for a couple years, and we feel now we’re in a position to be competitive and surprise some people.”

Year 2 with Wulff opened with a 27-21 loss at San Diego last week. A 36-yard scoop-and-score by Budha Boyd Jr. gave Cal Poly a lead early in the third quarter, but San Diego rolled off 17 consecutive points.

Quarterback Bo Kelly threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Jackson Akins came on in the fourth quarter and finished strong with a touchdown pass.

Creating scoring opportunities from takeaways could be key for the Cardinal on Saturday. Taylor praised the Stanford defense’s improvement from a season ago, showing up when Jay Green and David Bailey each forced fumbles against TCU.

Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels threw for a touchdown and rushed for 89 yards in Week 1 but was just 17-of-35 passing for 163 yards and took four sacks.

The Cardinal offensive line can expect another challenge protecting Daniels from Cal Poly’s talented edge rusher, Elijah Ponder. Ponder’s 10 sacks in 2023 were the sixth-most in the FCS.

–Field Level Media

Sep 10, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Sam Huard (7) looks to pass during the second half against the Portland State Vikings at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

Former ballyhooed recruit Sam Huard transfers to Utah

Sam Huard, a former five-star quarterback who began his career at Washington, announced he is transferring to Utah.

Huard spent two seasons with the Huskies before transferring to FCS program Cal Poly. He passed for 2,247 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season for the Mustangs.

Utah has star Cam Rising back for a seventh collegiate season after he missed all of 2023 with a serious knee injury. Huard figures to compete for a backup spot.

“Utah has an unbelievable culture and the people and the program were some things that I felt were the best for me at this point in my career,” Huard told 247Sports. “To be in a great spot and to compete every day with great people around me, being in the room and learning from one of the best quarterbacks in college football while being able to have two years in a great system was a big part of it.”

Huard made one start in two seasons with Washington, that coming in a 40-13 loss to Washington State in the 2021 Apple Cup. He completed 17 of 31 passes for 190 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions in that contest.

In 2022, Michael Penix Jr. transferred in to be Washington’s starter. Huard, who threw 44 total passes for the Huskies, transferred to Cal Poly after the season.

At Cal Poly, Huard passed for 483 yards in a 41-30 road loss to Sacramento State on Nov. 11. That was the second-most passing yards in a game in school history behind Seth Burford, who passed for 566 against Northern Iowa in 2000. Huard also set a school record with 37 completions in the game.

Huard is the son of Damon Huard, who played at Washington and in the NFL. His uncle, Brock, also played for the Huskies and in the NFL.

–Field Level Media

Sep 25, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Sam Huard (7) passes the ball before a game against the California Golden Bears at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. The Huskies won 31-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

Former Washington QB Sam Huard transferring to Cal Poly

Former five-star recruit Sam Huard said Monday he’s transferring to FCS program Cal Poly after two seasons at Washington.

The quarterback made the announcement on the “Brock and Salk” show on Seattle Sports Station 710 AM. His uncle, former Huskies quarterback Brock Huard, is the co-host.

At Cal Poly, he’ll be reunited with Sheldon Cross, the school’s offensive coordinator. He was the head coach at Kennedy Catholic High School in suburban Seattle when Sam Huard set the Washington state records for passing yards (13,214) and passing touchdowns (153). He was ranked by the 247Sports composite as a five-star recruit, the No. 3 quarterback and the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2021 class.

He followed his uncle and father, Damon, to Washington but things didn’t work out as he hoped. He was a backup his first two seasons, and with Michael Penix returning in 2023, Huard said earlier this month that he intended to transfer to a program that gave him a better opportunity to play.

“Obviously the relationship with coach Cross I’ve had throughout my high school career and just how much he pushed me to grow as a person and as a player … I know I’ve got so much trust in him,” Huard said Monday morning. “An opportunity to go play for him again, it was definitely hard to pass up. Then when I went down there on my visit last week, feeling the support and the trust and the love from all the coaches and the mentality of them and all the guys on the team, there’s such a hunger to go build something special down there.

“It’s an amazing group of people. I just felt right at home with them. I’m super excited to be able to work with them and go give everything I have to that team and that program.”

Huard, a left-hander, appeared in five games with the Huskies, completing 24 of 44 pass attempts for 265 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. He played in just one game in 2022, connecting on 2 of 2 passes for 24 yards in a 52-6 win against Portland State.

–Field Level Media