Stanford travels to Hawaii with a revamped tempo offense under new coach Troy Taylor

By The Associated Press

Stanford (0-0) at Hawaii (0-1), Friday at 11 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)

Line: Stanford by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook

Series record: Stanford 3-0.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Stanford will be making its debut under new coach Troy Taylor, who takes over a team that went 3-9 a year ago (1-8 conference) and was picked by Pac-12 media to finish last this fall. The Cardinal have won nine of the last 12 season openers. Hawaii is coming off a 38-25 loss at Vanderbilt in its opener and has not won a game against a Power 5 opponent since a 31-28 win over Oregon State in Honolulu on Sept. 7, 2019.

KEY MATCHUP

Stanford’s revamped tempo offense will look to establish a rhythm against a Hawaii defense that limited Vanderbilt to fewer than 300 total yards. Sophomore Ashton Daniels, the Cardinal’s projected starting quarterback, attempted just six passes last season. Hawaii’s defense did not record a takeaway against the Commodores, but did manage three sacks in the loss.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Stanford: PK Joshua Karty was tabbed by league media as the All-Pac-12 preseason first team placekicker. He was 18 for 18 on field-goal attempts last season, including a school record 61-yard kick at Cal. Karty went on to earn first team AP All-America honors.

Hawaii: QB Brayden Schager threw for a career-high 351 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opening loss at Vanderbilt last week. The junior completed a career-best 27 of his 35 pass attempts and is expected to make his 11th consecutive start.

FACTS & FIGURES

Taylor is the 35th coach in the history of Stanford football. He spent the last four seasons at Sacramento State, where the Hornets went 30-8 during his tenure, including a 12-1 record in 2022. … Hawaii has won its last three home games against Pac-12 teams dating to 2015. … The last meeting between the teams was in 1972. … All three previous meetings were in Honolulu.

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AP collegefootball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll