Stanford beat Hawaii 37-27 on Saturday and gained 483 yards, 310 through the air and 173 on the ground. Last October the Hurricanes held the Cardinal to 144 total yards in a 42-7 win. Let's dive in and look at what has changed and what Miami needs to be aware of when they open the season against Stanford on Friday.
Stanford has a new QB leading the charge
Michigan transfer Davis Warren completed 22 of 34 passes for a career-high 310 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in his Stanford debut. He averaged 9.1 yards per attempt, was not sacked and spread the ball to nine receivers.
If Warren gets the same time he had Saturday, he will look downfield again. He hit JonAnthony Hall for 57 yards and true freshman Zion Robinson for 48 yards, and those two throws set up two of Micah Ford's three rushing touchdowns. Hall finished with 81 yards on two catches. Robinson had 57 yards on two grabs.
Five Cardinal pass catchers had at least 40 yards. Atticus Joseph caught four passes for 52 yards and a touchdown, Benji Blackburn had five catches for 49 yards and Liam Thorpe added three receptions for 44 yards.
The run game should be formidable this time around
Ford carried 25 times for 99 yards and three scores while Sedrick Irvin added 43 yards on eight carries. Warren even got in on the action and ran four times for 31 yards.
Miami kept Stanford in check last season, but the Cardinal showed a lot of promise on the ground last Saturday. Miami will be a much more overwhelming force than Hawaii was, but they shouldn't underestimate Stanford in that department.
Ford also led Stanford last season with 643 yards in nine games and has had three 150-yard games over his first two college seasons. He didn't play against Miami last season and that should also be noted.
Miami can't be overly confident in this game
Miami dominated the second half in the matchup last year, but the halftime score was actually tied 7-7. The Hurricanes can't let the Cardinal hang around this time. It's time to send a message that this Miami squad doesn't play with their food.
They may have held the Cardinal to 70 yards after the first touchdown drive last year, but it's important to recognize that any team can be beat on any given day. And 35 unanswered points in the second half after a sluggish first half is not something to bank on in the opening game.
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