Daniels guides Stanford to 37-24 win over Hawaii in opener

HONOLULU — Ashton Daniels passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns and Stanford opened its season with a 37-24 victory over Hawaii on Friday night.

The Cardinal were making their debut under new coach Troy Taylor, who spent the last four seasons at Sacramento State.

Daniels, a sophomore, made his first career start. He completed 25 of 36 passes and was not intercepted.

Benjamin Yurosek was Daniels’ favorite target. The senior tight end hauled in nine passes for a career-high 138 yards. Yurosek’s 32-yard TD catch with 12:24 left in the second quarter gave Stanford the lead for good.

Stanford finished with 407 total yards and got field goals of 25, 25 and 46 yards from Josh Karty, who has converted his last 21 field goals dating to last year.

Brayden Schager threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns on 30-of-53 passing for Hawaii (0-2).

THE TAKEAWAY

Stanford tight end Benjamin Yurosek makes a catch in front of Hawaii defensive back Meki Pei (7) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in Honolulu. Credit: AP/Jamm Aquino

Stanford was picked to finish last in the Pac-12 preseason media poll. Its new tempo offense ran 70 plays and averaged 5.8 yards per snap.

Hawaii was coming off of a 35-28 loss at Vanderbilt just six days prior. Its last win over a Power 5 opponent came in 2019 against Oregon State.

UP NEXT

Stanford: The Cardinal kick off their final season in the Pac-12 Conference at USC on Saturday. Earlier Friday, it was announced by the ACC that Stanford would be among a trio of additions to the conference in August of next year.

Hawaii defensive back Cam Stone, left, breaks up a pass intended for Stanford wide receiver Mudia Reuben during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in Honolulu. Credit: AP/Jamm Aquino

Hawaii: The Rainbow Warriors will host FCS-member Albany on Saturday before facing a second opponent from the Pac-12 on Sept. 16, when they travel to play Oregon.

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