Stanford knocks off Hawai'i, 37-27
Stanford walked in the underdog and walked out with the win. What actually happened.
Stanford wasn't supposed to win this one. They knock off Hawai'i, 37-27 at Stanford Stadium. Stanford was not the side anyone expected to be up 10 at the end of it. Micah Ford ran 25 times for 99 yards and three scores.
We had this one the other way
Before kickoff we made Hawai'i the pick by about 8. The model missed the side: it favored Hawai'i by ~8, but Stanford won by 10 as the underdog.
The big plays only went one way
Stanford produced 10 plays of 15+ yards to Hawai'i's 7: Davis Warren (involved in 9), Atticus Joseph (involved in 2) and Jonanthony Hall (involved in 2). Stanford sacked Hawai'i's quarterback 2 times: Gabe Kaminski (1.5 sacks) and Sam Mattingly (0.5 sacks). That's what carried Stanford.
How the two sides actually played on the night.
Where it swung
Most of the movement came on three plays. Davis Warren's 57-yard throw to Jonanthony Hall on 3rd-and-9 at Q1 10:21. Then Micah Alejado's 11-yard throw to Tama Uiliata for a touchdown on 2nd-and-11 at Q4 09:39. Later, Micah Alejado's 29-yard throw to Devon Rice for a touchdown on 2nd-and-13 at Q4 04:06.
Who carried it
Davis Warren threw for 310 yards on 34 attempts with one touchdown and ran five times for 16 yards — two third-down conversions and a hand in nine plays of 15 yards or more. Micah Ford ran 25 times for 99 yards and three scores — two of them from inside the 20 and three third-down conversions. Atticus Joseph caught four passes for 52 yards, one of them for a touchdown. For Hawai'i, Micah Alejado threw for 272 yards on 51 attempts with two touchdowns and lost 7 yards on five carries — that score from inside the 20, four third-down conversions and a hand in six plays of 15 yards or more. Tama Uiliata caught eight passes for 62 yards, one of them for a touchdown — that score from inside the 20 and two third-down conversions. Devon Rice ran 11 times for 35 yards and one score and caught four passes for 25 yards, one of them for a touchdown, including that score from inside the 20 and two third-down conversions. Gabe Kaminski was the disruptive one for Stanford: 1.5 sacks, 1.5 TFLs, 1 PBU, 3.5 tackles.
The way it played out
Stanford struck first through Micah Ford, led 14-7 at the half and the final points came on a late score by Stanford.
The disruptive ones
Three names to keep: Gabe Kaminski (1.5 sacks, 1.5 TFLs, 1 PBU, 3.5 tackles) for Stanford, Lonnie McAllister III (1 forced fumble, 4 tackles) for Stanford and Ka'eo Akana (1 blocked kick, 1.5 tackles) for Hawai'i. 0 of Stanford's 3 sacks came from the defensive line — a change from the 44% it had averaged over the previous 9 seasons.
Where it leaves them
Historically similar games since 2019 — close margin, both offenses held far below norm — and how often that offense outperformed this level the following week.
A program win for Stanford; a gut-check loss Hawai'i won't soon forget. Micah Alejado was responsible for 12 of Hawai'i's points; there was not enough behind him.

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