Stanford's Troy Taylor Waiting For Quarterback To 'Emerge'
When Stanford took the field against Hawaii in the first game, it was Ashton Daniels behind center leading the charge.
He shined in the Week 1 win, but quickly reverted away from that form against USC in Week 2. He was pulled in the first half due to an injury that kept him out the rest of the game, and gave Stanford fans and Troy Taylor their first look at Syracuse transfer Justin Lamson.
The following game against Sacramento State, Daniels was again pulled in favor of Lamson after a costly interception in the red zone that prevented Stanford from going up 21-3 or at worst 17-3. Taylor then started Daniels against Arizona but rotated in Lamson to run or throw quick passes. When asked about his methods of using two quarterbacks earlier in the week, Taylor revealed that he truly only wants to play one. However, at Sacramento State last year he felt there was an exception with Jake Dunniway and Asher O'Hara, and thought they complimented each other. When it comes to Stanford he revealed he needs either Daniels or Lamson to claim the job.
"Trying to find somebody to emerge and give us a spark and kinda feeling it out. I wanna play one quarterback..."
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He also explained that until one of the two emerges, Stanford fans can expect to see both against Oregon this weekend and likely for the foreseeable future.
"Until somebody emerges I'll probably play both of them."
Through four games, they have each shown different skill sets. When the pocket is clean and he has time to throw, Daniels has shown he is a more than capable passer. However, Stanford's offensive line has struggled with allowing pressure, giving up 13 sacks in four games. Lamson on the other hand hasn't shown as many flashes throwing the deep ball, but can push the ball down the field via intermediate throws and is a very savvy runner. Something Daniels has shown he is not capable of doing under pressure, despite being used as a wildcat quarterback last season.
Here is a side-by-side of the two quarterbacks.
| Ashton Daniels | Justin Lamson |
|---|---|
Passing Yards: 534 | Passing Yards: 307 |
TD-INT: 3-2 | TD-INT: 0-1 |
Completion %: 59.2% on 76 attempts | Completion %: 46.3% on 41 attempts |
Rushing Yards: 64 on 2.5 YPC | Rushing Yards: 96 on 2.5 YPC |
PFF Grade: 66.7 | PFF Grade: 72.0 |
