• Stanford begins the Troy Taylor era on Friday night with its 2023 season opener. The Cardinal takes on Hawai’i on Oahu September 1 at 5 pm HT, or 8 pm PT.
• Head Coach Troy Taylor is 3-0 in season openers as a head coach, while Stanford has won nine of its last 12 season openers.
• It has been a while since Stanford and Hawai’i have met up, with their last meeting coming on December 2, 1972 in Honolulu. Stanford is 3-0 all-time against the Rainbow Warriors, including a 74-20 victory at home in 1949. That game featured the third most points scored in a single game for Stanford in program history.
• Stanford is looking to rebound after a 2022 season that saw the Cardinal go 3-9, including 1-8 in Pac-12 play. Stanford will aim for its first winning season since 2020 (4-2), and its first winning season in a normal year since 2018 (9-4), which also happened to be its last bowl game appearance.
• Despite not ranking highly in many statistical categories one season ago, there were still a few bright spots for the Cardinal. Stanford was the fewest penalized team in the Pac-12 (55), and that ranked seventh-best in the NCAA. The defense also boasted the fewest passing yards allowed per game at 209.1. Stanford also had a top-30 defense on third downs, limiting opponents to a conversion rate of just 34.2%.
• On the non-conference schedule this year for Stanford is Hawai’i (Sept. 1), Sacramento State (Sept. 16 - home opener), and Notre Dame (Nov. 25 - regular season finale).
• The Cardinal is hosting seven games during the 2023 season at Stanford Stadium, its most home games in a season since 2015.
• Travel has not been a struggle for the Cardinal as of late, as Stanford is 7-4 over its last 11 games when playing in a location with a three-or-more hour time difference (dating back to 2010).