Hawaii ended up answering the call, taking down the Cardinal 23-20. Early on, Stanford looked dominant, kicking an early field goal after marching down the field, followed by a strip sack that was recovered in the end zone. However, a poor performance on both sides of the ball blew the lead and led to a Cardinal loss.

Reich’s marching orders are to do better than 3-9, which has been Stanford’s record four years on the spin, but even that low bar could be tough. The offense seems to be lacking playmakers, and the defense is projected to be a sieve again. Bill Connelly ranks Stanford’s D as the 96th-best unit in the country.