Hawaii led 27-23 with four minutes left. We had them +4, so we were not just covering, we were winning outright. Then came another huge replay decision, a fumble return, and a final possession I still cannot explain.
This one gets its own post because I still cannot make sense of the ending.
Hawaii +4 at -110.
One of the worst college football beats I have taken in the last five years, and the ending was only part of it.
The first replay nobody is talking about
Before we get anywhere near the fourth quarter comeback, go back to the third.
Micah Ford got to the goal line and was ruled to have fumbled at the Hawaii 1.
That was the call on the field.
They reviewed it and decided there was enough evidence to say Ford broke the plane before he lost the football.
The fumble was overturned.
Stanford got the touchdown.
22-7 before the extra point.
Maybe he broke the plane. Maybe he did not.
I can at least understand the argument that the ball might have crossed before it came loose.
What I do not understand is how you overturn the call on the field.
The call was a fumble.
To change it you are supposed to have clear evidence that the original ruling was wrong, and I still do not know what they saw that got them there.
Hold that thought because it was not the last huge replay decision that went Stanford's way.
Then Alejado brought them all the way back
Hawaii fell behind 23-7 and looked dead.
Micah Alejado put together three straight touchdown drives.
Hawaii 27, Stanford 23, with 4:06 left.
At 27-23, we are not just covering but winning outright.
Stanford gets the ball back.
Then comes the Liam Thorpe catch.
The ball moves when he hits the ground.
Watch it yourself.
I thought it was incomplete.
They reviewed it and let the catch stand.
That is two enormous replay decisions in one game and both of them went Stanford's way.
The drive stays alive.
Ford eventually scores to make it 30-27 with 1:41 left.
And after all of that, Hawaii +4 is still covering by a point.
Then comes the killer.
Alejado fumbles and Tevarua Tafiti takes it 31 yards the other way for a touchdown.
After the extra point, Stanford leads 37-27 with 1:12 left.
We went from winning the game outright at 27-23, to still covering at 30-27, to losing by ten because of one fumble return.
One of the worst beats I have taken in college football in the last five years.
Easy.
So why did Hawaii give up?
Here is the part that has nothing to do with our ticket and still bothers me.
Stanford goes up ten and there is 1:12 left on the clock.
Alejado does not come back out.
Bjorn Jurgensen takes the final possession.
Was Alejado hurt on the fumble?
If he was, fine. That explains it and I will drop it.
But if he was healthy, I have no idea what Timmy Chang was doing.
You are down ten with 1:12 left.
That game is not over.
We had literally just watched William & Mary prove it the night before against Villanova.
They were down 32-22 with 53 seconds left.
Ten points, with less time than Hawaii had.
Field goal.
Recovered the onside kick.
Touchdown.
Got the ball back again.
Game winner as time expired.
They won 35-32.
Thirteen points in 53 seconds.
So no, I do not want to hear that being down ten with 1:12 left means you pack it in.
You never know what can happen.
Again, if Alejado was hurt, that changes the whole conversation.
But if he was healthy, I do not understand why the quarterback who had just led three straight touchdown drives to take the lead was standing on the sideline for the final possession.
That deserves an answer.
And Stanford still deserved to win
As pissed as I am about the ending, we grade these honestly or the whole thing is worthless.
Stanford outgained Hawaii by 161 yards, won yards per play 6.80 to 4.35, and won net passing 9.12 to 4.89.
Davis Warren went 22 of 34 for 310 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, and Stanford did not allow a sack all night.
Hawaii ran for 46 yards.
That is why Alejado had to throw it 50 times.
Stanford deserved the better team grade.
I have no problem saying that.
They did not deserve to win by ten.
That is a completely different sentence.
The final score makes this look comfortable.
It was anything but.
At 27-23, Hawaii +4 was winning outright.
At 30-27, the ticket was still winning.
Then one play turned it into a ten point loss.
The full box score on this game, plus the other seven from Week 0, is in the Week 0 review.