Warren, Ford outlast Hawaii's rally in Pritchard's debut
Davis Warren threw for 310 yards in his first start in nearly two years and Tavita Pritchard's coaching debut nearly slipped away before a scoop-and-score sealed a 37-27 win over Hawaii.
Pritchard's first game back on the sideline turns into a signature win
Davis Warren hadn't started a game since tearing his ACL in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl, and in his first snap back under center he went 22 of 34 for 310 yards, hit Atticus Joseph for a 6-yard touchdown and found freshman Zion Robinson for a 48-yard gain, per gostanford.com. The offense never turned the ball over behind him, and on the last possession that mattered he went 5 for 5 for 58 yards to set up the winning score.
Tavita Pritchard was doused on the same field he once played quarterback on, and he framed the whole night as validation of a program he's been rebuilding since spring. "It's been a theme throughout our entire early goings together through the offseason, in the spring, up until training camp is how we finished," Pritchard said, via CBS Sports. "We finished tonight."
The team's own account had the same read on it, posting a two-word "Congrats, @coachtpritchard" as the celebration spilled onto the field — a program marking the start of a new era with the guy who used to run its offense now running the whole thing.
Hawaii ripped off 21 straight points, and Tafiti ripped it right back
Stanford led 23-7 and looked in total control before Hawaii scored three straight touchdowns to take a 27-23 lead with 4:07 left — Brett McMurphy was tracking the swing live as the lead flipped twice inside a minute of game clock. It was the kind of collapse that could have turned a coaching debut into a cautionary tale instead of a party.
Hawai'i37-27Micah Ford wouldn't let it. He finished with 99 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries, and his 2-yard score with 1:41 to play put Stanford back in front for good, per gostanford.com. "I'm just happy that we have a quarterback that can lead us through that and stay poised in that type of situation because it's definitely not easy," Ford said afterward.
TEVAAAAAAAA ‼️SCOOP AND SCORE ‼️ t.co/mrIFaUVhPN
Then Tevarua Tafiti put an exclamation point on it, scooping a fourth-quarter fumble and returning it 31 yards for a touchdown with 1:12 left. The Cardinal's account had the call in real time — "TEVAAAAAAAA SCOOP AND SCORE" — and it's the single play that turned a nervy finish into a 10-point final margin.
Up next: a portal quarterback who already played for a title
Miami arrives at Stanford Stadium 0-0, but not because they're starting from scratch under center. Darian Mensah transferred in from Duke, where he threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns and helped lead the Blue Devils to an ACC championship a year ago, and he's spent fall camp adjusting to life in Coral Gables, telling NBC 6 South Florida he's starting anew with the Hurricanes.
Their most recent game on record was a 21-27 loss at Indiana in 2025, so there's no fresh form to measure against — this is a completely new-look Miami team, with a new quarterback trying to make his first snap in the program count on the road.
A home opener that opened with Miami favored by 24.5
Stanford hosts Miami on Friday night, and the Cardinal enter as an underdog after a line that opened with Miami favored by 24.5 at Stanford Stadium. It's a much different kind of test than Hawaii — a proven ACC contender bringing in a portal quarterback with a title-game résumé, on the road for the first time.
The total opened at 48.5, priced as a lower-scoring game than you'd expect given the size of the spread, which suggests the number is more about the talent gap than an expectation of a shootout. Whatever the board says, Stanford just showed it can win a game that stopped going according to plan — Friday will ask whether that carries over against a much better team.