Davis Warren sets career high in Stanford’s comeback win over Georgia Tech, 34-27

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Davis Warren passed for a career-high 396 yards and three touchdowns to lead Stanford in a 34-27 comeback win over Georgia Tech on Saturday night.

Stanford (2-2, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 20-10 after a Georgia Tech (1-3, 0-1) touchdown in the second quarter, but scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives in the second half after managing only one in the first.

Warren connected with Caden High for a 49-yard touchdown to make it 20-all in the third quarter. One drive later, on fourth-and-11, Warren found Nico Brown in the corner of the end zone for a 33-yard score. Warren hit High on a sweep for another touchdown in the fourth quarter to cushion the Cardinal’s lead, 34-20.

“I expect a lot out of Davis,” Stanford coach Tavita Pritchard said. “He is operating this offense at a high level. We put a lot on him. We put run checks on him and protection checks on him, and he’s playing at a high level. He’s protecting the football.

“We coach him hard, and he handles it beautifully. And he’s such a leader in that locker room. And I can’t say enough about the player he is and is becoming.”

Trelain Maddox scored both of Georgia Tech’s first-half touchdowns. After Justice Haynes evaded several tackles to rip off a 46-yard run, Maddox caught a receiving TD for nine yards, the first of his career. Maddox broke free for a 20-yard score in the second quarter to put Georgia Tech up 20-10.

Warren was 3 for 3 on fourth-down passes, and 5 for 8 on attempts 15 yards or longer.

“I feel like if I got time, then there’s no throw on the field that I cannot access,” Warren said. “So I was very prepared for some of those things, and obviously our receivers did a great job going and getting open. We talked before this game about emptying the clip in terms of the way we’re going to go out, play with our hearts on our sleeve, don’t leave anything out there and go take it.”

Georgia Tech’s Alberto Mendoza threw a touchdown to Jaiven Plummer in the fourth quarter to make it a one-possession game.

The takeaway

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets scored on their first four drives and headed into halftime with an efficient offense and a 10-point lead. Then, they gave up 24 points and struggled to contain Stanford’s passing attack. Georgia Tech’s 12 penalties for 105 yards were also a major factor in its first road loss of the season.

Stanford: After suffering two consecutive blowouts to ACC foes, the Cardinal notched their first conference win behind big plays in the passing game and successful fourth-down conversions. Warren, who went into this season with seven touchdowns passes and 10 interceptions in 16 career games, has thrown five TD passes and zero interceptions this season.

Up next

Georgia Tech: Hosts Duke on Oct. 10th.

Stanford: At Wake Forest next Saturday.

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