Stanford gets a quick chance to see how far it has come when No. 7 Miami comes to town Friday night.
The Cardinal are 1-0 after opening the season with a 37-27 win over Hawaii, a game they closed with touchdowns on offense and defense in the final two minutes. That gave Stanford a much-needed head start in a season with a new quarterback, head coach and coordinators, but the challenge now gets a lot steeper on a short week.
Miami arrives at Stanford Stadium at 0-0, but with expectations that still point straight toward the top of the ACC. The Hurricanes squeezed into the College Football Playoff last season despite missing the ACC title game, then fell 27-21 to Indiana in the national title game. They lost three first-round NFL draft picks in OL Francis Mauigoa, DL Rueben Bain Jr. and LB Akheem Mesidor, along with QB Carson Beck, yet remain the league favorite.
The teams met once before, and Miami controlled the finish. The Hurricanes beat Stanford 42-7 last season in the first-ever matchup between the schools, turning a 7-7 halftime tie into a runaway by scoring 35 unanswered points after the break.
Stanford’s biggest edge this week is simply having already played. But that comes with a catch. As of Wednesday’s ACC injury report, the Cardinal had 15 players listed out and six more doubtful or questionable, while Miami had only two injuries reported.
There’s also a bigger hurdle waiting in the standings. Stanford’s last win over a top-10 team came on Oct. 2, 2021, against No. 3 Oregon.
The numbers from last week show why Stanford at least has something to build on. The Cardinal rolled up 483 yards against Hawaii, their most in regulation without a turnover since 2017 against Rice. They’ve also been solid at home lately, going 6-2 in their last eight games at Stanford Stadium.
On the Miami side, one matchup to watch is quarterback Darian Mensah with first-team preseason All-American Malachi Toney. Mensah led the Power Four in passing yards last season while at ACC rival Duke, and now he’ll be throwing to Toney.
A little extra energy is coming from the halftime show, too. Vallejo native E-40 is set to perform with a set celebrating the 20th anniversary of his album “My Ghetto Report Card”.
Stanford is trying to get to 2-0 for the first time since 2018.
In Other News...
Stanford Faces Its First Real Pritchard Test With Little Room For Error
Stanford got out of Week 1 with a win over Hawaii, but the margin for comfort was slim enough that Tavita Pritchard spent much of the aftermath talking less about celebration than correction. The Cardinal showed enough in the 37-27 result to feel better about having a first game on film, yet the bigger value of that opener may be the chance to sort out what still needs cleaning up before the schedule gets much less forgiving.
No. 7 Miami arrives with a fresh test and enough firepower to make every snap matter, especially with Darian Mensah taking over at quarterback. Stanford is trying to use its opening-game experience as a springboard, but the challenge now is more than just the opponent on the other sideline. The Cardinal are also managing injury concerns as they head into a week where there is little room to absorb another setback. [Read more 🡒]
Davis Warren Just Became Stanfords Biggest Hope Against No. 7 Miami
Stanford heads into Friday night with Davis Warren at the center of whatever chance the Cardinal have against No. 7 Miami. The Michigan transfer gave the offense a steady look in the season opener, and now he draws the kind of stage that tells you a lot about a quarterback early in a new run. With kickoff set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, this becomes a measuring-stick game for Stanford as much as it does a showcase for Warren.
Miami has already spent part of the week talking up the challenge he presents, which is usually the first sign a defense respects what it sees on film. The Hurricanes know they will have to disrupt his rhythm and prevent him from settling into the kind of comfort that lets a quarterback steer an offense with confidence. For Stanford, the hope is obvious: if Warren keeps playing like a veteran who belongs in these moments, the Cardinal can make this one more interesting than the matchup suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Stanford Faces An Early Reality Check Against Miamis Playoff Push
Miamis first step toward another playoff chase comes on the road Friday night against Stanford, a matchup that should offer an early look at how well the Hurricanes have reloaded. The opener is set for 9 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, and Miami brings back key pieces such as running back Mark Fletcher Jr. while turning to Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah to replace Carson Beck. The defense also looks familiar in some spots, with returning starters and new transfers expected to shape the unit from the start.
Stanford, meanwhile, is coming off a season-opening win and will try to make the Hurricanes prove their credentials in a tougher setting. The Cardinal have already shown enough early fight to avoid being treated like a mere tune-up, but this is the kind of September test that can expose where a team really stands after one week. For Miami, the trip is about sharpening the playoff push; for Stanford, it is an opportunity to find out how much margin it has against a roster built to contend. [Read more 🡒]