STANFORD – Senior cornerback Collin Wright was getting sick and uninterested in how the Stanford soccer group was being perceived.
Picked to complete final within the 17-team ACC following 4 straight 3-9 seasons, and months after an abrupt teaching change, the 2025 season seemed prefer it is perhaps spiraling for the Cardinal following two nationally televised losses to start the yr.
The Cardinal wanted, as Wright put it, “to change the narrative.”
So that they did.
Behind Micah Ford’s career-high 157 yards dashing and a formidable efficiency from its protection, notably within the second half, Stanford started ACC play with a 30-20 win over Boston School, giving interim coach Frank Reich his first victory within the collegiate ranks.
Wright’s decide six within the second quarter was one in all a handful of huge performs Stanford loved towards the Eagles following a 23-20 loss at Hawaii final month and a 27-3 loss to BYU in Provo final week.
“For us, we just came back every day, worked hard, didn’t listen to all the B.S., and then just came out here and played to our standards,” Wright mentioned. “So, definitely excited and definitely looking forward to the rest of the season.”
“What I loved about it the most is it was a complete team win,” Reich mentioned. “I’ve been around some good team wins. This is up there with the best team wins I’ve been around.”
Takeaways from Stanford’s win on Saturday.
A STATEMENT SERIES: Stanford’s protection got here up with the sport’s greatest play late within the third quarter. On 4th and purpose on the Cardinal 1-yard line, Eagles operating again Turbo Richard tried to leap the pile on the line of scrimmage, however had the ball knocked free by defensive lineman Clay Patterson, with security Jay Inexperienced recovering in the long run zone.
On the following play, Ford darted up the center for a 75-yard run to the Boston School 5, then scored on the subsequent play to provide Stanford a 27-20 lead after the additional level.
Stanford's quarterback Ben Gulbranson (15) runs with the ball towards Boston School’s Daveon Crouch (1) and Boston School’s Chris Marable Jr. (52) within the first quarter at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
If Richard scores, there’s no assure the Cardinal will have the ability to tie the sport within the fourth quarter, they usually could also be a 0-3 file going into subsequent week’s recreation towards unbeaten Virginia.
“It was awesome,” Wright mentioned. “It was a big emphasis this week, winning the third quarter. There are a lot of areas of improvement from our first two games. Those types of things just change the momentum in the game. Obviously, a big stop. Those points probably would’ve changed the trajectory of the game.”
For the sport, the Cardinal scored 21 factors off Boston School turnovers to assist earn their first win of the season and open the season at residence on a optimistic observe.
“Since spring ball, since camp, we want three turnovers a practice and three turnovers a game,” Wright mentioned. “So we accomplished that as a defense.”
REDISCOVERING AN IDENTITY: It wouldn’t look proper for the Cardinal to have an ‘air raid’ sort offense, and fairly frankly, they may not have the ability to discover the personnel to have the ability to run such a scheme successfully.
Stanford’s Collin Wright (6) scores a landing towards Boston School within the second quarter at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
No, in this system’s heyday of 10-15 years in the past, Stanford’s success on offense got here from operating the ball behind a bruising offensive line, using their tight ends, and grinding groups down.
That’s what occurred within the second half towards the Eagles. Whereas it was powerful for Stanford to run the ball within the first half, with simply 56 yards on 15 carries, holes began opening up within the second half, and the Cardinal completed with 213 yards on 37 carries.
“I just felt the will in the Boston College defense, that they didn’t really want any part of it anymore,” Ford mentioned. “Simply to go on the market and execute, benefit from that.”
Ford’s 157 yards was essentially the most in a recreation by a Cardinal operating again since Bryce Love had 166 yards on Nov. 10, 2017, towards Washington.
Ford mentioned on his 75-yard run, “The line did a great job getting up to the second level, and I just finished the play.”
Quarterback Ben Gulbranson accomplished his first landing cross of the season late within the first half. On third and three on the Cardinal 31, Gulbranson discovered tight finish Sam Roush alongside the sideline on the 50-yard line, the place Roush eluded a deal with and outraced cornerback Isaiah Farris to the tip zone as Stanford minimize Boston School’s result in 17-13.
Bryce Farrell had 5 catches for 72 yards, and tight finish Roush’s 79 yards receiving on three catches was a profession excessive.
“We were running the ball well, and we called one of our movements off it,” Gulbranson mentioned of Roush’s landing. “Sam did a great job getting open and then finishing the run. He’s a special player, and he can make a lot of guys miss after the catch.”
Requested if he had something to show after an uneven begin to the season, Gulbranson mentioned, “I was just going to keep believing in my process. I felt like offensively we kind of found (some rhythm) late against BYU, and it felt good to carry it out here.”
Stanford’s head coach Frank Reich watches the group heat up earlier than a recreation towards Boston School at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
INTIMATE GATHERING: The introduced attendance for Saturday’s recreation was 22,162, the smallest crowd for a Stanford residence opener in over 25 years. The precise variety of followers within the stands seemed far much less, with a lot of the higher deck at Stanford Stadium empty.
Final season, paid attendance for Stanford residence convention video games towards SMU and Louisville dipped under 20,000, a sign that there’s work to be performed to generate extra native enthusiasm for this system.
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Nonetheless, Saturday’s crowd confirmed it might be loud, and possibly the win will get extra followers on board for Stanford’s subsequent residence recreation on Sept. 27 towards San Jose State.
“I’m just happy the guys got it done, especially in the home opener,” Ford mentioned. “Fans showed out. Crew showed out. Everybody showed out. Just to get it done feels amazing.”
