Soon, it will be time for the Stanford Cardinal to face arguably their toughest test so far. Coming off of a big win over Florida State, the Cardinal will hit the road to face off against No. 9 Miami in a matchup that will pit the national title contenders against the rebuilding Cardinal.
And while the Cardinal enter the game as heavy underdogs, they will look to use the confidence and momentum gained from the Florida State win to their advantage against Miami.
Oct 18, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal huddle during the third quarter against the Florida State Seminoles at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
With game day fast approaching, the Cardinal have announced their weekly captains for the contest, opting to once again go with veterans. This week, the two captains for Stanford will be Clay Patterson and Peyton Warford, two players that have played a big role on this season’s team.
Patterson, a graduate student, is in his second season at Stanford but has enjoyed a breakout season in 2025 after having more of a rotational role last season. Having 15 total tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble, Patterson has been the focal point of Stanford’s defensive line so far this season and is a big reason why the defensive unit has seen success.
Prior to transferring to Stanford ahead of the 2024 season, Patterson spent his first four seasons in college at Yale, where had a big role on the defensive line.
A two-time First-team All-Ivy selection in 2021 and 2023, a second-team selection in 2022 and an AP Third-team All-American selection in 2021, Patterson left Yale tied second all-time in sacks (22.5) while compiling 111 tackles, 30.5 for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Warford, a redshirt junior from Woodside, California, is in his second season as the Cardinal’s full-time long snapper, spending his first season on The Farm as the long snapper only on punts. Appearing in every game so far this season, Warford has been a focal point on special teams and has helped Emmet Kenney break out over the last couple of seasons.
Prior to his time at Stanford, Warford spent one season at Northwestern after leaving Saint Francis High School in Mountain View– where he also played outside linebacker. While he was an all-league linebacker, Warford was one of 26 five-star long snapper recruits in the country, and generated a lot of interest during his recruiting process. He also played basketball and lacrosse in high school.
The two captains will be tasked with leading the Cardinal out into battle when they take the field for the game against the Hurricanes. Losing their first game to Louisville last week and determined to keep their national championship hopes alive, the Cardinal should expect Miami to play its best brand of football.
But if Stanford plays its best brand of football, then going home with the upset win could be possible.
Stanford and Miami face off on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Hard Rock Stadium with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. (PDT). The game, featuring a top 25 team, will air on ESPN.
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