Back to the drawing board. Hitting the road to face No. 9 ranked Miami, the Stanford Cardinal went into the game looking to build off of the confidence that they got from beating Florida State in upset fashion the week before.
Stanford played a tough and gritty style of football all game long, including being tied with the Hurricanes 7-7 at halftime. In the end, the Cardinal were unable to hold off a talented Hurricanes team en route to a lopsided 42-7 loss.
But this week, the Cardinal have the chance to redeem themselves and get their season back on track when they return home to face the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Starting the season off at 2-2, the Panthers have since raddled off four straight wins to improve to 6-2, and enter this week as one of college football’s hottest teams. In dire need of a win, Stanford will need to play its best brand of football in order to be victorious.
Stanford has not made a bowl game since 2018 and with a 3-5 record (2-3 ACC), the Cardinal cannot afford to lose any more and will surely be hungrier than they have been all season heading into Saturday’s game.
For the Panthers, a hot start has them in position to make a run at the ACC title game, a title they have won once in 2021. A win will help the Panthers’ case even more and get them one step closer to that goal.
As is the case each and every week, interim head coach Frank Reich spoke with the media to discuss the state of affairs heading into gameday. Here are the top takeaways from Reich’s press conference heading into the game against Pittsburgh.
Oct 25, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Cole Tabb (33) carries the football against Miami Hurricanes linebacker Jr. Raul Aguirre (10) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Stanford knew that it was going to be in for a very tough test against the Hurricanes, going up against a team that was a budding favorite in the preseason to be in the national title game. And even though the Cardinal were unable to pull off the win, the grittiness and toughness shown by the Cardinal all game long made them a much better team going into the final few games of the season.
“We came out pretty well,” Reich said. “A very physical game against a physical opponent. We played a lot of guys on defense, so I think that ended up playing out well for us. And you know, we came out pretty well as far as injuries were concerned.”
Stanford may be deep into their rebuild, but playing a program like Miami not only helps the Cardinal figure themselves out a little bit more, but it also helps toughen them up as they get ready to face teams such as Cal and Notre Dame—two teams that have given the Cardinal major problems in the past.
Oct 25, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Caden High (0) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The score may have suggested otherwise, but the Cardinal actually fared very well in their matchup against the nation’s No. 9 ranked team. Scoring the first touchdown of the game to hold a lead for most of the first half and being tied 7-7 at the half, the Cardinal showed a lot of encouraging signs all throughout the evening.
Miami may have scored 35 unanswered points in the second half, but the fact that Miami had to work as hard as it did for the win proves that Stanford has grown a lot under Reich’s leadership.
“A big part of it is tip your hat to Miami,” Reich said. “They have the record they do and are ranked where they’re ranked for a reason. So, certainly acknowledge that. And listen, we’ve talked about this from the start.
“There are no moral victories, and we got beat bad. So it wasn’t like it was close, but we did play well for almost three quarters. We’re four minutes to go in the third quarter, and again, it’s a one score game, and we have the potential of being in a scoring area. So there is something positive to gain from that and we’ll build on it.”
The main goal for this season has been growth, and while the Cardinal may not make a bowl game for the seventh straight season, the promise shown all throughout the campaign sets Stanford up for a successful future that the program hopes can lead to the team returning to the national spotlight.
Former Stanford Standouts Shine for New Programs. dark. Next. Former Stanford Standouts Shine for New Programs
Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) and wide receiver Raphael Williams Jr. (5) celebrate after combining for a touchdown against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Entering the season, expectations for Pittsburgh were minimal given how the program is going through a rebuild of their own. After all, it is only two seasons removed from a 3-9 campaign and went 7-6 last season after a loss to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
But so far, the Panthers have defied expectations and are in the midst of a four-game winning streak. While Stanford is at home and matches up fairly well with the Panthers, Reich and company are not taking them for granted.
“Obviously, a hot football team, playing well and scoring a ton of points,” Reich said. “[They] play very aggressive on defense, well coached team. This is a good football team, they’re good in all three phases.
“Their quarterback, No. 6, is playing at a very high level. I did watch a fair amount of tape on their offense this morning, a little bit more than I normally do for this early in the week, just because they’re scoring so many points. I just wanted to get a feel for what they were doing.”
Every game is a tough test, and with the season approaching its end, each and every win matters. That is why Stanford will use this week to prepare diligently so that it can go into Saturday with a lot of confidence and hopefully pull out a victory.
Oct 25, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ben Gulbranson (15) throws the football against the Miami Hurricanes during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
This season has been a challenging season for Stanford in many ways, but one can make the argument that its travel schedule has been most grueling. Hitting the road to face teams such as Hawaii, Virginia, SMU and Miami, the Cardinal have traveled coast to coast for games and have accumulated one of the highest number of travel miles among teams in the nation.
Stanford’s 23,562 miles on the schedule this season rank second in the nation to Hawaii’s 29,666.
But for the rest of the season, the Cardinal will be at home for three out of their final four contests, something that they are eager to take full advantage of.
“Everything is still in front of us,” Reich said. “The goals that we have are still in front of us. We’re 3-0 at home, that means something. We’re proud of that, we’ve faced some struggles, we’ve had some down moments, but we’re 3-0 at home so we’re looking to build upon that.
“We know that’s going to be a challenge against a good team, but we’ve had some other good teams come in here and we just got to play good football, that’s what it comes down to. We’ve had good execution, we’ve played good football, we’ve played consistent football at home.
“So we need to put together a 60 minute game and not just a good half, but we need to play well in all three phases for 60 minutes. And if we do that, I like our chances against anybody.”
Under Reich, the Cardinal have found major success at home, going 3-0 so far this season. With the chance to play in front of more students than in games past, the Cardinal are excited for the opportunity to play good teams in front of their home fans and will look to put their best foot forward so that they send their supporters home happy.