Stanford football remains winless after BYU loss

Stanford football (0-2, 0-0 ACC) lost to BYU (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) in Provo, Utah on Saturday night. The final score was 27-3, a total that does not illustrate how much of a defensive battle the game was. 

While the Cougars came away with a comfortable 24 point win, the Stanford defense was stout and resilient all night, putting up a valiant effort and repeatedly coming up with stops in short field situations to keep the Cardinal in striking distance. Gifted two starting positions inside the red zone and two more from the 50-yard line, the Cougar offense could only muster 12 points in the first half, as the Cardinal defense frustrated the freshman quarterback and Stanford transfer Bear Bachmeier. Unfortunately, the offense failed to hold up their end of the bargain, unable to gain more than 20 yards in a drive until late in the fourth quarter as Stanford fell to 0-2 on the season. 

The Stanford defense played an exceptionally strong game against a team sitting just outside the top 25 national rankings. BYU only had three drives over 45 yards throughout the whole game, and only one of those ended in a touchdown. Turnovers and an inability to move the ball on offense left the Stanford defense in tough spots defending a short field, and they did so admirably. 

Down 14 at the half, there was a sense that the Cardinal were still in the game, but the offense could not figure out the BYU defense. Redshirt senior quarterback Ben Gulbranson was unable to find a rhythm for the second game in a row, and his inability to run the ball meant that the Cougar defense could focus on disrupting the passing game. Drops and pressures put Gulbranson in an undesirable situation, and the Cardinal offense stagnated. 

Gulbranson completed just 17 of his 32 pass attempts for 142 yards with two interceptions and two fumbles, one of which was recovered by BYU. He posted a QBR of 6.8, the worst rating of his six-year college career. 

Sixth year Bryce Farrell was the only Stanford player with more than 50 receiving yards, catching five passes for 68 yards. The Cardinal rushing attack, coming off an impressive performance in the opener, was held to 0.8 yards per carry, as sophomore Micah Ford and fifth year Tuna Altahir rushed for 20 and 21 yards respectively. 

Interim head coach Frank Reich acknowledged that BYU’s rush defense was something that the Cardinal prepared for, but were still unable to attack effectively. 

“I give [BYU] credit. We knew they’d bring a lot of run pressures aimed at stopping the run game,” Reich said. “After what we did against Hawaii, we figured they would come in with a plan to make us beat them throwing the football.”

Reich also pointed to late offensive flashes that he was glad to see.

“There were some encouraging things in the second half, particularly the fourth quarter,” he said. “The protection was better, we made a few plays down the field and were able to get a little rhythm and a little confidence.” 

The impressive play from the Cardinal defense continues to be the main storyline for a team that will have to wait at least another week for their first win of the season.

“The defense played unbelievable in my mind,” Reich said. “They gave us every opportunity to be in that game, and turning those turnovers into field goals was great defensive play.”

Up next, Stanford will be heading back to The Farm for their home opener against Boston College (1-1, 0-0 ACC) on Saturday. The game also marks the start of ACC play with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Stanford Stadium.

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