A new ACC foe visits Hard Rock for the first time
The Miami Hurricanes conclude the month of October with home game against the Stanford Cardinal.
A new ACC member as of last year, this will be Stanford’s first conference game against the Hurricanes. As you (and everyone) remembers, Miami went to Cal (a Bay area neighbor of Stanford) last season for the first matchup against our new California conference friends. Stanford makes the cross-country trip to Miami Gardens this year.
Coming off a 3-9 (2-6 ACC) season in 2024, Stanford made some changes in leadership. Former star player Andrew Luck is the new General Manager, overseeing program operations. And former NFL player and coach Frank Reich is the new head coach for the Cardinal heading into 2025.
Stanford Cardinal Offense
I’ll keep this quick: Stanford was one of the worst offenses in America last year. That’s why they went 3-9 and fired their coach. Reich, a longtime NFL player and coach, joins the program as interim coach to try to turn things around. He will employ an NFL-like system by his own words, with the hopes of finding more success now and in the future. For the X’s and O’s, check out this installment of Summer Scheming.
Redshirt Freshman QB Elijah Brown is the likely starter for the Cardinal. He played in 3 games last year, and has some talent. Dylan Rizk (brother of a former Miami walk-on QB) moves over from UCF and will compete with Brown for the QB1 job. I could see a world where both players get snaps throughout the year.
Apart from that, Stanford has been known for their OL and TE recruiting and development. Those positions will be key to any success Stanford finds on offense this year.
Wisconsin transfer CJ Williams is the top receiver, and figures to be the central cog in Stanford’s passing game. And, they have a few RBs with talent, including South Florida native Sedrick Irvin.
Stanford will likely take a step forward on offense, but Miami’s defense should be able to handle this challenge.
Stanford Cardinal Defense
Like their offense, Stanford’s defense struggled in 2024. I’ll put it to you like this: their defense was DEMONSTRABLY worse than Miami’s. I swear, it’s true. Look it up. 108th in yard per game allowed. 119th in yards per play allowed (6.40!!!!!). 116th in points allowed per game (33.7). 112th in total points allowed (404). 131st (out of 134) in passing ypg allowed (280+). Opponents had a 31 to 9 TD/INT ratio. And the list goes on and on. HOW they beat Syracuse and Louisville will forever be a mystery.
Stanford returns 8 starters from that defense, and they look to take a big step forward (which, I mean, is the only direction they can reasonably go). CB Collin Wright and LB Tevarua Tafiti are among the standouts on this side of the ball, but they will need plenty of help to turn things around.
FIU transfer Gaethan Bernardel (a Deerfield Beach native) looks to help Tafiti and the LB corps. But the portal giveth, and the portal taketh; DE David Bailey transferred out to Texas Tech, taking away one of the best players on Stanford’s defense.
Honestly. There’s not much more to say. Stanford will look to bring physicality to the field, which has always been their calling card when they’re competitive. But, even with a MASSIVE step forward, this is an obstacle that Miami should be able to handle with relative ease.
Early Prediction
I’ll keep this short: I fully expect Miami to win this game by 17+. Stanford simply doesn’t have the athletes to compete, and they are at the beginning (maybe even BEFORE the beginning since they have an Interim Coach) of a big rebuild/reconstruction.
For Miami, with designs on the ACC Championship game (and beyond), easily dispatching the likes of Stanford is a necessity. This opponent is among the worst the Hurricanes will face in 2025, and beating them easily and soundly is a necessity.
On to the next one.