STANFORD – Senior cornerback Collin Wright was getting sick and tired of how the Stanford football team was being perceived.
Picked to finish last in the 17-team ACC following four straight 3-9 seasons, and months after an abrupt coaching change, the 2025 season looked like it might be spiraling for the Cardinal following two nationally televised losses to begin the year.
The Cardinal needed, as Wright put it, “to change the narrative.”
So they did.
Behind Micah Ford’s career-high 157 yards rushing and an impressive performance from its defense, particularly in the second half, Stanford began ACC play with a 30-20 win over Boston College, giving interim coach Frank Reich his first victory in the collegiate ranks.
Wright’s pick six in the second quarter was one of a handful of big plays Stanford enjoyed against the Eagles following a 23-20 loss at Hawaii last month and a 27-3 loss to BYU in Provo last 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 said. “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 said. “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 defense came up with the game’s biggest play late in the third quarter. On 4th and goal on the Cardinal 1-yard line, Eagles running back Turbo Richard tried to leap the pile at the line of scrimmage, but had the ball knocked loose by defensive lineman Clay Patterson, with safety Jay Green recovering in the end zone.
On the ensuing play, Ford darted up the middle for a 75-yard run to the Boston College 5, then scored on the next play to give Stanford a 27-20 lead after the extra point.
Stanford’s quarterback Ben Gulbranson (15) runs with the ball against Boston College’s Daveon Crouch (1) and Boston College’s Chris Marable Jr. (52) in the first quarter at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
If Richard scores, there’s no guarantee the Cardinal will be able to tie the game in the fourth quarter, and they may be looking at a 0-3 record going into next week’s game against unbeaten Virginia.
“It was awesome,” Wright said. “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 game, the Cardinal scored 21 points off Boston College turnovers to help earn their first win of the season and open the season at home on a positive note.
“Since spring ball, since camp, we want three turnovers a practice and three turnovers a game,” Wright said. “So we accomplished that as a defense.”
REDISCOVERING AN IDENTITY: It wouldn’t look right for the Cardinal to have an ‘air raid’ type offense, and quite frankly, they might not be able to find the personnel to be able to run such a scheme effectively.
Stanford’s Collin Wright (6) scores a touchdown against Boston College in the second quarter at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
No, in the program’s heyday of 10-15 years ago, Stanford’s success on offense came from running the ball behind a bruising offensive line, utilizing their tight ends, and grinding teams down.
That’s what happened in the second half against the Eagles. While it was tough for Stanford to run the ball in the first half, with just 56 yards on 15 carries, holes started opening up in the second half, and the Cardinal finished 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 said. “Just to go out there and execute, take advantage of that.”
Ford’s 157 yards was the most in a game by a Cardinal running back since Bryce Love had 166 yards on Nov. 10, 2017, against Washington.
Ford said 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 completed his first touchdown pass of the season late in the first half. On 3rd and 3 at the Cardinal 31, Gulbranson found tight end Sam Roush along the sideline at the 50-yard line, where Roush eluded a tackle and outraced cornerback Isaiah Farris to the end zone as Stanford cut Boston College’s lead to 17-13.
Bryce Farrell had five catches for 72 yards, and tight end Roush’s 79 yards receiving on three catches was a career high.
“We were running the ball well, and we called one of our movements off it,” Gulbranson said of Roush’s touchdown. “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.”
Asked if he had anything to prove after an uneven start to the season, Gulbranson said, “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 team warm up before a game against Boston College at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
INTIMATE GATHERING: The announced attendance for Saturday’s game was 22,162, the smallest crowd for a Stanford home opener in over 25 years. The actual number of fans in the stands looked far less, with most of the upper deck at Stanford Stadium empty.
Last season, paid attendance for Stanford home conference games against SMU and Louisville dipped below 20,000, an indication that there’s work to be done to generate more local enthusiasm for the program.
Related Articles
Pac-12 (2.0) power rankings: Fresno State on top as Texas State slips
Cal takeaways: Bears take over late to beat Minnesota, extend strong start to 2025 season
CFB: DeShaun Foster under fire, Deion Sanders’ CU future, Pac-12 meltdowns
Cal slows Minnesota offense, Sagapolutele throws 3 TDs in win
Game-changing play in second half helps Stanford beat Boston College in ACC opener
Still, Saturday’s crowd showed it could be loud, and maybe the win will get more fans on board for Stanford’s next home game on Sept. 27 against San Jose State.
“I’m just happy the guys got it done, especially in the home opener,” Ford said. “Fans showed out. Crew showed out. Everybody showed out. Just to get it done feels amazing.”
