Stanford coach Taylor eyeing first home FBS win this week vs. Louisville

See what else coach Taylor had to say leading up to Stanford's final home game of 2024.

Oct 19, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Troy Taylor (center) walks along the sideline during the first quarter against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

After their second bye week of the season, the Stanford Cardinal (2-7, 1-5 ACC) return to action this week for their final home game of the season, where No. 22 Louisville will come to town. A red-hot team, the Cardinal will be in for another challenge but will go into this game with a little more motivation, as a six game losing streak currently plagues the locker room and is something that the team is desperate to end.

Head coach Troy Taylor gave his weekly press conference on Tuesday leading up to the game, giving updates and talking about the state of affairs ahead of the big-time matchup. Here are five takeaways from coach Taylor’s media availability.

While players rested and recovered, recruiting was big during the bye

A bye week is important for a variety of reasons, but one of if not the biggest reason to love a week off is to give players a chance to rest and recover so that they can have fresh legs for the next game. But while the players did that, the coaches were on the road hard at work on recruiting, looking to find the next batch of future Cardinal stars.

“Bye week obviously, you get people healthy and you get them some rest,” Taylor said. “There’s a recruiting element where you get out on the road and you’re able to recruit, which is really important. And then yeah, develop some skills and [hope] that the guys are healthier and are able to practice and get better.”

Recruiting is the most important aspect of a program as the players brought in dictate the talent that will be on the roster in future seasons. And with the Cardinal using their bye week in the most productive ways possible, it potentially sets them up for success that could not only be experienced through the final three games of this season, but in the future as well.

Louisville’s defense will be a tough test

Despite having lost three games, Louisville has been competitive in every single game that it has played in this season, even in the losses, with a large reason for that being the strong play of the defense. Led by second-year defensive coordinator Ron English, who is also a former teammate of Taylor from their college playing days, the Cardinals are currently 70th in FBS Division I for total defense. Over the last couple of weeks, the unit has improved considerably, allowing 27 points and 21 points, respectively, in their last two games.

“Ron is a phenomenal defensive coach and a great person,” Taylor said. “He does an outstanding job with their defense. They’re very deep on the defensive line [and] they do a lot of different things defensively. They’re sound, they’re fast, they’re good tacklers. They present a big challenge and he’s an outstanding coach and a good friend.”

The ACC has proven to be a challenging conference as a whole, especially with how good the offenses are, but for a complete team like Louisville, any teams that face them will have to be ready to deal with anything that is thrown at them.

Senior day will not change the rotations and game plan

This week will be a big week in multiple ways. Not only is it the final home game of the 2024 season, but it is also senior day, where the Stanford football seniors will be honored for all of their contributions to the program. And while the Cardinal have a handful of seniors, the rotations of who will get playing time will not be changed, with Taylor stating that the lineups will be solely based on who the staff believes gives them the best chance to win.

“You’re playing the game to win it and put the best guys on the field,” Taylor said. “But, we value our seniors, the guys that have been here and they’ve given it all, stayed for their full eligibility and really helped this program. So we certainly value all of our seniors. It’s not too huge of a change. There’s a little time to recognize them and have them run out on the field with their loved ones. So I think it’s great, I think it’s outstanding. But in terms of personnel and who we use, that won’t change.”

In dire need of a win, the Cardinal cannot afford to mess around much with their lineups, and while they have plenty of players that are capable of playing and have shown that they deserve a chance, every game is a battle with only the strongest and most important pieces being sent out into the trenches.

No added pressure for Taylor to win first home FBS game

Last season, the Cardinal finished 3-9, picking up wins over Hawaii, Colorado and Washington State, all on the road. This year, the Cardinal beat Cal Poly at home for their first home win since 2022, while also beating Syracuse on the road for their first and only ACC win thus far. However, during the Troy Taylor era, Stanford has yet to pick up a home win over an FBS team, with its lone home win over Cal Poly being an FCS win. And despite this week being the last chance this year for Taylor to win his first game at home against an FBS opponent, he does not feel any added pressure, treating this as just another game.

“We go into every game with the same amount of pressure,” Taylor said. “We want to win them all so really, there is no pressure in terms of that. It’s just the preparation and the process of getting ready and then going out and making it happen on the field.”

A win over a tough opponent like Louisville would mean a lot, but for now, the most important thing for Taylor and company to do is take it day by day and not get too ahead of themselves, as to not lose focus and ensure that everyone is prepared to the maximum for a what will likely be a very physical game.

Manley ruled out for the rest of the season but other injured players may be nearing returns

Injuries have started to mount for the Cardinal, with several key players missing a significant amount of time due to various ailments. Some of those guys have yet to have a return date, with others such as defensive back Zahran Manley being ruled out for the remainder of the season. However, it is also possible that the Cardinal will see the return of some of their stars, with players such as center Levi Rogers trending towards making a return sooner rather than later.

“Yeah Manley, he’s not gonna be able to return this season,” Taylor said. “He will not return this year. And then Levi, we’ll see this week. He’s getting closer. He certainly is more active and he’s moving around and we’ll see. He’s definitely getting close, so we’ll see on Levi in terms of if he’ll be prepared to play this week, but he’s got a chance.”