Stanford football embracing challenge that comes with facing Cal

From injury updates to getting ready for the weather, Stanford head coach Troy Taylor spoke with the media ahead of a big game against the Cardinal's biggest rival. Here are top takeaways from what was said.

Nov 16, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford celebrates their win against the Louisville Cardinals at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images / Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

After a big win over Louisville, momentum is high as the Stanford Cardinal (3-7, 2-5 ACC) get ready for their biggest game of the year, a matchup with the California Golden Bears. In what will be the 127th matchup between the two schools, anticipation is mounting as a staple of the college football season approaches. Leading the all-time series 66-53-1, Stanford will enter Memorial Stadium eager to break a three-game losing streak against Cal and take home the Stanford Axe once again.

Head coach Troy Taylor spoke with the media ahead of the big matchup to give updates on the current state of affairs. Here are the top takeaways from what was said during the weekly press conference.

Facing Cal’s defense will be another tough challenge

Despite its 5-5 record, Cal has been one of the most surprising teams in college football, taking games against Miami, Pittsburgh and Syracuse down to the wire. And throughout the season, the Golden Bears have evolved into a defensive threat, with Taylor and Co. knowing not to take them lightly come Saturday.

“They’re gonna be really sound,” Taylor said. “They’re really good at stopping the run. It’s always been something that he’s done well. They’re able to get in and out of different things. They’ll show you a lot of different coverages, or three primary coverages, and they’ll do all three well and they’re usually a really good tackling team.

"So those are the things that are not gonna have busts and they’re gonna play really hard. So what [we] would expect from a really well coached team… there haven’t been a lot of points scored on them. People have trouble running the football, they’re very physical and they lead the country in turnovers.”

The Golden Bears are putting up a solid fight in their first season in the ACC and as a result, a win for Stanford could very well be a statement and become a solid building block for the future of the program.

Emmett Mosley V expected to be a bigger focal point moving forward

Since making his debut in week five against Clemson, freshman receiver Emmett Mosley V has quickly become an impact player, finding his way into the starting lineup with his impressive play. In the team’s most recent game against Louisville, Mosley had his best game of the season and caught 13 passes for 168 yards while finding the end zone three times. Because of that, the Cardinal will most likely make him more of a focal point moving forward and put him in prime position to make big plays.

“We’ve known that Emmett is going to be an outstanding player,” Taylor said. “I would say making sure we’re putting him in positions so he’ll have some opportunities. They watch a lot of film and they’re really good coaches so they’ll be aware of where he’s at and how to defend him, especially after this past game. So just having a really good plan that we’re able to get the ball to our playmakers and give them an opportunity.”

Giving Mosley a lot of playing time as a true freshman will be valuable for his development, and for a Cardinal team in the midst of a rebuild, having a guy like him be the focal point of an offense can go a long way.

Rain could be a factor this weekend

It is now the time of year where weather can start to be a factor in games, and this weekend rain is expected to be in the forecast for at least part of the day. Because of that, the Cardinal are preparing accordingly, also taking into account the playing surface that Memorial Stadium has to offer.

“Yeah, you definitely have a plan,” Taylor said. “It involves a lot of towels and rotating balls and having your team have the right gloves and wearing the right clothing. The crown, you could see it from one sideline to the other. They obviously don’t have that same crown, it’s a little bit more flat. I don’t recall, with a lot of rain and the new surface, how it handles it but I’m sure it drains well. We both have to play on it, so how we adjust and prepare for that, obviously, will be a factor.”

Playing in the rain can definitely be difficult, but if the Cardinal go into the game ready for it, they should be able to play their brand of football without skipping a beat.

Availability status of Sinclair, others still up in the air

Despite earning the win against Louisville, the Cardinal did so without a handful of key pieces, with players such as Tristan Sinclair and Collin Wright missing the game due to injury. And with guys like that being crucial in big rivalry games, the Cardinal are hoping that they are healthy enough to play. Sinclair, the team’s most experienced veteran, was eventually ruled out after being a game time decision and is still listed as questionable with his status dependent on how the week goes.

“We probably won’t know that until later in the week,” Taylor said. “I know he’s gonna do everything in his power to get healthy, but we’ve just got to make sure that he’s in a position to protect himself and play to his full ability. So, we probably won’t really know until game day with him and a number of our guys, but I know they’ll do everything in their power to get ready.”

With these next couple of games being important chances to end the season strong, the Cardinal will want to be as healthy as possible. But injuries are unpredictable, and wanting to make sure their players are as close to being 100% as possible, it will be important for them to also be patient in their recovery.