Stanford football ready for another tough test with early start time against NC State

This week is a big opportunity for Stanford to break its losing streak and get back into the win column.

Oct 5, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Micah Ford (20) runs with the football against Virginia Tech Hokies safety Mose Phillips III (18) during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Time for another road trip. For the fourth time this season, the Stanford Cardinal (2-6, 1-4 ACC) will embark on another journey to the East Coast, this time for a matchup against the NC State Wolfpack (4-4, 1-3 ACC). A heartbreaking loss last week will certainly have the Cardinal extra motivated and hungry going into this game, as they look to finish off this season strong and go into the offseason with momentum for the future. Head coach Troy Taylor met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the current state of the program and provide updates ahead of game day.

Here are five takeaways from what Taylor said during his weekly press conference.

All three QBs will be ready to play 

Through eight games, the Cardinal have gotten inconsistent play from their two main quarterbacks in Ashton Daniels and Elijah Brown, despite both guys showing flashes of immense promise all year long. Because of that, the starting quarterback situation still remains unclear, with the possibility still open that Brown, Daniels and Justin Lamson all will get the chance to both compete for the job this week and play in the game on Saturday.

“Going into the game, we were going to play them both and then it just kind of happened that Ash was playing really well and made him play,” Taylor said. “So we stuck with him but everything is open each week. We’re trying to find a way to score more points and win football games. So you know, this is our first day of practice today for the week and both those guys will get reps, along with Justin Lamson, and then we’ll see how it goes. The competition goes into the week and they’re all ready to play.”

Running a multi-QB system can be tough, but it is important that the Cardinal thoroughly assess all of their options and see what all three guys can do before opting to roll with one over the others permanently. 

Early start time this week will require players to really try and stay on their routine

All season long, the earliest kickoff that the Cardinal have had to endure is 12:30 p.m., playing during the second window of college football games that start for the day. However this week, Stanford will play in its earliest game all season, kicking off at 12 p.m. (ET), making it a 9 a.m. body clock game for the West Coast program. That means that the players may have to be stricter with their routines this week to ensure maximum readiness.

“We’ve talked to our guys this week about trying to be a little more on the East Coast time in terms of going to bed early, like at 9pm,” Taylor said. “I know sometimes [that] can be difficult for college students, who are doing homework and getting things done, but trying to do that. We’ll go out early on Thursday and you know, they’re going to wake up really early on Saturday morning and hopefully, you know, throughout the week, the process of getting to bed early will allow them to get up early.

"They’re used to doing things early in the morning with our routine, so that part of it, it’s still three hours so they’ll be getting up really early for the pregame meal and kicking off at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. It’s something that I’ve never done, but we’ll be up for the test.”

Early games can be hard to adjust to, especially when a team is not accustomed to them, but for a Stanford team that has already been on three East Coast trips previously this season, the expectation will be that they will be ready to go and take on the challenge.

NC State’s quarterback will once again provide a tough test for Stanford

At the start of the season, NC State had sixth year quarterback Grayson McCall under center, who started the Wolfpack’s first four games of the season before suffering a severe head injury, making way for true freshman CJ Bailey to get his chance to shine. However, McCall recently announced his retirement from football, leaving Bailey as the new long term answer for NC State. Since taking over, Bailey has shown exactly why he was highly recruited and figures to be another tough test for Stanford’s defense.

“He’s a young guy that came in for the injured quarterback, and he’s really improved,” Taylor said. “You see, one his confidence, his understanding of the system, he’s got good length and arm ability and he can get himself out of trouble. He’s improved, which will happen. As young players, you play in more games, and they’ve done a good job of utilizing his skill set. He’s an impressive young man. He was a highly recruited guy and he’s had the opportunity to play early on and he’s gonna be a really good player for a number of years.”

Having thrown for 1,376 yards and eight touchdowns to only four interceptions since becoming the starter, Bailey has been steadily improving week by week, and if Stanford isn’t ready, it could very well be another game in which the opponent sees immense success in the passing game. That is why containing Bailey and minimizing the damage he can cause will be the first priority that the Cardinal will want to handle.

Status of Micah Ford and Sedrick Irvin still TBD

Originally expected to start, running back Sedrick Irvin has seen his job overtaken by the young guys, in large part due to having to deal with injuries. One of those young guys that have taken his reps is Micah Ford, who has also dealt with injuries of his own these last few weeks. And while neither Ford or Irvin are guaranteed to play this week, their injury recovery trending in the right direction. True freshman Cole Tabb, who has yet to play this year, could also be nearing a return as well.

“Micah, Sedrick and Cole Tabb are guys that were day to day,” Taylor said. “I think they all have an opportunity to play, but they got to progress throughout this week. And hopefully we’ll have all three, or maybe two of them, and we’ll see. They’re working really hard on their rehab and they’ll be close.”

While a part of the game, injuries can hamper any team’s success, and while Stanford has struggled regardless this season, the return of some of the star running backs can help the team see what they have for next year and put their offense to the test.

Health should improve at all positions after the bye

Playing on the road this weekend, the Cardinal will play one more game before they get to enjoy another bye week. And while bye weeks have multiple advantages, one of those advantages is the ability for players to rest and recover, with the possibility of even more players coming back and being ready to play for Stanford again once the bye week is over.

“Scotty Edwards was able to play and Aaron Morris, so those were two huge guys that we got back, and they helped us out a lot,” Taylor said. “That was huge in the secondary and there’s still a number of guys that we’re hoping to get back soon. Levi Rogers is our center and we’re hoping to get him back soon and then the two running backs, Sedrick and Cole, they’re very important to our scheme and our system. And then there’s some other players, but you know, it’s next man up. People are going to have to step up and fill in, and that’s why you recruit and you create as much depth as you possibly can because it’s a physical sport and you’ve got to be able to have enough depth to make it through a Power Four season.”

The Cardinal always want to have as many players available and healthy as they can for any given game, and if they are able to have a large portion of their team back for their final three games, then it is entirely possible that we could see some substantial improvements.