The emergence of young stars has helped Stanford football revitalize run game

After two straight road games, the Stanford Cardinal will finally return home this week when they take on Virginia Tech. In talking to the media ahead of the game, here is what we learned from Troy Taylor's comments.

Sep 7, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Micah Ford (20) runs the ball against Cal Poly Mustangs safety DeMel Turner (8) during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Coming off of a loss to Clemson, the Stanford Cardinal (2-2, 1-1 ACC) will return home this week and look to bounce back when they host the Virginia Tech Hokies (2-3, 0-1 ACC). Coming back to Stanford Stadium after about a month since their last home game, the Cardinal will play in front of the students for the first time this season, hoping to prove that they have what it takes to get back over .500. Head coach Troy Taylor met with the media as he does every week, to discuss the upcoming matchup and what to expect on Saturday.

Here are five takeaways from this week’s media availability.

David Bailey’s involvement could soon increase

Throughout his tenure at Stanford, edge rusher David Bailey has established himself as one of the team’s best players on defense, finishing last season with a team high five sacks and has continued to impress so far this season, currently having two sacks. But Bailey has been on a snap count, playing only 16 this past week against Clemson due to dealing with a physical ailment and could soon start to see much more action.

“David is a crucial part of our defense,” Taylor said. “He had a physical thing that he had to deal with so we limited him a little bit, but we think he’s getting close to full go. So part of that was just limiting the reps because of a physical issue. But, I think he’s gonna be great. Obviously, the more that he’s on the field, he creates a lot of chaos and pass protection, and he’s got a tremendous upside so, I’m excited about him. Hopefully he’ll be able to play more and more each game.”

In a conference that has teams with high-powered offenses and good quarterback play, it will be important for the Cardinal to have a guy like Bailey who can get to the quarterback, and if he becomes more of a factor this week, Virginia Tech may find themselves struggling to move the ball.

The emergence of young stars has been crucial in improving the run game

Last season, the Cardinal struggled to get consistent production out of their running backs, with their leading running back finishing the season with 218 yards. And to start off this year, the Cardinal dealt with more of the same type of issue, having a hard time establishing a consistent run game. However these last two weeks have been a much different story, thanks to the rise of young stars such as freshmen Micah Ford and Chris Davis Jr. in the backfield and Kahlil House on the line. The team has found a new identity as a running team, with Ford even earning ACC Rookie of the Week honors for his 122 yard game against Clemson.

“I think part of it is the young guys that we’re playing are just getting better,” Taylor said. “Our two o-line coaches are doing a tremendous job at getting those guys better. They’ve got a lot of ability and they’ve continued to move upward. And then our young running backs are really good. So I think it’s a combination of those things. Hopefully the trend will continue but, the last couple of games, there’s been a great spike. I mean, you’re talking about Clemson, which is one of the elite teams in the country and to be able to run the football like that, I’m really proud of our offensive players.”

Being multifaceted on offense will be crucial the rest of this season as the schedule gets tougher and tougher. But for the Cardinal to have started to find a rhythm in the run game while it’s still early in the year, it potentially sets them up to shock the landscape of college football and emerge as a sleeper team in their conference.

Virginia Tech’s experience will be another tough test for the Cardinal

Virginia Tech has a proven history of being a strong football program, coming off a 2023 season that saw them win the Military Bowl. And in a world where college football rosters are experiencing constant turnover, the Hokies actually came into this season with a large portion of their team returning, effectively making them one of the most experienced teams in college football.

“They have nine starters on defense coming back,” Taylor said. “I’ve watched mostly their defense. I know their quarterback is a stud. He’s very strong and athletic, and has a lot of ability. Defensively, a great d-line, very fast. I like their corners and their safeties, backers are aggressive, they’re a very decisive, well coached defense. They hit it downhill in a hurry, they know where they’re going, and they have good eyes. Just all the things that you’d expect at a really well coached team, so this is a great team.”

Despite being 2-3, all three of the Hokies losses have been by one score or less, including an overtime loss and a loss to Miami on the final play of their last game, so when they come into Stanford this weekend, they will come hungry, and ready to get their season back on track.

Current offensive line group is likely to stay the same going forward

Early in the season, the offensive line was in a constant state of shuffling, with the depth chart between weeks one and two looking vastly different. But as the last couple of games have seen strong play out of the current group, the depth chart has managed to stay pretty consistent, with the expectation being that this will be the starting group for the foreseeable future.

“I would say that’s gonna be our starting five moving forward,” Taylor said. “That being said, competition is always open, and if guys emerge and get better, which happens, nothing is ever set in stone. But that’s the group right now we’re going to run with and again, I’m happy with their progress [but we] want to take another step this weekend.”

Change can happen at any time, especially if a team has a roster loaded with talent. But if consistency and continuity is able to be created at a position, then preparing for opponents becomes that much easier.

Heat will be a factor this week

It may be fall, but that does not mean that the summer weather has gone away. On Saturday, the forecast is projecting it to be very hot for a 12:30 kickoff in Palo Alto, with temperatures expected to reach well over 90 degrees. Because of that, the team has made sure to prepare accordingly.

“Hydration,” Taylor said. “It’s an early start and obviously our guys start their day pretty early on a general schedule so I don’t think that’ll be a factor. But Virginia Tech, they’ve obviously played in much hotter and in more humid weather than what they’re gonna see on Saturday. And we practiced in the heat out here. It’s a drier heat so our guys will be ready to go. They’re excited about playing at home.”