The magic of Pac-12 football after dark lives on at the Farm — even in the daylight rhythm of West Coast ACC play.
Despite missing 25 players, Stanford football (3-7, 2-5 ACC) pulled off an improbable upset Saturday against No. 19 Louisville (6-4, 4-3 ACC) on a last-second field goal by senior kicker Emmet Kenney on senior night.
“Really proud of our seniors. You know when the first time you do something happens, but usually you don’t know the last time you do something,” said head coach Troy Taylor. “For all these guys it was their last time playing in Stanford Stadium. We talked about breathing it in, enjoying it and then making it memorable — and we certainly did that.”
The Cardinal were led by freshman wide receiver Emmett Mosley V, who tallied 13 receptions for 168 yards and three touchdowns. Junior quarterback Ashton Daniels targeted the freshman receiver early and often in the game, but it was during crunch time where Mosley’s impact was felt most.
The Santa Margarita product accumulated two of his touchdown catches to help Stanford close a two-score gap late in the fourth quarter — capping the comeback with a sliding catch on fourth-and-1 to tie the game with 45 seconds remaining.
“I think [in] this game, things just fell into place and opportunities were there. We were able to take advantage of them and execute because we’ve been really close these past weeks,” Mosley said.
“I think [Mosley] was consistent in everything he did today,” Daniels said. “You know route running, blocking, everything. It’s extremely rewarding to see a young guy that has confidence like that go out there and do what he does best.”
After Louisville turned the ball over on downs with five seconds remaining, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty followed by an offside penalty set up Kenney to nail his 13th field goal of the year. Kenney’s kick had just enough distance to give Stanford the 38-35 edge.
The win serves as a meaningful consolation prize for the senior class, who no longer have a shot at a bowl game, while also giving Taylor some much-needed breathing room. Cardinal fans had grown increasingly impatient with the former Sacramento State head coach following six consecutive losses.
But after a win in which key contributors like Tristan Sinclair and Collin Wright were unavailable, Saturday’s football game marked a step in the right direction, offering valuable lessons to Stanford’s young nucleus as they work to turn around the program’s subpar performance over the past half-decade.
“You see it here. You see that we’re a couple years away from being a really good football team,” said senior linebacker Gaethan Bernadel.
This improbable win against a ranked opponent is exactly the momentum Stanford needs heading into next weekend’s Big Game against Cal, who have bested the Cardinal in their last three matchups.