After a homecoming weekend win against Elon (4-4, 2-2 CAA), Stanford football (3-4, 1-3 ACC) looks to keep the momentum rolling this Friday against North Carolina State (3-3, 1-2 ACC). This game is pivotal as the Cardinal prepare to go back on the road for games at Louisville (4-3, 3-2 ACC) and Virginia Tech (5-2, 2-2 ACC) in the upcoming weeks.
If Stanford is to position themselves as bowl game contenders, this game is even more of a must-win. The University has not played in a post-season game since 2018.
Junior linebacker Sam Mattingly, fresh off a career game two weeks ago and another team-leading defensive performance against Elon, said that the win has upped the energy in the locker room. “Guys are excited. Obviously we know that NC State is a good team… the intensity the last two days of practice… it’s been way up,” he said after practice on Wednesday.
While Stanford finally has some momentum, NC State is coming off an Oct. 10 drubbing by Wake Forest (6-1, 4-1 ACC) and a bye week. The Wolfpack failed to get much going offensively in the second half against Wake Forest, giving up a slightly higher-than-average 387 total yards despite key defensive contributors Popo Aguirre and Jackson Vick registering 12 and 8 tackles, respectively.
Junior Stanford running back Micah Ford, who tied the school record in rushing touchdowns last weekend, will be looking to exploit NC State’s middling run defense, which gives up an average of 133 yards on the ground per game.
For a Stanford rushing attack that had a breakout game last week, Friday will be critical to determining whether they can see sustained success. The goal is to be a complement to Stanford’s predominantly aerial offense. Up to this point in the season, the Cardinal have averaged 233 yards per game through the air compared to just 103 yards on the ground. Ford alone produces nearly three-quarters of Stanford’s ground yards.
Ford also appeared in the injury report for the first time on Wednesday, where he is listed as probable to play. This comes after he said postgame on Saturday that the injury two weeks ago against No. 4 Notre Dame (6-1) was just a “spasm” and he felt fully recovered after a week. Whatever it may be, the mild injury characterization bodes well for Stanford’s offensive picture, which will certainly look to feature the standout running back.
On the defensive side of the ball, Stanford’s focus will be on stopping Wolfpack junior quarterback CJ Bailey. “He’s been a good quarterback in this league for a while,” Mattingly said, though he is confident in the defensive game plan the coaching staff has devised.
On his own recent success and defensive leadership, Mattingly attributed it to the coaches’ preparation. “They’re just putting me in good spots,” he said. He largely schedules his day around film and meetings at this point in the season, fitting it in both before and after his block of classes in the middle of the day.
On the field, preparation is what has allowed Mattingly to step into a leadership role in the absence of senior linebacker Matt Rose, who was injured in the Cardinal’s Sept. 26 victory over Georgia Tech (2-4, 1-2 ACC) and has yet to play since. Yet, Mattingly still credits Rose as a key mentor and contributor. “Rose is still [our] leader… It’s always next man up, that’s what we preach on defense.”
One variable that the Cardinal must contend with as opposed to the Wolfpack is the short week of preparation due to a Friday game. While Monday would typically be an off day for the team, the schedule had to compress a bit. Mattingly didn’t think it was cause for any concern: “It kind of looks the same as every other week, starting a day earlier.”
If the Cardinal are to get back to .500 this Friday, they’ll need to stay in rhythm with the offensive and defensive strides that led to victory last week. Reaching that mark would be a big milestone in the first year of this rebuild under new head coach Tavita Pritchard.
But the one goal Mattingly has in mind is simple: “I think we just come out and execute,” he said.
Kick-off is set for 7:30pm Friday.