Stanford football will head to Dallas to take on Southern Methodist University (SMU) Saturday in an early game scheduled for a 9 a.m. kickoff. The Cardinal, fresh off a bye, will be looking for revenge after a 40-10 loss last season at Stanford Stadium that saw SMU run away with the game after the first play from scrimmage.

This year, the Cardinal head into the contest with two wins under their belt, including one in conference play. However, the Mustangs no longer resemble the playoff bound-juggernaut they were last year. SMU has lost two games this year, suffering defeats to Big 12 in-state rivals Baylor and TCU. The Mustang defense has also regressed a bit from last year, surrendering fourth quarter leads in both of its losses. The Cardinal will still have to contend with quarterback Kevin Jennings, a redshirt sophomore phenom who torched Stanford for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns last year. 

The Stanford defense will have to survive the first half without its leading tackler, as redshirt junior Matt Rose serves a one-half suspension for a second-half targeting call against San Jose State University (SJSU). On a positive note, fifth-year outside linebacker Wilfredo Aybar, who missed the SJSU game, is likely to return, according to the injury report. 

The Stanford offense will look to continue its high flying success from the last game as redshirt senior quarterback Ben Gulbranson threw the most passing yards ever recorded in a Stanford win. Wide receivers junior Caden High and senior CJ Williams must continue to play at a high level, especially as freshman JonAnthony Hall remains sidelined. On the ground, the Cardinal will need to reestablish a potent ground attack that has sputtered as the offensive line has been shuffled due to injuries. Sophomore Micah Ford will take the bulk of those duties, although he will certainly not shoulder the burden alone.

Stanford heads into Gerald R. Ford Stadium as 17.5 point underdogs. To come out victorious, the Cardinal will need to turn its red zone trips into touchdowns, not settle for field goals, and win the turnover battle. Jennings has thrown six picks to Gulbranson’s three, but the Mustang defense has an ACC-leading nine interceptions, while the Cardinal only have one. The Cardinal will absolutely need to hold onto the ball in order to win consecutive FBS games for the first time since October 2022.