Recap: Stanford gets dominated in the second half at No. 9 Miami
On Saturday, Stanford football fell to No. 9 Miami on the road by a final score of 42-7. Miami quarterback Carson Beck went 21-28 for 189 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions while running back Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Stanford wide receiver Caden High had the lone touchdown for the Cardinal on three receptions for 36 yards while quarterback Ben Gulbranson went 9-21 for 50 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Miami improves to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the ACC while Stanford falls to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the ACC.
VIDEO: Stanford Football: Miami Postgame Press Conference (10/25/25)
BOX SCORE: Stanford at Miami-Saturday, October 25th
“Yeah, you know, I mean, obviously, we got off to the fast start on offense,” Stanford interim head coach Frank Reich said after the game. “You know, went no huddle, had a good, you know, drive, good execution all the way down. Run, pass, mix it up, good in the red zone, made the plays that we needed to make. On defense, you know, we just contained them. You know, they couldn’t sustain drives and they had the one drive and you know, our defense has been playing really good.
“Our defense the last few games against some really good offenses has come out early and stifled offenses and I thought we did a good job stifling what is a really talented offense for Miami. And you know, we weren’t perfect in the run pass game, but we played them very well in the first half. But as I said, they got after us and I give them credit. You know, they came out strong in the second half and gave us all we can handle.”
While the final score of the game was reflective of most people’s expectations, the first half was a surprise as Stanford was the first team to score while also entering halftime tied 7-7. On the opening drive of the game, Stanford held Miami to a 44 yard field goal attempt, which was missed by Carter Davis. Stanford then marched down the field to lead 7-0 as a nine yard touchdown pass from Gulbranson to High capped off a 12 play, 74 yard drive that was highlighted by a 28 yard run from running back Cole Tabb. Stanford would lead 7-0 with 4:35 to go in the 1st quarter.
While Stanford struggled to get their offense going the rest of the first half (and the game for that matter), their defense was able to slow down Miami in the first half as well. They would force a punt and a turnover on downs on 4th and 3 before Miami finally got on the board late in the 2nd quarter. With just 1:18 to go until halftime, Beck found wide receiver CJ Daniels for a five yard touchdown reception, capping off a 15 play, 71 yard drive. That made it a 7-7 game, which would end up being the score at halftime.
At the break, Stanford was feeling good. They had played one half of football and were tied against a team that was heavy favorites against them. The defense was looking strong. The problem was aside from their opening drive, the offense wasn’t doing much. It seemed like only a matter of time before the dam would break.
In the second half, the dam would break as Miami would go on to outscore Stanford 35-0. 21-0 in the 3rd quarter and 14-0 in the 4th quarter. Fletcher Jr. in particular went off as he found the end zone three times while punt returner Malachi Toney had two returns for 73 yards.
Stanford’s offense was unable to get anything going while the defense continued to get worn down. Stanford even gave backup quarterback Elijah Brown a bit of work as he was able to get a first down off an 11 yard pass to CJ Williams to make up for a seven yard loss, followed by a 21 yard pass to High. That was about the only highlight of the second half for the Cardinal. 42-7 Miami ended up winning in a route.
For Miami, this was a win of relief. They came in expected to cruise to a win and instead found themselves tied up at halftime. A loss to Stanford, especially at home, would have been catastrophic. To their credit, they found a way to take things up a notch in the second half and put the Cardinal away for good.
As for Stanford, while the final score is disappointing, they at least made the first half interesting. I think if you had told Stanford they’d be tied at halftime, they would have taken it. In the end, Miami’s superior talent on both offense and defense won out. Stanford just needs to make sure they don’t let the poor second half discourage them after what was a spirited first half.
Up next for Stanford is a home game against Pittsburgh on Saturday, November 1st. Kickoff is set for 12:30 PM PT on ACC Network.
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