Bryce Farrell and Hunter Barth look ahead to Boston College
On Tuesday, Stanford sixth year wide receiver Bryce Farrell and grad transfer inside linebacker Hunter Barth spoke to the media in advance of Saturday’s home opener against Boston College. Below are some thoughts and takeaways.
First off, it was interesting to get more insight into why Farrell came back for one more year. He was looking to enter the work force and reach out to the broader Stanford network. After the coaching change, the new staff invited him back and he felt like it was a good way to close out his Stanford career. Farrell has gotten targeted a lot so far this season and also has a role in the return game, so all around, he’s glad he’s getting a chance to get a lot of snaps in his final year. Usually you don’t hear guys be so open like he was in terms of admitting that it was a coaching staff change that brough him back. You always like that kind of honesty from players.
Touching more on that, Farrell said he’s seen a lot of change during his time at Stanford. Three different head coaches and a whole new crop of players. He’s doing all he can to leave Stanford better than he found it and be a leader. That’s his main focus.
Farrell said the team is excited to play in front of their fans and be at home. He hopes they can do some good things and have a successful weekend. He feels they are energized to be at home after spending the first two games on the road.
Farrell loves both interim head coach Frank Reich and general manager Andrew Luck. He feels like he has learned a lot from those guys and has a lot of confidence in what those two guys are teaching them. It’s just about going out and executing.
Switching gears to Barth, he feels like he’s gotten up to speed with the defense quickly. Studying the playbook and studying the opponent has been key. He feels like those two things are what has enabled him to play as well as he did against BYU, getting multiple tackles for loss.
Barth feels like the defense played well against BYU. He likes how they improved from the Hawaii game. All about continuing to improve. Relentless effort and detail he said are the two things the defense is really focusing on. They certainly seem to have done a good in those two areas so far.
He likes how they buckled down in tough situations. They focused in and didn’t let a negative play affect their approach or mentality. The mental side he feels has been really key to their success.
On transferring from Cal, Barth said he feels like he fit right in. The guys on the team, both coaches and players did a great job of welcoming him. They helped him feel like he belonged. That’s helped him have a smooth transition.
Building on that, Barth likes how inside linebackers coach/co-defensive coordinator Andy Thompson has coached him up and the entire unit. He feels like Thompson has done a great job of pushing them to be the best they can be and that everyone is buying into what he’s coaching. Given how well the unit is playing, I would say Thompson is getting good marks so far.
Overall, both Farrell and Barth seem excited for the opportunity to play Boston College this weekend. They know it’s been a tough start to the season dropping both of their games, but there is still a lot of belief in each other. If they can keep that belief up and do a better job executing, especially on offense, the chance to get a win against the Eagles will definitely be there.
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