Stanford head coach Frank Reich looks ahead to Boston College
On Monday, Stanford interim head coach Frank Reich spoke to the media in advance of Saturday’s home against Boston College. Below are some thoughts and takeaways.
VIDEO: Stanford Football Weekly Press Conference | Boston College Week-Frank Reich
The most relevant part of Monday’s presser was Reich declining to affirm that Ben Gulbranson would be the starting quarterback on Saturday against Boston College. I asked him if Gulbranson would be the starter and he said it’s too early in the week to make any such announcement about any position. If Gulbranson was for sure the starting quarterback going forward, one would think Reich would say so. Even though Reich said I shouldn’t read anything into his answer, this tells me a change at quarterback is possible. Former 4-star redshirt freshman Elijah Brown being the most likely guy to step in.
That all said, all intel I’ve received indicates Gulbranson will indeed get the start. He’s atop the depth chart, etc. I think the bigger question is whether or not they’re at least mulling a change during the game. So far they’ve been willing to roll with Gulbranson for all four quarters. Will that continue Saturday? That’s the question.
Regarding Boston College, Reich made it clear that the Eagles will look to run the ball and have a balanced attack while also having an aggressive defense that mixes it up. So, there’s going to be a lot of challenges that the Eagles pose.
Reich continued to praise the defense and the way they played against BYU. He feels like that unit did a lot of things well and kept them in the game. Top to bottom, he liked how the entire unit looked. It’s all about getting the offense up to speed and doing their part. That side of the ball really does seem to be the focus right now along with special teams, which Reich said has been mixed.
Touching more on the offense, apart from quarterback play, a major focus has to be getting more out of tight end Sam Roush. After three receptions for six yards against Hawaii, he had one reception for two yards against BYU. They need a breakout game from him against Boston College.
On the injury front, Reich said that offensive lineman Simione Pale will not be available this week and will look to see how things progress in the coming weeks. Wide receiver JonAnthony Hall is progressing, but no specific update on when he might be back. Reich did say he’s making progress, which was good to hear. Oh the message boards, I’ve provided a more detailed update on Pale. So make sure to check that out.
Overall, the big thing to take away is the offense is holding Stanford back. They really need to get that part figured out. While all areas of the offense could be better, it really does start with the quarterback spot. Gulbranson had a tough time completing throws that should be routine. I personally will be surprised if they continue to roll with him if his play doesn’t improve. I just have to think that Elijah Brown is capable of performing better, but we’ll just have to see.
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