Frank Reich's Simple Four-Word Message to Stanford During Bye Week

Cal and Stanford face off in the 128th Big Game on Saturday

Oct 25, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Stanford Cardinal interim head coach Frank Reich reads a play card against the Miami Hurricanes during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Time to bounce back. Coming off of a bye week, the Stanford Cardinal will return home this week for the penultimate game of the season and one that they have had circled on their calendar all year: a matchup against rival Cal. Losing to North Carolina to fall to 3-7 the last time they were on the field, the Cardinal desperately need a win.

But this week, the 128th Big Game is the talk of the town, with Stanford hungry for redemption in this edition. Losing on the road last season in upset fashion, leading the game before blowing the lead late in the fourth quarter, the Cardinal are on a mission to reclaim the coveted Stanford Axe.

Led by freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal has been a relatively good team this year, holding a 6-4 record and becoming bowl eligible for the third straight season. Another win only helps the Golden Bears improve their standing, putting them in a better position to play in an even better bowl game.

After losing two straight to Virginia Tech and Virginia, the Golden Bears got back into the win column in their last game with an overtime upset over Louisville.

Stanford has not made a bowl game since 2018 and while they're out of the running again this season, a strong end to the 2025 campaign could lead to the Cardinal having major momentum going into a very pivotal offseason. Looking for a new full-time head coach for next season and beyond, a good end to the season sets the new coach up for success.

As is the case each and every week, interim head coach Frank Reich spoke with the media on Monday morning to discuss the state of affairs heading into game day against Cal. Here are this week's takeaways from what coach Reich said.

Frank Reich's Simple Message During the Bye Week

"Get better at football, right?," Reich said when asked what the program focused on during the bye week ahead of the Big Game. "It's a bye week, but it's the Big Game, and we're in preparation mode. It was reduced physical work, but still the same focus and intensity with the work that we did.

"Shorter practices, but intense practices, tightening things up schematically about what we're doing, what adjustments we want to make for this coming up game, and then also getting guys healthy and fresh coming in fully ready for this week."

Nobody on This Stanford Team Has Ever Beaten Cal, and That Has Everyone Extra Focused

"I think everybody understands the dry spell and sure. That's motivation, and it's big motivation," Reich said. "Motivation is great, but really what it has to lead to, that motivation has to lead to enhanced preparation.

"You just can't turn that emotion on on Saturday and expect to get what you want. The increased motivation has to come into play during the week, when we're in meetings, when we're on the practice field, and that's what we're shooting for."

Cal's Freshman Quarterback Will Pose a Tough Challenge for Stanford's Defense

"He's fun to watch on tape," Reich said. "Can get the ball all over the field. Talking with our guys that understand from a statistical standpoint, I believe he's leading all freshmen quarterbacks in yards and has a bunch of touchdown passes, and just a really good player.

"He can find a rhythm, and when he finds that rhythm, he's dangerous. Good test for our defense. I think our defense has been playing pretty well, we do a good job in disguise and mixing things up. That's going to be critically important, this week against their offense."

Stanford's Football Program is in a Much Better Spot Than At the Start of the Season

"I'm very confident that that's the case," Reich said. "And obviously, for a lot of reasons and a lot of people, starting with Andrew Luck, first and foremost, and starting with our players. Secondly, starting with the great job that this current coaching staff did in a very tough and difficult situation for them.

"And then, like I said before, most of the credit goes to the players. Players in a tough position, getting an interim head coach and a lot of uncertainty.

"But just them committing and seeing the progress that we've made, on the field, and just the culture that those guys have created and continued to build the leadership that we've gotten from those guys, like Sam Roush and Collin Wright, our captains."

The Team's Health is the Best it Has Been All Season

"Great, feeling good," Reich said. "The team is relatively healthy, you know. I think even going into our last game, you know, we were, as a percentage of guys available, we were, it was very high percentage for us.

"And it was not only high for us, I think it was high percentage for, around the ACC. So good job by our players, our training staff, our strength staff, getting guys ready and so excited that we're at a pretty healthy spot at this point in the year."

Get more Stanford sports news by following us on Twitter/X and Facebook!