Stanford Falls to UNC, Ending Any Hope at a Bowl Game

Stanford football can't seem to figure it out as the away team. Hitting the road one final time this season, the Cardinal were faced with the tough task of taking on a North Carolina Tar Heels program led by six-time Super Bowl winning head coach, Bill Belichick.

And while the Cardinal had a lot on the line, needing a win to keep their bowl chances alive, they were unable to get the job done, losing 20-15 despite a late push by the offense to fall to 3-7 on the season.

From the start, the game was scrappy and a little bit ugly, with both defenses keeping things close. After North Carolina struck first after converting on a chip shot, 27-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead, the Cardinal defense kept things at bay for the remainder of the first half.

Stanford kicker Emmet Kenney missed a 41 yard attempt with just over six minutes to go in the second quarter, but would end up converting on a 38-yard field goal try as the first half clock expired to tie things up at 3-3.

In the third quarter, the Tar Heels received the kickoff and took over seven minutes to march down the field for a 20-yard touchdown from quarterback Gio Lopez to running back Davion Gause. The score put UNC ahead 10-3.

But in the fourth quarter, the tone of the game shifted and the contest started to get really tight. After North Carolina scored twice early in the fourth quarter to take a 20-3 lead, converting on a 48-yard field goal followed by a 55-yard touchdown pass from Lopez, the Cardinal offense took it up a level and started to tack on some points.

On Stanford's next possession, Elijah Brown stayed in the shotgun the whole series, with the Cardinal running a no huddle offense, and they were able to gain yards on eight of the nine plays on this drive, including a 23-yard catch from Caden High, a 19 yarder to Micah Ford, and a 14 yard pass to Caden High. Cole Tabb punched it in from the one yard line to make it 20-9, but were unable to score on the two-point conversion.

"When you're down 17 and you know you need three scores, the thinking is you go for two," interim head coach Frank Reich said on the decision to go for two after the first Stanford touchdown.

"On the first try, you get it and then if you get it, then the second try you kick one and then when you need the field goal at the end, you take the field goal for the win and not the tie. If you miss the first one, then there is a good chance that hopefully you make a second one.

"Then you're back on track. It's kind of a common thing with this day in analytics that if you get in that scenario, there is some good analytical reason to go for two when you're in that situation."

After scoring the touchdown and playing some stout defense, the Cardinal got the ball again with less than two minutes left in the game and were able to drive down the field again, resulting in quarterback Elijah Brown connecting with wide receiver CJ Williams for a 24-yard touchdown.

Going for two again, the Cardinal failed to convert and with the game in hand at that point, the Tar Heels ran the clock out and won 20-15.

That missed field goal in the second quarter loomed large. If Kenney drills that attempt, Stanford doesn't need to try for two, and this game is tied with the way that it played out.

The Cardinal showed a lot of good things in the game, with the defense proving that it can keep the Cardinal in games until the very end. But a big area that the Cardinal struggled in was getting a good performance out of both Brown and the offensive line, with Brown taking nine sacks-- including three in the first drive alone.

Finishing the game with 284 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his first start of the season, Brown showed some promise, but also looked like he was struggling to read the field at various points in the game. This was also his first start on the road in his career.

"We struggled to protect early and so I've got to look at the tape," Reich said on Brown's performance. "I'm proud of the team, I love these guys, they fought hard. Elijah, I'm really happy with how [he] fought back. Obviously, some of the protection stuff, he's just trying to hold on. He didn't flinch, it didn't faze him and then in the second half, we got it going a little bit and he started getting hot."

Despite what may have gone wrong for the Cardinal, they fought hard until the very end. While their bowl hopes for 2025 are over, they will look to close out the season on a high note and use their bye week to prepare for what many consider to be their biggest game of the year—a home game against arch rival Cal.

Stanford and Cal will face off on Saturday, Nov. 22 with the time of the game still TBD.

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