Stanford Zeroes in as Florida State Looms Large

Time for Stanford football to regroup and refocus. Coming off of a bye week and hitting the road to face the SMU Mustangs, the Cardinal went in as heavy underdogs and struggled to pull off the upset, faltering to a 34-10 loss, though the final score wasn't indicative of how close this game really was.

Now at 2-4, the Cardinal's season once again hangs by a thread as the Cardinal scramble to string together a few more wins and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2018.

But this week, the Cardinal face another challenge that will show what type of team they are with a home game against Florida State. Currently on a three-game losing streak, the Seminoles will be itching for a win and will surely play their best brand of football in order to snap their skid.

For Stanford, a win would go a long way towards salvaging a promising campaign while allowing them to match their win total from the previous four seasons.

Interim head coach Frank Reich spoke with the media on Monday and discussed a wide range of topics ahead of the matchup with FSU. Here are the top takeaways from Reich's press conference.

Playing Clean, Crisp Football Is The Focus for the Rest of the Season

Stanford went into Dallas as heavy underdogs against SMU and while a 34-10 loss was to be expected, it was the nature of the loss that left Stanford feeling extra discouraged on the flight back. They had a shot to make it 24-17 with seven minutes to play, but had a touchdown called back, then threw a pick-six.

Showing a lot of promise all game long, it was the amount of penalties that Stanford committed that really affected the game for them, with multiple big plays getting called back. And with tough games against teams such as Miami and Florida State still left to play, Stanford will really need to clean things up moving forward.

"Yeah, I mean 10 penalties, eight of them were on offense," Reich said. "So, you know, we had a couple of long runs that were called back. So you have the eight penalties and six sacks, that's a lot to overcome, and so that's really what we talked about from an accountability standpoint.

"We kind of went through every penalty, every sack, coaches, players, we talked it through, and what we need to do to get that cleaned up."

Penalties are the ultimate way for a team to lose a game and with the Cardinal having the pieces to compete, beating themselves is something that they really can't afford.

Red Zone Offense Must Improve

The Cardinal did a lot of things well during the game, with their offense continuing to show the steady growth that they have displayed all year long. But one area that the Cardinal really struggled in over the weekend was success in the red zone, having a hard time putting points on the board when they were inside the 20.

While the penalties did not help, the offense still struggled to capitalize on those opportunities.

"Where they gave us a hard time was we didn't convert down in the red zone a couple of times. We had to go the long road a couple times just because of the penalties," Reich said.

"Even on that last drive, I think there were six offensive penalties on that last drive. So I think that was the biggest challenge, the offense overcoming the penalties. And I thought they did a good job defensively in a couple of key situations in the red zone."

The best teams do a good job of scoring in the red zone and with all of those tough games for Stanford still left to go, making sure that they put points on the board in those scenarios is the only way that the Cardinal will be able to find success.

Stanford is Ready for the Challenge of Containing FSU's Offense

SMU's offense was a very challenging one, but once again, the Cardinal will be in for a very tough task this week. Facing a Florida State program that is much improved from its 2-10 team from last season, the Cardinal will have their work cut out for them—especially when going up against Florida State's offense.

Led by star quarterback Tommy Castellanos, the Seminoles are the type of team that will force Stanford to dig deep if it wants to pull off the upset.

"Definitely dynamic, and again, at this stage in the week, I have not watched as much of their offensive film but have watched a little bit and he is super dynamic," Reich said. "Fast, really good runner, but also can push the ball down the field. And they've got some weapons. They've got two big backs that are workhorses and do a nice job in the run game.

"Their offensive line, I believe all five guys have started every game, so they've had some continuity up front. And then at receiver, it is very evident that number 19 has some serious speed. And then you got Guz Malzahn as their offensive coordinator. So, it'll be a good challenge and the quarterback is certainly central to it."

The Seminoles may be in the midst of a skid, but make no mistake—they are still a very, very highly regarded team in college football. If Stanford does not come ready to play, it will be a very long night on The Farm on Saturday.

Protecting Gulbranson Has to Get Better

Over the last few weeks, Ben Gulbranson has evolved into a good quarterback for Stanford. Much improved at moving the ball, throwing downfield and giving Stanford's offense life, Gulbranson has proven himself to be a bright spot on this rebuilding Cardinal team.

Against SMU, Gulbranson once again struggled at times, but the offensive line did him no favors. Going 22-for-40 on his pass attempts for 278 yards, one touchdown and one interception, a common theme for Gulbranson during the game was his lack of solid pass protection, ultimately forcing Stanford's offense to struggle late in the game.

"I think all six of those were pretty much poor protection that we can get better on," Reich said. "It wasn't any one guy. We can and we will get better there. I think Ben did a good job a couple times of running out of the pocket and throwing the ball away.

"Maybe there would have been one of those that he could have got it away. But, just as I'm reflecting on it in my mind, I think for the most part, the protection on those ones broke down pretty quick, and he didn't even have much of a chance."

Keeping your quarterback upright is vitally important and with the amount of tough defenses that Stanford still has left to face, making sure that Gulbranson is protected is key.