Miami Hurricanes Week 9 Preview: Stanford Cardinal

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Miami, Florida – The Miami Hurricanes look to regroup quickly after their surprise loss as the Stanford Cardinal arrives at Hard Rock Stadium for Week 9. The Battle of the Birds became a bitter setback, damaging UM’s postseason run. Carson Beck’s disastrous performance might have permanently ended his presence in the Heisman conversation. At 5-1, the Cardiac Canes will need to win out the rest of the way if they wish to have a shot at both the ACC Championship and the College Football Playoff.

Camo mode: activated 🇺🇸🙌@CanesFootball | @adidasFballUS pic.twitter.com/XwMpGrYxAX

— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) October 23, 2025

Stanford, meanwhile, sits at 3-4 (2-2, ACC) coming off an upset victory of Florida State in a wild game that came down to a call at the goal line. Although Miami is heavily favored, it can’t play down to its opponent. They will need to shake off any lingering effects from the previous loss and get back to business. Interim coach Frank Reich leads Stanford, appointed by General Manager Andrew Luck, replacing Troy Taylor, who was fired earlier this year. Reich has over 30 years of experience in professional football, combining his tenures as an NFL quarterback and various coaching roles. Whether he stays once the season is over is an open question. Without further ado, these are the players to watch.

Stanford

Cole Tabb

Cole Tabb scores for Stanford

13 plays 94 yards scoring drive pic.twitter.com/u9YLsn2ORt

— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) October 19, 2025

He may not be the top running back on the team (Micah Ford is), but Cole Tabb shows he can run wild. The freshman manufactured 118 yards on 28 carries and recorded a touchdown. Tabb is averaging 4.7 yards a carry this season, totaling 312 yards and a pair of TDs. It will be interesting to see how coach Reich utilizes the youngster on a Hurricanes team that’s at the top of the ACC, allowing 92.7 yards per game against the rush.

CJ Williams

CJ Williams vs Edwin Joseph pic.twitter.com/v4ZnMv57F3

— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) October 19, 2025

Moving on to the best wideout at Stanford, CJ Williams had a decent outing versus Florida State. Williams caught four passes for 61 yards and a TD, bringing up his numbers to 39 receptions for 465 yards and two trips to the endzone. The senior hasn’t scored much, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of taking advantage of UM’s secondary. A nice dose of zone coverage and blitzing from the front should force Williams to have a quiet night.

Matt Rose

Matt Rose is THAT dude 😤 pic.twitter.com/xREjb9cX8y

— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) September 17, 2025

So Stanford brings an interesting characteristic heading into Saturday night’s game. They’re decent against the run (6th, allowing 117.3 PPG) but are the second worst in the ACC in pass defense, giving up 304.7 yards per game. Considering the Canes’ difficulties, let’s see what sort of package they unleash. They’ll be dealing with Matt Rose, a linebacker who’s racked up 56 tackles, 27 of them solo, including a sack and two pass deflections. Rose is all over the place, so the Canes will need to prepare for him.

Miami

Carson Beck

Carson Beck back-foot fadeaway INT’s are back like they never left.

Glad to see some things never change.pic.twitter.com/GsdUtVpXTI

— Gabe Kuhn (@G_Kuhn71) October 18, 2025

Let’s start with the obvious. The season hinges on how Carson Beck responds, not only versus Stanford but afterward. Beck is coming from an ugly game where he threw four picks, if you don’t count the fifth that was negated by a personal foul. He needs to lock in and bounce back. The Miami Hurricanes are fighting to return to the postseason hunt due to the unfortunate circumstance that they don’t play any of the teams that have a direct route to the ACC Championship. Worse, they have easy schedules.

Malachi Toney

Play was called back but Malachi Toney is possibly a generational player.

This guy is 17 years old and reclassified to play this season. Give this kid 3 more seasons and watch out.

Tremendous athleticism.
pic.twitter.com/soxl1Od9vZ

— Garrett Armbrust (@4thandsaturday) October 5, 2025

The true freshman did it all in the 24-21 loss to Louisville. Malachi Toney caught nine passes for 135 yards, rushed for a touchdown, and even passed to CJ Daniels for the two-point conversion. Considered one of the best in the country, Toney needs to give his teammate a boost so the Cardiac Canes start winning again. I’m thinking 70+ yards and two trips to the endzone.

OJ Frederique Jr

OJ Frederique Jr. with the pass break up!! pic.twitter.com/HUb3ef5qlr

— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) October 18, 2025

The new look secondary has proven to be a much better unit compared to last year. OJ Frederique Jr. successfully disrupted three of Miller Moss’ plays as the defense adjusted after the Cards scored on their first two possessions. He will do similarly versus Stanford. Frederique is only going to get better with each passing game, and I look forward to his development as a defensive back. I’ll go out and say he’ll nab his first interception of the year.

Prediction

Stanford quarterback Ben Gulbranson is expected to start after injuring his knee during the second quarter of last weekend’s upset of FSU. Gulbranson has thrown for 1,535 yards, seven TDs, and five picks. He struggled at the beginning of the season, throwing three interceptions in two games, yet improved as the year progressed. It won’t matter who the signal caller is. Miami needs to get off to a fast start on offense, shut down the run, and make it a clean game. They do this, it’s a dub. By the way, the final score will matter. Common opponents will factor in for tiebreakers, as the top contenders for the ACC Championship are teams that UM will not face. Stanford has already lost to Virginia and SMU, 48-20 and 34-10, respectively. Final score: Stanford 13, Miami 34.

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