Stanford 34, Elon 7: Micah Ford runs for four touchdowns

Micah Ford decided this one almost by himself. The Stanford running back carried 19 times for 179 yards and four touchdowns, and he added five catches for 52 yards. Stanford beat Elon 34-7 at Stanford Stadium on Saturday.

The win ends a two-game losing run for Stanford, which had been outscored 115-10 in losses at Wake Forest and No. 3 Notre Dame. The Cardinal move to 3-4. Elon falls to 4-4.

How it was won

The first quarter was scoreless. Stanford broke through on the first play of the second quarter. Ford scored from 1 yard out at 14:56, and Emmet Kenney added the kick. Ford scored again from 7 yards at 4:36, and Stanford led 14-0 at the half.

Davis Warren found Sedrick Irvin for a 27-yard touchdown at 5:57 of the third quarter. Ford added a 5-yard run with 58 seconds left in the quarter to make it 28-0.

The longest play of the day came 30 seconds into the fourth quarter. Ford broke an 81-yard touchdown run. Kenney's extra point failed, leaving the score at 34-0. Elon answered at 10:34 when Kamerin McDowell-Moore ran 18 yards for a touchdown, and Luke Barnes converted.

Stanford outgained Elon 515 yards to 272. Warren completed 27 of 39 passes for 279 yards and the touchdown. JonAnthony Hall led the receivers with five catches for 70 yards. Stanford ran for 222 yards and threw for 293. It had 27 first downs and held the ball for 32:49.

Elon's offense was built almost entirely on the ground. McDowell-Moore ran 21 times for 164 yards. The Phoenix finished with 220 rushing yards, nearly matching Stanford's total. The passing game produced little. TJ Crews IV went 8 of 27 for 52 yards. Landyn Backey and Jamarien Dalton each caught two passes, for 19 and 17 yards.

Third down was the gap. Elon converted 3 of 14, and Stanford converted 5 of 12. Elon did not turn the ball over. Stanford committed one turnover, but Elon could not turn it into points.

Against the number

Stanford closed as a 33.5-point favorite. The 27-point margin means Elon covered. McDowell-Moore's fourth-quarter touchdown was the difference against the spread: before it, Stanford led by 34.

The total closed at 55.5. With 41 points scored, the game went under. A scoreless first quarter and only one Elon score kept the total well short. Stanford's missed extra point also took a point off the board.

The full closing prices are on the game page.

What's next

Stanford stays home on short rest. It hosts NC State on Friday, October 23, on ESPN. The Cardinal's three wins have come against Hawai'i, Georgia Tech and Elon. Their four losses came by margins of 28, 39, 54 and 51 points. A Friday game against a conference opponent is a chance to show the Ford-led offense can work against ACC defenses.

Elon's next game was not included in the material for this recap. The Phoenix leave Palo Alto at 4-4. They showed they can run the ball against an ACC defense. The passing game remains the open question after a 52-yard day.