Ford, Stanford defense propel Cardinal to 40-22 victory over Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Micah Ford rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns and Stanford’s defense forced three turnovers to lead the Cardinal to a 40-22 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.

The Cardinal (5-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who scored their most points in an ACC game since joining the league, snapped a 15-game road losing streak, which was the longest in school history and had been the longest active streak in FBS. Stanford’s last road win came Sept. 20, 2024 at Syracuse.

Virginia Tech (6-4, 3-4) entered the game as 15.5-point favorites according to BetMGM Sportsbook, but the Hokies turned the ball over three times in the first half, fell behind 21-0, and never recovered in losing their second consecutive game.

The Cardinal scored 14 points off Virginia Tech turnovers and scored on its final four possessions of the first half to lead 24-7 at halftime. Stanford safety Charlie Eckhardt caused all three turnovers, intercepting two passes and forcing a fumble.

Eckhardt’s second interception led to Stanford’s first score, a 16-yard touchdown run by quarterback Davis Warren for a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. Eckhardt forced a fumble by Virginia Tech’s Que’Sean Brown that was recovered by Jay Green led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Ford that gave the Cardinal a 21-0 lead with 7:40 left in the first half.

Ford also scored on runs of 3 and 2 yards, the latter coming with 8:27 left in the game that gave the Cardinal a 37-14 lead. Ford has rushed for more than 100 yards in three of the Cardinal’s past four games.

Jeffrey Overton Jr. led the Hokies with 107 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Stanford: The Cardinal’s defense entered the game ranked last in the ACC in scoring defense (37.3 per game), total defense (454.1 yards per game), and total sacks (six). But that unit sacked Virginia Tech’s Ethan Grunkemeyer five times, held the Hokies to just 398 total yards, and played arguably its best game against a Power 4 team this season.

Virginia Tech: This was a dreadful home performance by the Hokies in all phases. The offense turned the ball over and couldn’t protect Grunkemeyer, and the defense now has given up 91 points and more than 1,000 yards in the past two games.

Stanford: Plays at California on Saturday.

Virginia Tech: Plays at Miami on Saturday.

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