The post Stanford GM Andrew Luck reacts to end of brutal Cardinal drought appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Andrew Luck general manager era launched Saturday for Stanford football. He watched a brutal drought involving the Cardinal end on the island.
Advertisement
Luck’s alma mater put together a drive that visibly fired him up: 20-plays, 85 yards that culminated in this Micah Ford touchdown against Hawaii.
Luck was seen celebrating inside his press suite while wearing a lei. The Ford touchdown, though, snapped this stunning drought for Stanford. Not a single Cardinal RB scored a touchdown on the rushing or receiving end in 2024.
Stanford’s land scores came via the quarterback room. Former quarterback Justin Lamson led the way with eight rushing scores. Ashton Daniels added three on his end.
Sedrick Irvin represents the last Cardinal RB to cross the end zone. And that came on Sept. 23, 2023 against Arizona. Ford’s TD broke a 20-game drought.
Advertisement
How did Stanford fare in debut of Andrew Luck, Frank Reich?
Marco Garcia-Imagn Images
Stanford retook the lead during that fourth quarter sequence against the Rainbow Warriors. But the Cardinal fell 23-20 to Hawaii to kick off the season.
And Stanford lost during the college football head coaching debut of Frank Reich. Luck fired previous head coach Troy Taylor in March 2025 following reports of bullying a female staffer. The perennial Pro Bowl QB eventually tabbed Reich as Taylor’s successor in a move before spring football practices.
Reich delivered his first major move in the quarterback department. Naming Oregon State transfer Ben Gulbranson his QB1 during game week.
Advertisement
Gulbranson struggled in his Cardinal debut, however. Settling for just 109 yards and one interception.
Reich turned to the ground game with his list of running backs. He rolled with 43 rushing plays, totaling 177 yards and the Ford touchdown. Ford pulled off one more feat: Delivering 113 yards on the afternoon. Irvin added 16 yards on 10 carries while Cole Tabb netted 26 on just four carries.
No Cardinal wide receiver surpassed the three-reception mark. Hawaii put together a 10-play, 50-yard drive to tie things up at 20-20. Kansai Matsuzawa sealed the win off his 38-yard boot with three seconds to go.
Related: Matt Entz drops honest bomb following brutal Fresno State debut
Advertisement
Related: North Carolina Central dominates the second half, beats Southern 31-14
