Stanford Holds Off Florida State in Week 8 Defensive Battle
Stanford's defense proved suffocating in a 20-13 victory over Florida State in Week 8, limiting the Seminoles to just 13 points despite several promising offensive drives. The Cardinal jumped out to an early lead with a field goal in the first quarter, then added 10 points in the second to build momentum heading into halftime.
Florida State kept pace with 10 second-quarter points but struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities. The Seminoles managed 98 receiving yards from Duce Robinson and 70 rushing yards from Gavin Sawchuk, but couldn't find the end zone consistently. Stanford added a third-quarter touchdown to extend its lead to 20-10.
Ben Gulbranson orchestrated Stanford's efficient offense, completing 90 passing yards, while the Cardinal defense recorded several pivotal plays, particularly in the fourth quarter. Florida State mounted a late surge with big plays—including a 53-yard completion to Micahi Danzy and a 48-yard strike to the same receiver—but came up short in the final frame. Stanford covered the 17.5-point spread, with the game finishing well under the 55-point over-under at 33 total points.
AI-generated recap · Aug 3, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Florida State | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
 Stanford | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Florida State | Stanford |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 18-35 | 12-25 |
| Pass Yards | 311 | 161 |
| Rush Yards | 133 | 132 |
| Total Yards | 444 | 293 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| 3rd Down | 8-18 | 6-16 |
| Penalties | 13-79 | 5-47 |
| Possession | 27:04 | 32:56 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
(14:59) PENALTY FSU Delay Of Game 5 yards from FSU25 to FSU20. NO PLAY.
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Randy Pittman Jr. for 7 yds to the FSU 27
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Micahi Danzy
Tommy Castellanos run for 1 yd to the FSU 28
Mac Chiumento punt for 54 yds, fair catch by Liam Thorpe at the STAN 18
Micah Ford run for 5 yds to the STAN 23
Ben Gulbranson pass complete to Sam Roush for 12 yds to the STAN 35 for a 1ST down
Micah Ford run for 2 yds to the STAN 37
Ben Gulbranson pass complete to CJ Williams for 17 yds to the FSU 46 for a 1ST down
Stanford Penalty, Illegal Block (-10 Yards) to the 50 yard line
Cole Tabb run for 18 yds to the FSU 32 for a 1ST down
Ben Gulbranson pass incomplete to Cole Tabb
Ben Gulbranson pass complete to CJ Williams for 9 yds to the FSU 23
Cole Tabb run for 4 yds to the FSU 19 for a 1ST down
Micah Ford run for 4 yds to the FSU 15
Micah Ford run for 1 yd to the FSU 14
Ben Gulbranson pass incomplete to Marcus Brown
Emmet Kenney 32 yd FG GOOD
Gavin Sawchuk run for 9 yds to the FSU 34
Gavin Sawchuk run for 2 yds to the FSU 36 for a 1ST down
Gavin Sawchuk run for 8 yds to the FSU 44
Gavin Sawchuk run for 2 yds to the FSU 46 for a 1ST down
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Lawayne McCoy for 18 yds to the STAN 36 for a 1ST down
Gavin Sawchuk run for 2 yds to the STAN 34
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Randy Pittman Jr.
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Lawayne McCoy for 1 yd to the STAN 33
(04:30) PENALTY FSU Delay Of Game 5 yards from STAN33 to STAN38. NO PLAY.
Jake Weinberg 57 yd FG MISSED
Cole Tabb run for a loss of 3 yards to the STAN 36
Ben Gulbranson pass incomplete to Caden High
Ben Gulbranson pass intercepted Earl Little Jr. return for no gain to the FSU 25
Tommy Castellanos run for 2 yds to the FSU 27
Ousmane Kromah run for 11 yds to the FSU 38 for a 1ST down
Ousmane Kromah run for 2 yds to the FSU 40
Ousmane Kromah run for a loss of 1 yard to the FSU 39
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Duce Robinson for 20 yds to the STAN 41 for a 1ST down
Ousmane Kromah run for 5 yds to the STAN 36
Gavin Sawchuk run for 2 yds to the STAN 34
Gavin Sawchuk run for 9 yds to the STAN 25 for a 1ST down
Gavin Sawchuk run for no gain to the STAN 25
Tommy Castellanos run for 4 yds to the STAN 21
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Jayvan Boggs
Jake Weinberg 39 yd FG GOOD
Ben Gulbranson pass complete to Sam Roush for 16 yds to the STAN 41 for a 1ST down
Ben Gulbranson pass complete to Caden High for 29 yds to the FSU 30 for a 1ST down
Micah Ford run for 4 yds to the FSU 26
Micah Ford run for 5 yds to the FSU 21
Micah Ford run for 3 yds to the FSU 18 for a 1ST down
Micah Ford run for 1 yd to the FSU 17
Bryce Farrell run for 5 yds to the FSU 12
Ben Gulbranson pass incomplete to Cole Tabb
(10:39) Kenney,Emmet field goal attempt from 30 yards NO GOOD (H: Flintoft,Aidan, LS: Warford,Peyton), clock 10:35 PENALTY FSU Offside (Joseph,Edwin) 5 yards from FSU12 to FSU07, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Cole Tabb run for 2 yds to the FSU 5
Cole Tabb run for a loss of 2 yards to the FSU 7
Ben Gulbranson pass complete to CJ Williams for 7 yds for a TD (Emmet Kenney KICK)
Gavin Sawchuk run for 4 yds to the FSU 29
Gavin Sawchuk run for 2 yds to the FSU 31
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Duce Robinson
Mac Chiumento punt for 39 yds, fair catch by Liam Thorpe at the STAN 30
Cole Tabb run for 4 yds to the STAN 34
Cole Tabb run for 4 yds to the STAN 38
Ben Gulbranson pass incomplete to Jordan Onovughe
Aidan Flintoft punt for 49 yds, fair catch by Squirrel White at the FSU 13
Jaylin Lucas run for no gain to the FSU 13
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Randy Pittman Jr. for 5 yds to the FSU 18
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Randy Pittman Jr.
(05:43) PENALTY FSU False Start (Suarez,Willy) 5 yards from FSU18 to FSU13. NO PLAY.
Mac Chiumento punt for 45 yds , Liam Thorpe returns for 26 yds to the FSU 32
Cole Tabb run for 4 yds to the FSU 28
Cole Tabb run for 3 yds to the FSU 25
(04:17) Shotgun Gulbranson,Ben pass incomplete deep middle to Doyle,Brendan thrown to FSU00, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY FSU Pass Interference (Arnoux,Shamar) 15 yards from FSU25 to FSU10, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Ben Gulbranson pass incomplete to Sam Roush
Ben Gulbranson sacked by K.J. Kirkland for a loss of 12 yards to the FSU 22
Cole Tabb run for 14 yds to the FSU 8
Emmet Kenney 26 yd FG GOOD
Tommy Castellanos run for 5 yds to the FSU 30
Gavin Sawchuk run for 4 yds to the FSU 34
Gavin Sawchuk run for 6 yds to the FSU 40 for a 1ST down
Tommy Castellanos run for 5 yds to the FSU 45
Tommy Castellanos run for 3 yds to the FSU 48
Gavin Sawchuk run for 2 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Duce Robinson for 37 yds to the STAN 13 for a 1ST down
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Jaylin Lucas for 5 yds to the STAN 8
(01:04) No Huddle-Shotgun Castellanos,Tommy rush left for 3 yards gain to the STAN05, out of bounds at STAN05 PENALTY FSU Holding offsetting STAN Holding offsetting. NO PLAY.
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Lawayne McCoy
Tommy Castellanos run for 8 yds for a TD (Jake Weinberg KICK)
Jake Weinberg kickoff for 62 yds , Caden High return for 17 yds to the STAN 20
End of 2nd Quarter
E. Brown takes a knee
Elijah Brown pass complete to Sam Roush for 11 yds to the STAN 36 for a 1ST down
Cole Tabb run for 4 yds to the STAN 40
(14:01) Tabb,Cole rush middle for 7 yards gain to the STAN47 (Barker,Ashlynd) PENALTY STAN Holding (Anderson,Fisher) 10 yards from STAN40 to STAN30. NO PLAY.
Elijah Brown pass incomplete to Bryce Farrell
Elijah Brown pass complete to Marcus Brown for 8 yds to the STAN 38
Aidan Flintoft punt for 57 yds , Squirrel White returns for 16 yds to the FSU 3
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Squirrel White
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Lawayne McCoy for 12 yds to the FSU 15 for a 1ST down
Gavin Sawchuk run for 8 yds to the FSU 23
Gavin Sawchuk run for 1 yd to the FSU 24
Gavin Sawchuk run for 2 yds to the FSU 26 for a 1ST down
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Duce Robinson for 38 yds to the STAN 36 for a 1ST down
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Jayvan Boggs
Florida State Penalty, Illegal Forward Pass (-5 Yards) to the STAN 41
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Lawayne McCoy
Mac Chiumento punt for 35 yds
Cole Tabb run for 4 yds to the STAN 10
Cole Tabb run for 5 yds to the STAN 15
Cole Tabb run for 1 yd to the STAN 16 for a 1ST down
Elijah Brown pass complete to Sam Roush for 8 yds to the STAN 24
Cole Tabb run for 3 yds to the STAN 27 for a 1ST down
Elijah Brown pass incomplete to Sam Roush
Sedrick Irvin run for 1 yd to the STAN 28
Elijah Brown pass complete to CJ Williams for 28 yds to the FSU 44 for a 1ST down
(05:18) Shotgun Brown,Elijah pass incomplete deep left to Roush,Sam thrown to FSU23 PENALTY FSU Roughing The Passer (Williams,James) 15 yards from FSU44 to FSU29, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Elijah Brown pass complete to Sam Roush for 10 yds to the FSU 19 for a 1ST down
Cole Tabb run for 15 yds to the FSU 4 for a 1ST down
(04:11) No Huddle-Shotgun Brown,Elijah pass incomplete short right to High,Caden thrown to FSU00 PENALTY FSU Pass Interference (Wilson,Jerry) 2 yards from FSU04 to FSU02, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Cole Tabb run for 1 yd to the FSU 1
Cole Tabb run for no gain to the FSU 1
Cole Tabb run for 1 yd for a TD (Emmet Kenney KICK)
Emmet Kenney kickoff for 62 yds , Jaylin Lucas return for 25 yds to the FSU 28
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Squirrel White
Gavin Sawchuk run for 1 yd to the FSU 29
Tommy Castellanos sacked by Scotty Edwards for a loss of 5 yards to the FSU 24
Mac Chiumento punt for 48 yds, fair catch by Liam Thorpe at the STAN 28
Cole Tabb run for 3 yds to the STAN 31
Cole Tabb run for 5 yds to the STAN 36
Cole Tabb run for 1 yd to the STAN 37
PENALTY FSU Offside (Lyons,Daniel) 5 yards from STAN37 to STAN42, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Cole Tabb run for 3 yds to the STAN 45
Elijah Brown pass incomplete to CJ Williams
Elijah Brown pass incomplete to CJ Williams
Aidan Flintoft punt for 45 yds , Lawayne McCoy returns for 32 yds to the FSU 42
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Ousmane Kromah for 31 yds to the STAN 27 for a 1ST down
Tommy Castellanos run for 6 yds to the STAN 21
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Lawayne McCoy
Gavin Sawchuk run for 3 yds to the STAN 18
Tommy Castellanos run for 2 yds to the STAN 16 for a 1ST down
Gavin Sawchuk run for a loss of 2 yards to the STAN 18
Tommy Castellanos run for 1 yd to the STAN 17
Tommy Castellanos run for 3 yds to the STAN 14
Jake Weinberg 33 yd FG GOOD
Elijah Brown sacked by Jayson Jenkins for a loss of 7 yards to the STAN 18
Elijah Brown pass incomplete to Myles Libman
Elijah Brown pass complete to Sam Roush for 6 yds to the STAN 24
Aidan Flintoft punt for 54 yds , Squirrel White returns for 3 yds to the FSU 25
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Micahi Danzy for 5 yds to the FSU 30
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Micahi Danzy for 48 yds to the STAN 22 for a 1ST down
Jaylin Lucas run for 3 yds to the STAN 19
Gavin Sawchuk run for 5 yds to the STAN 14
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Randy Pittman Jr.
Tommy Castellanos run for 1 yd to the STAN 13
Elijah Brown run for 4 yds to the STAN 17
Cole Tabb run for 1 yd to the STAN 18
Elijah Brown pass incomplete to Marcus Brown
Aidan Flintoft punt for 43 yds, fair catch by Squirrel White at the FSU 39
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Duce Robinson for 3 yds to the FSU 42
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Micahi Danzy
Tommy Castellanos pass complete to Randy Pittman Jr. for 12 yds to the STAN 46 for a 1ST down
Tommy Castellanos pass incomplete to Lawayne McCoy
(02:34) No Huddle-Shotgun Castellanos,Tommy rush middle for 35 yards gain to the STAN11 (Leigber,Mitch) PENALTY FSU Holding (Pettus,Micah) 10 yards from STAN46 to FSU44. NO PLAY.
Kevin Sperry run for 2 yds to the STAN 39
Kevin Sperry pass complete to Gavin Sawchuk for no gain to the STAN 39
(01:54) No Huddle-Shotgun Sperry,Kevin pass incomplete short left thrown to STAN25 QB hurried by Patterson,Clay PENALTY FSU Intentional Grounding (Sperry,Kevin). NO PLAY.
Kevin Sperry pass incomplete to Duce Robinson
Cole Tabb run for 12 yds to the FSU 49 for a 1ST down
Cole Tabb run for a loss of 1 yard to the 50 yard line
Cole Tabb run for 6 yds to the FSU 44
PENALTY STAN Delay Of Game 5 yards from FSU44 to FSU49. NO PLAY.
Aidan Flintoft punt for 45 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the FSU 20 , Squirrel White returns for 16 yds to the FSU 20
Kevin Sperry pass incomplete to Duce Robinson
Kevin Sperry run for 15 yds to the FSU 35 for a 1ST down
Kevin Sperry pass complete to Lawayne McCoy for 15 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
PENALTY FSU False Start (Pettus,Micah) 5 yards from STAN50 to FSU45. NO PLAY.
Kevin Sperry sacked by Zach Johnson for a loss of 7 yards to the FSU 38
Kevin Sperry pass incomplete to Duce Robinson
Kevin Sperry pass complete to Micahi Danzy for 53 yds to the STAN 9 for a 1ST down
(00:00) No Huddle-Shotgun Sperry,Kevin pass incomplete short right to Robinson,Duce thrown to STAN00 PENALTY STAN Pass Interference (Ojarikre,Che) 7 yards from STAN09 to STAN02, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Kevin Sperry pass complete to Gavin Sawchuk for 1 yd to the STAN 1