What Stanford coach Frank Reich said after losing to BYU

It was a rough night for the Stanford offense, which fell 27-3 at the hands of BYU Saturday in Provo.

The Cardinal failed to score a touchdown against the Cougars, managing just three points and 161 total yards in its second-ever visit to Provo as quarterback Ben Gulbranson was sacked three times and threw a pair of interceptions.

“I give them credit, you know, we knew they had a lot of pressures and a lot of run pressures aimed at stopping the run game,” Stanford head coach Frank Reich told reporters after the game.

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“Obviously, with what we did against Hawaii and the way we ran the football, we figured (BYU) would kind of come in with their game plan being to make us beat them throwing the football. I mean, that’s what I was assuming that they were coming in thinking, and so they did a good job in the run game.

Reich continued: “You know, we’ve got to be better there. If we’re going to be a successful team, and for us to win games, you know, we have to have a balanced offense.”

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At quarterback, BYU started true freshman Bear Bachmeier, whom Reich became familiar with earlier this year as the two spent spring ball together at Stanford.

Bachmeier completed 17 of 27 passes for 175 yards while running for a touchdown, and while he did have his moments of struggle or frustration, Reich remained complimentary of the young QB’s performance.

“Bear’s a good player. Bear made some nice plays today,” Reich said. “He’s a very talented player. We like Bear. We wish him the best, and you know, I thought he did some good things today.”

Having spent all of his coaching career in the NFL prior to this year, Reich’s visit to LaVell Edwards Stadium offered him one of his first opportunities to take in a true collegiate gameday experience on the sideline.

“This is a taste of college football for me. It was a pretty cool atmosphere,” Reich said. “I was standing out on the field talking to a couple of coaches beforehand saying how close this, how small the sidelines were and, you know, it’s great atmosphere. It was a lot of fun.”

As for BYU itself, Reich said he was impressed with the Cougars and how facing a program of their caliber is something he and his players cherish.

“It’s a seasoned team, you know, an experienced team, an experienced coaching staff. They have good schemes,” Reich said of BYU.

“It’s a good program. It’s a tough environment to come in and play, and that’s what we love. We love an opportunity to come in and play in those moments and have a big upset, you know what I mean? I think we all thought that was going to happen today, but you got to give BYU credit for the way they played.”

While Stanford now begins the year 0-2 and finds itself in a bit of a program lull, Reich still believes in his group can right the ship in 2025 and set up the Cardinal for future success.

“It doesn’t take much,” Reich said. “It needs to start with a belief in who you are and what we’re doing, and then you just got to execute one play at a time, one first down at a time, one touchdown at a time. That’s the mentality

“We talked about it in there, we’re never going to be OK with losing. We’re here to get better and to win, and so I’m excited to go back to work this week. I mean, it’s hard, you know, you put so much into it week to week, and it’s hard to fly home on a trip where you lose a game like this, but I believe in this team. I love these players. They’re a special group, and they’re going to continue to fight, and we’ll get better and I look forward to a great week this week.”