Stanford Edges NC State 31-28, San José State Seeks First Win in Reno Since 2000, and the Unbeaten 49ers Head to Atlanta

October 24, 2026

Top image: Seats at Stanford Stadium, where the Cardinal improved to 4-1 at home on Friday night. Photo: BrokenSphere / CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

By Jalen Whitcombe, Sports Reporter

It is a full weekend for South Bay football. Stanford won a late one at home Friday night, San José State takes its best defense in years to Reno this afternoon, and the unbeaten 49ers play in Atlanta on Sunday morning.

Stanford 31, NC State 28

Stanford held on to beat NC State 31-28 at Stanford Stadium on Friday night, improving to 4-4 overall, 2-3 in the ACC and 4-1 at home, according to the Stanford athletics recap. NC State fell to 3-4 and 1-3.

The official stat line:

Quarterback Davis Warren threw for 303 yards and four touchdowns.
Running back Micah Ford ran for 150 yards.
Nico Brown caught two touchdown passes.
Caden High had nine catches for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Sedrick Irvin also scored.

Stanford piled up 234 yards in the first quarter, its most in any quarter since 2017, per the school. The Cardinal put together two 90-yard touchdown drives, one late in the first half and one in the third quarter, and recovered NC State’s onside kick to close it out. For the Wolfpack, CJ Bailey threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, and Will Wilson ran for two scores, according to the Associated Press.

Next: Stanford plays at Louisville on Saturday, Oct. 31.

San José State at Nevada, today, 2 p.m. Pacific

San José State (4-3, 2-1 Mountain West) visits Nevada (2-4, 1-2) at 2 p.m. today on MW+. The Spartans have not won in Reno since 2000, according to the team’s game notes.

Coach Ken Niumatalolo’s team comes in on the strength of its pass rush. The Spartans recorded 11 sacks in last week’s win over UTEP and have 27 for the season, second in the nation, per the notes. Jayland McGlothen leads the Mountain West with six sacks.

On offense, the numbers from the notes:

Luke Weaver leads the conference with 11 touchdown passes.
Freshman receiver Carson Clark has 42 catches for 509 yards, both conference bests, and five touchdowns.
Daniel Rolovich made his debut against UTEP, completing 12 of 23 passes for 193 yards.
Running back Viliami Teu ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns against UTEP, according to the SJSU recap.

Next: San José State hosts New Mexico on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m.

49ers at Falcons, Sunday, 10 a.m. Pacific

The 49ers are 6-0 after beating Washington 23-17 on Monday Night Football. They play the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday at 10 a.m. Pacific on FOX (KTVU in the Bay Area), with radio on KSAN and KNBR.

They will be shorthanded. Following Friday’s practice, Shanahan ruled out six players, according to the team:

WR Mike Evans (ribs, Achilles)
WR Deebo Samuel Sr. (hamstring)
DL Nick Bosa (knee, calf)
LB Luke Gifford (groin)
S Marques Sigle (ankle)
LB Garret Wallow (hamstring)

WR Christian Kirk (calf), DB Siran Neal (knee) and CB Upton Stout (shoulder) are questionable. Kirk was a full participant in all three practices this week. “He looks good,” offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Thursday. “We got him back into practice last week and you can see him getting better this week for sure.” Final decisions come 90 minutes before kickoff.

Shanahan said he was not taking the Falcons lightly. “When you turn on Atlanta’s film, they know how big of a challenge this is. We’ve got a number of guys down. We know they do too, but they’re a team that, I know the record doesn’t show it, but they’re a team that should be there in the end,” he said Friday, according to the team’s transcript. The 49ers have a bye week after Sunday’s game.

The long view

This weekend says something about where the region’s programs stand. Stanford, at .500, is learning to win close games at home, which is how rebuilding programs build momentum before the record catches up. San José State’s 27 sacks point to a defense that can travel, and winning in Reno would break a 26-year drought. The 49ers are the opposite case: a team with an unbeaten record managing a long injury list. How they handle a road game against a team their coach respects will say more about their depth than any of their first six wins.

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