Micah Ford rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns to lead host Stanford to a 34-7 win over Elon on Saturday afternoon.
Ford also caught five passes for 52 yards for Stanford (3-4), which was coming off two one-sided losses.
Stanford quarterback Davis Warren completed 27 of 39 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown.
Kamerin McDowell-Moore produced his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game for Elon (4-4), an FCS team from North Carolina that plays in the Coastal Athletic Association. McDowell-Moore went for 164 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
Both teams missed field goals in a scoreless first quarter. The Cardinal scored on the first play of the second quarter, however, taking a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Ford.
Stanford strung together a nine-play, 80-yard drive later in the second quarter and stretched the lead to 14-0 on a 7-yard touchdown run by Ford with 4:36 left.
Elon kicker Luke Barnes lined up for another field goal with 46 seconds remaining but missed from 46 yards out and the two-touchdown deficit remained at the half.
The Cardinal punted on their first two drives of the second half, but their defense continued to keep the Phoenix off the scoreboard, forcing punts on their first two second-half possessions, as well. Stanford scored on its third possession of the half when Warren found Sedrick Irvin for a 27-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 21-0 with 5:57 left in the third quarter.
After forcing a third straight three-and-out to start the second half, a 33-yard punt return from Liam Thorpe preceded a nine-play, 45-yard drive that Ford capped with a 5-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 28-0 with 58 seconds left in the third.
The Cardinal scored on their third straight possession when Ford sprung loose on a draw for an 81-yard touchdown to make it 34-0 with 14:30 left in the game.
Elon reached the end zone when McDowell-Moore’s 53-yard run put the Phoenix in the red zone and he followed with an 18-yard touchdown run to cut it to 34-7 with 10:35 left.
Stanford returns to Atlantic Coast Conference play next week when it hosts North Carolina State on Friday.