Elijah Brown’s Breakout Performance Raises One Big Question for Stanford

Stanford’s quarterback battle began way back in spring ball, but it’s now heating up heading into the most important stretch of the season.

The whole battle started when incoming freshman QB Bear Bachmeier transferred to BYU, while a sixth-year senior Ben Gulbranson transferred in from Oregon State. At first, neither seemed to be a crucial piece with incumbent Elijah Brown the favored pick under center, but that changed very quickly.

Stanford began the season with Gulbranson, a surprising choice over redshirt freshman Elijah Brown. Even after a slow start with Gulbranson across Stanford's first two games, it paid off, as the veteran QB started to look more comfortable, which led to a more dynamic offense and Stanford to some wins.

During the bad stretch against Hawaii and BYU, many thought Brown would get his chance to start, but it never came. That’s until he got an opportunity in the biggest game of the season this past weekend against FSU, and followed through.

When Called Upon, Brown Stepped Up

Oct 19, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Elijah Brown (2) drops back to pass against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

In a showdown against Florida State, the Cardinal went up 13-10 just before the half, when starter Gulbranson went down with an injury, putting Brown in for the second half.

Brown was solid in his season debut, going 6-for-12 for 71 yards, and leading the team down the field for what ended up being a difference-making touchdown. A jump ball downfield caught by CJ Williams was the highlight of Brown's performance on that huge drive.

His QBR was 43.1, Brown’s highest in an FBS vs FBS game in his two year career which has spanned parts of four games. Despite not getting many passing opportunities, he was able to make a handful of plays when given the opportunity.

Most importantly, he led the Cardinal to an eventual marquee win, as cheering fans stormed the field to celebrate.

Gulbranson has been more of a mixed bag overall this season, putting up QBRs of 16.3 and 9.1 in those first two weeks, but since then has averaged a 47.18 QBR in the five subsequent games, topping out at 64.2 in the loss to Virginia. In three of his past four, he's put up over a 55.

This Could be the Right Time to Give Brown a Look

Coming out of the halftime break, Reich spoke with ESPN briefly before the start of the second half about the injury to starter Ben Gulbranson. “He’ll be down in the second half, It’s a knee so we’ll see the severity of it.” During the second half, Gulbranson was on the bench changed into team gear, showing evidence that he would watch the rest of the game from the sideline.

There is no definitive update on Gulbranson, but Reich said on Monday that he's not ready to rule anybody out for the matchup with Miami just yet. Gulbranson is still the likely starter, when healthy, but his health isn't assured at the moment.

Stanford is hot, but they will be tested next week when they play the Canes. The Cardinal will enter the matchup as 30 point underdogs per FanDuel, so if Gulbranson is questionable for Saturday, this could be a nice opportunity to let Brown loose with lowered expectations to see what he can do.

Miami is an incredibly tough draw for that showcase game, but it could also be the opportunity he needs to shine on a national stage.