What to Expect From New QB Elijah Brown Against North Carolina

The Stanford Cardinal are set to take the field for another big game this weekend, but things will look a little bit different for them when they do—especially on offense. After multiple weeks of struggles from Ben Gulbranson, combined with dealing with a lower body injury, Stanford announced that it was making a change at quarterback, opting to roll with redshirt freshman Elijah Brown.

And with a new quarterback under center, Stanford's offense could look different than it did earlier in the season. Brown, a former four-star recruit out of Mater Dei High School, has shown flashes of his potential, but injuries and reported inconsistencies in practices have led to him seeing minimal action on game day.

But now, Brown will get to fully showcase what he can do as he looks to prove that he is Stanford's quarterback of the future. So what should we expect out of Brown over these next three games?

Brown taking over as the starting quarterback right before a game against North Carolina that precedes a bye week was the perfect time to make a change. Facing a UNC team that has been very underwhelming this season and has only one win against a Power Four opponent, Brown will make his starting debut against a very vulnerable team in a game where he should theoretically thrive.

And with Stanford still technically alive in the bowl game chase, a good performance from Brown that results in a win will be a major confidence booster.

After the UNC game, Brown has an entire bye week to prepare for a home game against an inconsistent Cal program, that despite being 5-4, does not really have that signature win. Losing to Cal last year in heartbreaking fashion, this is easily Stanford's biggest game of the year-- meaning that Brown needs to play well.

The final game of the season, against No. 10 Notre Dame, is a game that nobody is expecting much out of Stanford, making the Cal game the pinnacle of the season.

But the key for Brown is to show that his weaknesses are not as glaring as some have thought. One reason why Brown reportedly lost the starting quarterback job in training camp was due to the fact that he threw a lot of interceptions in practice and struggled to read the defense.

But having an entire season to learn under Gulbranson, as well as being in interim head coach Frank Reich's scheme since April, Brown will now look to show that he has gotten a lot better in those areas.

The difficult part for Brown is the scenario that he is taking over as the starter. While the Cardinal are, in theory, still alive for a bowl game, another loss will pretty much eliminate them from a postseason game.

Brown's job is to keep the Cardinal in win-now mode, while also proving to the coaching staff that even if they do lose another game and end up fully eliminated, that Brown deserves another look in both spring practice and training camp to prove that he can be the starting quarterback next season and beyond. These upcoming games will be big for both Brown and the program moving forward.

These last few games are vital for Stanford football as a whole, but for Brown, these next three games could really make or break his future with the program.