Stanford will head to Miami this weekend to take on the No. 9 ranked team in the country, so this will by no means be an easy matchup for the Cardinal. The Hurricanes are a program with national title aspirations coming off their first loss of the season, and they can’t afford a second defeat.
In their last game, Stanford lost starting QB Ben Gulbranson to an injury that kept him out of the second half, and his status for this weekend has not been announced just yet, but head coach Frank Reich wasn’t ready to rule anybody out at Monday’s press conference.
Taking over under center against Florida State was redshirt freshman Elijah Brown, a highly touted prospect out of high school that battled injuries last season and lost out on the quarterback competition in camp this fall. Elijah Brown spoke with the media on Tuesday, and said he hasn’t been told he’s starting on Saturday.
While Stanford may roll with Brown against Miami due to Gulbranson’s injury from last week, here are two stats that make this a good decision to at least give Gulbranson some extra time to recover, while also providing Brown with an opportunity in a game with low expectations.
Sep 13, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Elijah Brown (2) warms up before the game against the Boston College Eagles at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The most important factor for choosing a quarterback for the Cardinal on Saturday will be Gulbranson’s health. If he’s fully ready to go, it’s likely him getting the nod. If there is even a question about his status, Frank Reich and company should give Brown a full week of first-team reps.
Two stats point to this being a good decision, too.
The defense he’d be facing in Miami is a tough one, ranking second in the ACC in average yards allowed per game. They’re giving up 92 yards on the ground and 199 through the air on average, which means that moving the ball against them will be tough.
That said, they rank 13th in sacks in the conference with 13 through six games. That could mean that Brown would have more time in the pocket to try to get some work done, rather than running for his life for four quarters. That would at least give him a shot.
The other key is that Miami ranks in the middle of the pack (10th) in interceptions with five. The team that Stanford just beat, Florida State, has nine on the year and he fared fairly well against them in his half of play, going 6-for-12 for 71 yards.
While Miami doesn’t give up a ton of rushing yards per game, they do give up some, which could be enough to help Stanford keep them honest when defending the pass.
Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes fans react before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
While Miami doesn’t rank highly in sacks or interceptions among teams in the ACC, those are also numbers that have been racked up across the entire season, and generally against more experienced quarterbacks.
They provide a bit of hope for Brown to potentially be able to have some success moving the ball, but at the same time, he has all of four games played in college across two seasons thus far, so he’s not the most experienced passer that Miami will have faced this season.
He’s thrown just 60 passes in his career on The Farm, and all of his playing time has come at home. Heading on the road to face the No. 9 team in the nation would certainly be one way to get thrown in the deep end.
The bright side here is that expectations are low for this game, and it could be used as a learning experience in a tough envrionment on the road. The Miami defense is good, but can bend at times. If Brown can move the ball down the field for a couple of scores in the game, that could be seen as a win, despite whatever the score says.