Stanford football’s 2025 season has a dark cloud hanging over it. Coming off of a blowout loss to the Miami Hurricanes, the Cardinal returned home to face the Pittsburgh Panthers in a game that they needed to win. Undefeated at home and hungry to keep their bowl hopes alive, the Cardinal came in ready to play their best brand of football.
But Stanford was unable to get it done. Losing 35-20, the Cardinal dropped to 3-6 on the season, with their bowl hopes hanging by a thread. Three games still remain, and there is time for the Cardinal to end their season on a high note, but things just became a whole lot harder.
Against Pittsburgh, the Cardinal continued to show a lot of promise, but a loss still stings nonetheless and could certainly affect the team’s confidence in their remaining contests. Here are three observations from Stanford’s loss to the Panthers.
Nov 1, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ben Gulbranson (15) passes against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images
Over the last couple of weeks, Gulbranson has experienced similar struggles to the ones he had at the start of the season, completing only nine out of his 21 pass attempts with two interceptions against Miami and throwing three interceptions against Pittsburgh.
And while Gulbranson has not played well, his struggles could be attributed to an injury that he sustained in the Cardinal’s win over Florida State, where he was carted off with a lower body injury and missed the second half.
Despite starting the following game against Miami, the injury is clearly still a problem for Gulbranson. Over the last couple of weeks, he has appeared to struggle with moving around and generating power for this throws, two areas that are hindered with lower body injuries.
Stanford needs to win its last few games and if Gulbranson truly is still hurt, making a quarterback change could be in the cards.
This game was once again a good test to see exactly what Stanford’s defense is made of and it is safe to say that the Cardinal did not pass. Allowing three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown while also giving up a lot of yards (304 passing, 164 rushing), the Cardinal looked like they did not have an answer for anything that Pittsburgh threw their way, going into halftime down 21-13.
The defense did however force a couple of turnovers, intercepting Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Heintschel twice. But the Cardinal continued to come up short in big moments, and with games against high octane offenses such as Cal and Notre Dame still left to play, defense will be key and Stanford will need to find a way to play stout defense.
Nov 1, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver CJ Williams (3) catches a pass as Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Allen Bryant (26) defends during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images
Entering the season, the wide receiver room faced a lot of questions, with almost every single receiver from last season’s team either transferring or leaving for the NFL. Looking to the transfer portal to bring in some new talent, the Cardinal did manage to find a few guys– bringing in players such as Caden High from South Carolina State and CJ Williams from Wisconsin.
Needing those guys to shine early on, Williams in particular got off to a slow start before evolving into a star right before our eyes over the last few weeks.
Catching seven passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, Williams put up his fourth 100-yard game of the season, and set a career high for touchdowns scored in a game. Now up to 47 catches for 598 yards and four touchdowns on the season, Williams is proving that he has what it takes to be a No. 1 receiver, and is putting his name firmly on the map.