October 20th 2024.
Last Saturday marked the start of the Elijah Brown era at Stanford, but unfortunately, it wasn't the debut the Cardinal had hoped for. Despite the change at quarterback, the team still struggled with breakdowns in the secondary and throughout the offense. It became clear that if they wanted to take advantage of their softer closing schedule, they would need more than just a new quarterback.
The game against No. 21 SMU was a tough one for Stanford, especially on the defensive end. The depleted secondary gave up 205 passing yards and three long touchdowns, including an 87-yard bomb on the very first play of the game. It was a rough start, to say the least.
In the early stages of the game, Stanford only managed to gain a measly 25 yards in their first three series with second-year starter Ashton Daniels. That's when head coach Troy Taylor, who also serves as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, made the decision to put in Brown. The true freshman had only seen limited action in mop-up duty against Cal Poly, but he was now being thrown into the spotlight.
Brown did manage to throw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Elic Ayomanor, but his performance was otherwise lackluster. He completed 16 of 32 passes for 153 yards, threw two interceptions, and was sacked six times, including one for a safety. However, it's worth noting that he didn't have much help from his receiving corps, as one of his interceptions came off a dropped pass and another potential big play was also dropped.
Coach Taylor praised Brown's mental toughness and consistency, especially in such a high-pressure situation for a true freshman. He acknowledged that Brown can play better, and he will, but he was proud of how he competed.
SMU came into the game with the best turnover margin in the FBS, so it was no surprise that the Cardinal struggled to hold onto the ball. On top of that, the running backs only contributed 34 yards on 19 carries, which didn't help alleviate the pressure on Brown.
Coach Taylor emphasized the importance of running the ball to help out their quarterbacks, so that the opposing defense can't "tee off" on them. Unfortunately, the Cardinal weren't able to establish a strong running game against SMU.
Brown had a successful college career at Mater Dei, where he went 42-2 and won two state championships. But now, he was faced with a much bigger challenge. Coach Taylor believed that Brown started to settle in as the game went on and he will only continue to improve as he gains more experience.
When asked if Brown would start again in the upcoming game against Wake Forest, Coach Taylor didn't commit to a decision. However, he did point out that the Cardinal's passing game ranked 122nd out of 133 teams and they were only averaging 16.2 points per game against FBS opponents under Daniels. It's clear that the team is hoping for a spark from Brown.
Of course, even the best quarterback won't be able to make a difference if the defense doesn't improve. Playing without three regular starters in the secondary, the Cardinal struggled to contain SMU's offense. They allowed a total of 501 yards, including three touchdown passes in the first quarter alone.
Coach Taylor did mention that the defense started to play better as the game went on, but they were unfortunately on the field for a majority of the game due to the offense's struggles. Safety Mitch Leigber did manage to intercept a pass and the punt coverage team forced a fumble, but those were just small victories in an otherwise disappointing game.
The Cardinal have now lost four straight games by at least 24 points, but three of those losses came against ranked teams. Their remaining five opponents are not ranked, starting with Wake Forest this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The only team left on their schedule with a winning record is Louisville at 4-3.
Coach Taylor acknowledged that it's been a tough stretch of games against strong opponents, but he also has faith in his team's resilience. He believes that they will bounce back and be ready to compete again.
It's been a while since the Cardinal have tasted victory against an FBS team at home, with their last win coming in 2022. But Coach Taylor is confident in his players' resourcefulness and mental toughness, and he knows that they will continue to battle and bounce back from this loss.
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