Stanford Coach Troy Taylor on the Decision to Insert Elijah Brown at QB

Jason Burke | Oct 20, 2024

Oct 19, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Elijah Brown (2) throws a pass to wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (13) during the third quarter against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Saturday's game against SMU could not have started any worse for Stanford. The first play from scrimmage saw Moochie Dixon sneak behind the Cardinal secondary and streak into the endzone for an 87-yard score. SMU would add two more touchdowns before the end of the first quarter, and at that point, Troy Taylor decided to make a change and go with true freshman Elijah Brown at QB for the remainder of the game.

When asked what went into the decision-making process right there, Taylor said, "We were down 21-0 and he was ready to go. We wanted to see what he could do in extended time."

Brown played the rest of the game against SMU, and from the time that he came into the game with a little over a minute remaining in the first, Stanford picked up their play on both sides of the ball. With Brown in the game, the score still favored SMU, but by a much smaller margin at 19-10. The final score ended up being 40-10.

In his three plus quarters, Brown went 16-for-32 for 153 passing yards, along with one TD and two interceptions. One of those picks went right off the hands of receiver Emmett Mosley V and into the hands of a Mustang defender instead. Brown was also sacked six times.

The question that is on everyone's mind now is whether or not Elijah Brown will be the starter for Stanford moving forward. He showed flashes of what he can do at the position against a ranked opponent, and also worked tight end Sam Roush into the game, targeting him eight times and connecting for six completions for a career-high 75 yards.

When asked if Brown is the starter moving forward, coach Taylor said, "We'll see. We'll evaluate the tape make a decision on that."