#stanford-football

#stanford-football

Redshirt freshman Elijah Brown led two late scoring touchdown drives, but it wasn't enough to overcome a rough three quarters in his first start of the season as Stanford lost to North Carolina 20-15 in Chapel Hill on Saturday. The Tar Heels (4-5, 2-3 ACC) led 20-3 early in the fourth quarter. At that point, Brown had 97 yards on 21 attempts, committed two turnovers deep in Stanford territory, and had been sacked eight times for 63 yards.

Stanford may be going into its toughest game of the season without its starting quarterback. Redshirt freshman Elijah Brown met with reporters on Tuesday, a sign that he could be making his first start of the season when Stanford visits No. 9 Miami on Saturday (4 p.m., ESPN) as a 30.5-point underdog. Ben Gulbranson, who won a position battle over Brown in fall camp, injured his knee in Saturday's 20-13 win over Florida State.

STANFORD AT SMU Records: Stanford 2-3, 1-1 ACC. SMU 3-2, 1-0. Kickoff: 9 a.m. PT at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas TV: The CW Radio: KNBR 1050 AM Series history: Tied 1-1. SMU won 40-10 last year at Stanford Stadium, while Stanford won 7-0 in the 1936 Rose Bowl. SMU and Cal are Stanford's protected rivals in the ACC, which means the teams will play each other every season.

The Stanford football program has received a $50 million gift from a former player, a significant donation as Stanford attempts to revive the fortunes of the football program under new general manager Andrew Luck. It's the biggest individual gift in Stanford football history. The size is an unusually large one for an individual program anywhere, as gifts this large are typically tied to buildings or facilities.

STANFORD Sedrick Irvin scored on a 1-yard run with 19 seconds left as Stanford topped San Jose State 30-29 Saturday night at Stanford Stadium. The Cardinal (2-3) drove 80 yards for the winning score, highlighted by a 34-yard pass from Ben Gulbranson to Caden High on fourth-and-10 from the Stanford 41. San Jose State (1-3) had a chance for a go-ahead field goal, but safety Jay Smith broke up a pass at the Stanford 27 with five seconds left.

We're obviously evaluating every day. Every meeting, every walkthrough, every practice, it all matters.