Stanford Football's Season May Already be Over

Oregon State transfer Ben Gulbranson getting the nod at QB to begin the year was an interesting choice, but given that he's in his last year of eligibility and is the most seasoned player they could put under center, it made sense at the time. Now Cardinal fans are worried that if he is the best option, the QB room may be in rough shape.

Gulbranson went just 15-of-30 for 109 yards and a soul-crushing interception in the fourth quarter. After two of the biggest plays of the day for Stanford--a 36 yard catch and run from tight end Chico Holt and a 17-yard run from Ford--Gulbranson was picked off deep in Hawaii territory, keeping points off the board for the Cardinal. The Rainbow Warriors would drive down the field and score a game-tying field goal on the ensuing possession.

Stanford's next possession, with the game tied at 20 and two minutes remaining in the game, lasted all of 28 seconds, leaving plenty of time on the clock for Hawaii to roll down the field again, this time for their game-winning field goal as time expired.

While this was expected to be a tough game for Stanford, the thought heading into it was that they would come away with some areas to improve upon during the bye week, but that they'd also head back with a win under their belts.

Now they're headed to Provo, UT to face BYU and former Stanford recruit Bear Bachmeier at QB, along with his brother Tiger catching passes.

Of course, Stanford has an extra week to prepare for BYU, which could serve as a bit of an advantage for the Cardinal in their Week 2 matchup, while the Cougars are set to take on Portland State at home in Week 1. That said, the Stanford/BYU game isn't expected to be close, so it would take one heck of a game plan, and execution of that plan to avoid an 0-2 start.

With Stanford's loss to Hawaii, that could mean that some of the games that were seen as coin flips later in the season are now out the window, while their two softest remaining opponents, San Jose State and Cal, also defeated them last season.

It's too early to say that Stanford won't win a game or won't improve upon their 3-9 record with any sort of conviction, but they will certainly have to play a bit better on offense, particularly at quarterback, in order to tuck a few W's away in 2025.

Following the loss, interim head coach Frank Reich said, "The message to the team was, we put in all of that work [in camp] not for one game, it's a long season."