Could Stanford not have star running back Christian McCaffrey vs. Notre Dame?
McCaffrey missed much of the second half of Stanford’s 42-16 loss to Washington State on Saturday. Stanford coach David Shaw said Tuesday that the running back was “banged up” over the course of the game and the hits he took could mean he’ll miss Saturday’s game against the Fighting Irish.
“Like I said after the game, it didn’t make sense to put McCaffrey back in the game,” Shaw said via Cardinal Sports Report. “He wanted to. It was unnecessary. He just got banged up over the course of the game. We’ll be cautious with him as we are with all our guys. Pretty beaten up, so we’ll see where he is. I probably won’t have an answer until Friday or so. Maybe game day unless we rule him out before then, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. He felt a little better yesterday, but it will be a late-week decision.”
McCaffrey’s streak of 19-straight games with 100 or more all-purpose yards ended against the Cougars. He finished with 83 total yards; 43 of those came on kick returns.
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The running back started the season as a Heisman favorite but that status has disappeared after Stanford’s two-straight losses. McCaffrey’s production is also down — he’s averaging 0.7 fewer yards per carry and 5.7 fewer yards per catch — though it’s worth noting Stanford’s offensive line hasn’t had much continuity. Per CSR, the Cardinal have started three different line combinations over the last five games.
The Stanford’s passing game isn’t as potent as it was last year either with quarterback Kevin Hogan, now with the Cleveland Browns. With Ryan Burns under center, teams have been able to hone in on McCaffrey without as much fear of the passing game.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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