On Friday night, Bryce Love overcame a lingering ankle injury to run for 166 yards and three touchdowns in the big win over Washington. With the victory, Stanford is still alive to win the Pac-12 North crown after a slow start to the 2017 campaign. If anything, Love has been more valuable to the Cardinal this year than Christian McCaffrey was the last few seasons.
Love leads the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging over 180 yards per outing. He also leads the FBS in total rushing yards, despite missing the Oregon State game with his injury. That 15-14 squeaker in Corvallis exemplified just how important Love is to Stanford’s title hopes, as the Cardinal nearly lost to the Beavers.
Love is also third in the country in all-purpose yards, even though he is utilized almost exclusively as a runner. He doesn’t catch passes out of the backfield like McCaffrey, or field punts or kickoffs. He just bowls over one opponent after another. The win over the Huskies was actually Love’s first game of the year without a run of at least 50 yards, though he still busted off a 35-yarder.
Even if Stanford fails to pull off its improbable quest to restore its place atop the Pac-12, an invitation to Manhattan is a lock for Love. If the Cardinal manage to win the conference title, and the frontrunner falls off his current pace, Love could sneak in and steal away the award.