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Stanford Football: Can Bryce Love survive 2018?

By Matthew Bartlett

PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 10: Bryce Love #20 of the Stanford Cardinal runs with the ball against the Washington Huskies at Stanford Stadium on November 10, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 10: Bryce Love #20 of the Stanford Cardinal runs with the ball against the Washington Huskies at Stanford Stadium on November 10, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Stanford football has the premier running back in college football, but their lack of diversity on offense could hurt his chances for success in 2018 and beyond.

There’s a reason Bryce Love was invited to New York City to participate in the 2017 Heisman Trophy presentation. There’s a reason oddsmakers put him near the front of the pack to take home the trophy himself in 2018. He’s an incredible running back. But that might not matter if his usage continues to increase this season.

Love out-touched his No. 2, Cameron Scarlett, 263 carries to 91 carries in 2017. His rushing total, 2,118 was 74.8 percent of the team’s total rushing output. He was the bellcow running back, in every sense of the word. And even bellcows need a breather.

The aura of invincibility faded away last season when Love was forced to miss the entirety of the Oregon State game with an injury. It took his team a miraculous fourth quarter comeback to avoid losing to a team that would go on to finish the year 1-11 with no FBS wins. Not only did the injury cost him that game, it also hindered his effectiveness in the later month of last season. Had he been truly healthy he might have been able to dethrone Baker Mayfield and take the Heisman home himself.

Love enters 2018 with 403 collegiate carries to his name. That’s a ton of mileage for any back, let alone the 5-foot-10, 196-pound Love. He’s not built to sustain the level of work that he’s going to be subject to, especially considering his ultimate end goal: the NFL. If Love wants to earn a paycheck for his skills he needs to finish the season healthy, without signs of wear and tear. Yet one more reason for him to use caution this year.

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Coach David Shaw is trying to win football games. Love is his best offensive weapon by a mile. However, Shaw’s dependency on his star tailback could spell disaster for all parties involved. There has to be some sort of balance struck, soon. Otherwise, Stanford could waste one of their best rushers in school history with overwork.

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