Stanford Football: 3 takeaways from upset loss at home to Utah

2. The Stanford run game basically nonexistent without Bryce Love

Stanford’s running game has been nothing like they have produced in recent seasons. The return of Bryce Love was supposed to put the Cardinal in position to challenge for a College Football Playoff spot. Now, with Love continuing to be nagged by injuries, the Stanford offense is struggling just to gain two yards a carry.

Against Utah, the Cardinal backfield was shut down thoroughly. Though Cameron Scarlett and Trevor Speights each punched in a touchdown for Stanford, the team finished with a collective 42 total rushing yards on 28 carries to average only 1.5 yards per rush. It was an embarrassing turn of events compared to their productivity last season and in prior years players like Christian McCaffrey.

Speight was the most effective ball-carrier for the Cardinal on Saturday night. He put up 56 yards on 17 carries, but his longest play went for just 12 yards. K.J. Costello also took four sacks that bumped down the total rushing yardage as a result, but even without that reduction the Cardinal still would have finished with fewer than 75 rushing yards as a team.

The lack of offensive balance proved Stanford’s downfall that effectively ruined their chances at making the College Football Playoff this season.