Stanford Football: 3 takeaways from tight win over Arizona State

2. The Bryce Love question

Bryce Love, the only returning Heisman finalist from last year’s field, was set to make strides in his final season in college football.

However, the opposite outcome has surfaced as the star running back has been both shut down at times but also limited due to injuries.

This season, Love has only played in five out of the seven games Stanford has played. Previous to this matchup, he only owned 327 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to his name.

On Thursday, Love was healthy enough to suit up to play but only carried the ball 11 times for 21 yards. He looked like he had his quick-footed nature back, but he couldn’t get into open space — an area that if he is able to reach, can be lethal.

For both of these teams, running the ball didn’t produce the greatest advantage. Stanford outran Arizona State 127 yards to their 84 yards but even then, the workload was split between three different running backs — including Love.

There is no question that Love is one of the best players, if not, the best player almost every time he steps onto the field. He has the skillset to be a game-changer and perhaps that was best proven last year when he got the invitation to go to New York in the winter.

The 2018 season hasn’t been the greatest for Love but a lot of factors have played into his shortcomings. Even though it’s not the prettiest year for him in terms of numbers, Stanford still has one of the best playmakers on their side every time it heads into a game.