Christian McCaffrey and Stanford run through UCLA
PALO ALTO, Calif. — Breaking down No. 16 Stanford's 56-35 win Thursday against No. 18 UCLA:
THE BIG PICTURE: Stanford’s surge since a loss to Northwestern in its opener has painted the Cardinal as this year’s Ohio State, a team that stumbles to an early yet survivable loss before quickly scrambling its way back into the championship conversation. And the Cardinal have done so with a different blueprint: Stanford is potent offensively — a slight change from the recent past — and, in a development that should trouble David Shaw, messy on defense. In a sense, Stanford has evolved into another Pac-12 Conference and national contender with a potent offense and an in-progress defense.
WHAT WE’LL BE TALKING ABOUT
: Though Utah’s unbeaten start has it atop the Pac-12, Stanford now stands next in line for the league’s near-automatic College Football Playoff bid (barring two or more losses from its conference champion).
Yet Stanford is deep in the Playoff mix, and doubly so given its friendly schedule during the second half of the regular season. The Cardinal play only two road games the rest of the way, against Washington State and Colorado. Stanford draws Washington, Oregon, California and Notre Dame at home, giving Shaw’s team the opportunity to face high-quality competition inside the friendly confines of Stanford Stadium.
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The catch of the year ... and the coach's reaction:
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BREAKOUT PLAYER: There’s little Christian McCaffrey doesn’t do for Stanford — and do exceedingly well — whether returning kicks, running the football or working as a receiver out of the backfield or in the slot. Thursday night could be seen as his national coming-out party: McCaffrey finished with 369 yards of total offense, with 96 coming on a kickoff return in the first half and 243 on the ground.
KEY STAT: According to Stanford, Hogan is the first starting quarterback in college football history to go 5-0 against a single opponent. Hogan has led the Cardinal to four wins against the Bruins in regular-season play and a fifth win in the 2012 Pac-12 championship game.
Stanford's eight consecutive wins vs. UCLA are the Cardinal's best streak vs. any opponent.
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