With the loss of Heisman finalist and all-purpose record-breaker Christian McCaffrey, it seemed safe to say that Stanford’s running game would take a step back in 2017. In the first month of the season, however, junior running back Bryce Love has one-upped McCaffrey, as he’s built up a collection of lengthy touchdowns with his ridiculous speed:
Love, a sprinter like McCaffrey, rushed for 301 yards yesterday against Arizona State, breaking the Stanford single-game record set by McCaffrey back in 2015. Yesterday was also his seventh consecutive game with a touchdown run over 50 yards, and he now already has over 1,000 yards rushing on the season.
The hard numbers are unprecedented, but just watching Love run through a hole is breath-taking. If he gets space in the open field, his legs become a blur, and world-class athletes on the defense look stuck in quicksand as Love cruises into the end zone. Closing a gap on Love is as hopeless as Wile E. Coyote trying to catch Road Runner.
Currently, Love and his 11.1 yards per carry are on pace to break Barry Sanders’s single-season rushing mark of 2,628 yards. Obviously, it’s way too early to tell if he can break that record, but as long as Love has field to run in, it doesn’t look like any defender will be able to stop him.