Stanford looking to stabilize behind McKee
Long gone are the days that Stanford football dominated the line of scrimmage.
The Cardinal are last in the Pac-12 in rushing offense (97.3 yards a game) and last in the Pac-12 in rushing defense (219.8) heading into Saturday’s game at Washington State (4:30 p.m., ESPNU).
Fortunately for Stanford (3-3, 2-2 Pac-12), Tanner McKee has been picking up the slack. The sophomore has thrown a conferenceleading 12 touchdown passes and is second in the Pac-12 with 1,449 passing yards while completing 63.4 percent of his throws.
Since claiming the starting role leading into the second game of the season, he owns two wins over top15 teams in his five starts, and both of his losses are to ranked opponents.
The challenge will be even greater Saturday against the Cougars (3-3, 2-2) as McKee will be without three of Stanford’s top four receivers due to injuries.
Standout Michael Wilson hopes to begin practicing with the team this week but hasn’t played yet this season, Brycen Tremayne (who leads the team with five TDs) appeared to suffer a season-ending injury on Oct. 2, and John Humphries will miss at least one game after getting hurt last week.
As a result, Elijah Higgins is the only active receiver with more than two receptions.
Higgins has excelled as the No. 1 receiver so far — over the past three games, he has combined for 18 receptions for 275 yards and has scored in each game. Tight end Benjamin Yurosek has also filled more of a pass-catcher role. His 118 yards on six receptions last week against Arizona State was the first 100-yard receiving game by a Stanford tight end since Colby Parkinson in 2018.
Still, the Sun Devils were content to let Stanford pass.