USC can’t allow Love to mimic Mccaffrey in Pac-12 title game
LOS ANGELES — Southern California safety Chris Hawkins still remembers what Stanford running back Christian Mccaffrey did in the 2015 Pac-12 championship game.
“We almost handed one person the Heisman Trophy that day,” Hawkins said. “They probably should have gave it to him that day after the game.”
The No. 11 Trojans can’t allow a repeat performance to the No. 14 Cardinal and their latest Heisman candidate, Bryce Love, on Friday.
“We really going to show how old and how much progress we’ve made in two years,” Hawkins said.
Love, who has rushed for 1,848 yards and 16 touchdowns, could become the fourth Stanford player to finish second for the most prestigious individual award in college football since 2009, when Toby Gerhart was runner-up to Alabama running back Mark Ingram Jr. Quarterback Andrew Luck finished second in 2010 and 2011. Mccaffrey racked up 461 all-purpose yards and was responsible for four touchdowns in the 41-22 win over USC two seasons ago, but that wasn’t enough to vault him past the Crimson Tide’s Derrick Henry in the balloting.
“I don’t know if you guys remember, but he threw a touchdown, ran two and caught one,” Hawkins said. “I don’t know if Bryce is going to do that, but Christian Mccaffrey was something special.”
The same can be said of a USC defense that has delivered this season in spite of injuries. USC (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12, No. 10 CFP) allowed 133.22 yards rushing and nine touchdown runs in its nine conference games, ranking second to Washington in both categories. Stanford (9-3, 7-2, No. 12 CFP) finished with 170 yards on the ground in USC’S 42-24 win at the Coliseum on Sept. 9, the second most allowed by USC to a Pac-12 opponent.
Most of that total came on one play, Love’s 75yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Love’s other 16 carries gained 85 yards.