Stanford's O-line needs to fix 'little' things to help Love
STANFORD, Calif. — Bryce Love has yet to match last year's recordsetting season and Stanford football coach David Shaw said lack of consistent play by the offensive line has been a major contributor.
Hit by injuries, the offensive line has yet to start the same five guys in back-to-back games, and Shaw thinks that's just part of it.
"We still have some inconsistencies up front," Shaw said Tuesday. "We've addressed individual accountability."
Love will play a critical role, one way or the other, when No. 7 Stanford plays at No. 8 Notre Dame on Saturday.
The Cardinal's rushing totals are nearly half of what they were last season, when they averaged 202.4 yards a game. This year, Stanford averages 104.3 yards.
"One issue is missing blocks," Shaw said. "Bryce has a couple of big runs and we need to give him more opportunities to make plays."
Love averages 4.3 yards a carry through his first three games — he missed the UC Davis game with a minor injury — a long way off the 8.1 yards he averaged last year and his career average of 7.3.
"We went into the year knowing teams will try to stop or runner, and rightfully so," Shaw said. "We have to be ready for teams who say 'I don't want 20 to best us.' We have to be sure that when someone is blocked, they stay blocked."
Center Jesse Burkett said it's a matter of fixing a few details that will give Love more opportunities.
"It takes all 11 guys to have a successful play," he said. "If one guy misses an assignment or there's a mental error, it throws everything off. We've had a lot of penalties too, holding and false stars. One thing we haven't handled as well as we could have are the unscouted looks. That's when we need to rely on technique."