Stanford:
On a big night for Christian McCaffrey, Cardinal piled up 325 yards on the ground Friday at Oregon State.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Call it “a 6.8 yards and a cloud of dust” rushing offense. That’s mainly what No. 21 Stanford used in throttling Oregon State on Friday night.
There were numerous heroes for the Cardinal, but in particular it might be remembered as the night Christian McCaffrey stepped from excellence to greatness.
Even after losing offensive left tackle Kyle Murphy to an injury, the Cardinal offensive line wreaked havoc on the Beavers’ defense, enabling 325 yards on the ground in the 42-24 win. That was Stanford’s highest rushing total since 2011. It outrushed OSU in the second half 217-0.
“You can talk for as long as you want on the headphones in those situations, but we absolutely got worn down,” Oregon State head coach Gary Anderson said.
Things are looking up for the Cardinal (3-1, 2-0 Pac-12), who play their next three games at home, starting with Arizona on Saturday. Their only remaining trips are to Washington State and Colorado, and they will be heavily favored in both of those games.
They have an attack that is capable of both grinding out yardage and exploding for the big play. Although he denied it, quarterback Kevin Hogan was still a little gimpy from his sprained left ankle, but he threw two long touchdown passes. Michael Rector caught the game-breaking one between two defenders for a 49-yard score.
And Barry J. Sanders looked like you-know-who on his last-minute 65-yard run, breaking a tackle by safety Cyril Noland-Lewis, one of the players victimized on Rector’s big catch.
Meanwhile, any doubts that, at 6 feet, 201 pounds, McCaffrey could be the workhorse tailback were dispelled. He piled up 303 all-purpose yards, rushing for 206 on 30 carries. He caught a pass for 38 yards and returned a kickoff 31 yards.
Just 17 games into his college career, he has to be considered among the best tailbacks in Stanford history. Forget the numbers. Just watch his patience as his blocking gets set up. His vision of the field is extraordinary. Then, in a heartbeat, he’s 8-10 yards past the line of scrimmage. No wonder he scored 141 touchdowns in high school.
“With Hogan beat up a little bit, we knew we had to run the ball this game, so we prepared all week and the offensive line stepped up,” McCaffrey said. “It's so fun to watch the big guys doing their jobs. Without them, we're essentially nothing.”
The only blemish in his performance was a fumble at the end of his longest run, a 33-yarder in the third quarter.
Except for the opening loss at Northwestern, the offense has piled up enough points to overcome any shortcomings by the inexperienced, rebuilt defense. The defense could be in even worse shape against Arizona if either Aziz Shittu or Brennan Scarlett can’t play as a result of injuries in Corvallis.
Hogan again wore an ankle boot after the game, but said he knew all week that he would play. Once the game started, he said, “The adrenaline was kicking in. I felt no limitations.”
He threw just 14 times and completed nine for 163 yards with an interception. He wasn’t sacked and was hurried just once, thanks to stout protection from his line. Cornerback Ronnie Harris tweeted, “That pocket was so clean it had no lint.”