ATTENTION GRAB
McCaffrey punctuates win with 369 all-purpose yards, four touchdowns
STANFORD — With Christian McCaffrey racing to an epic night, Stanford charged into the playoff discussion with a 56-35 victory over 18thranked UCLA on Thursday.
McCaffrey, who wears uniform No. 5 because of his idol, former USC running back Reggie Bush, scored four touchdowns and gained 369 all-purpose yards, the most by a Football Bowl Subdivision player this season.
His rushing total of 243 yards broke Toby Gerhart’s six-year-old school record as Stanford topped the 40-point mark for the fourth consecutive game.
“He never gets tired, he wants to learn and grow,” coach David Shaw said. “He likes to run through tackles, and he’s very versatile.”
McCaffrey returned a kickoff 96 yards, uncorked a 70-yard touchdown run and averaged 13.1 yards every time he touched the ball.
And yet, he did not produce the play of the game. That came courtesy of receiver Francis Owusu on a flea-flicker pass from quarterback Kevin Hogan. Owusu reached around UCLA safety Jaleel Wadood and somehow pinned the ball on Wadood’s back, then held on as they tumbled to the grass.
“I can’t describe that catch — I can’t understand what happened,” Shaw said. “I thought it was incomplete.”
Add another impressive performance by Hogan, an opportunistic defense and a bevy of UCLA miscues, and 15th-ranked Stanford rolled to its eighth consecutive victory over the Bruins.
With a home-heavy schedule down the stretch, the sizzling Cardinal (5-1, 4-0) is seemingly well-positioned to not only win the division but contend for a spot in the semifinals on New Year’s Eve.
The Cardinal took advantage of several UCLA gaffes, including a poor pass by quarterback Josh Rosen that cornerback Alijah Holder turned into a Pick 6.
Stanford has scored more than 40 points in four consecutive games, its longest such streak since 2011.
An entertaining first half began with a thud, at least for Stanford fans. Facing fourth-and-short from UCLA’s 42 yard line, Cardinal coach Shaw sent on the punt team. The decision wasn’t well-received by the homer crowd, but it proved fortuitous.
On UCLA’s fourth play, Rosen underthrew a pass on the left sideline. Holder stepped in front of the receiver, grabbed the ball and then produced a nifty 31yard interception return for a touchdown.
It was Stanford’s first Pick 6 since the Jan. ’14 Rose Bowl (Kevin Anderson) and only the fourth turnover the Cardinal has forced this season.
The Bruins zoomed down the field as tailback Paul Perkins unleashed a dazzling 43-yard run that took UCLA into the red zone. But two penalties killed the drive and the Bruins settled for a field goal.
The big plays continued — immediately. McCaffrey returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards to set up a short touchdown pass from Hogan to tight end Austin Hooper, giving the Cardinal a 14-3 lead.
The Bruins wasted no time answering. On first down, Rosen and receiver Darren Andrews connected on 70-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
From there, the pace of scoring slowed — much to Stanford’s liking. The Cardinal took 14 plays and more than seven minutes to push its advantage to 21-10 on Hogan’s laser to Devon Cajuste. But the key plays took place well before the scoring strike, when Stanford converted third downs of 12 and 13 yards. Both times, Hogan hit Hooper, his favorite receiver.
Less than one minute into the second quarter, the teams had combined for 31 points. There was more to come. McCaffrey charged nine yards for a touchdown midway through the quarter to cap a three-play drive, then scored on a 28-yard dash with 2:13 left before halftime.
The Bruins provided the final points before the break, on Perkins’ short touchdown run with 11 seconds remaining.
The Cardinal took steps to prevent a major UCLA comeback, in the form of a flea flicker. McCaffrey took the snap from center in the Wildcat formation, pitched to Bryce Love, who then flipped to Hogan. Hogan gathered himself, then tossed a 41-yard pass to Owusu in the end zone. Owusu reached around the back of a UCLA defender, grabbed the ball and managed to hold on as they tumbled to the grass.
The amazing catch gave Stanford a 42-17 lead.
Former Stanford alln conference safetyJohn Lynch was the honorary captain. For more on college sports, see Jon Wilner’s College Hotline at blogs. mercurynews.com/ collegesports. Contact him at jwilner@mercurynews. com or 408-920-5716.