‘Sweet Feet’ freshman can light up turf
Two games into his college football career, Bryce Love gained 8 yards on a carry, then broke loose for 42 on a swing pass.
Finally, on a 3rd-and-20 play midway through the fourth quarter, he went 93 yards after a short pass from Kevin Hogan to clinch a 31-7 win over Central Florida on Sept. 12. It was the third-longest touchdown pass in Stanford history.
On a team with many offensive playmakers, the freshman tailback hasn’t had a lot of touches this season. Head coach David Shaw says he’s on a “pitch count” as he gets more comfortable with the playbook. But the numbers are impressive: Love is averaging 6 yards per rush and 18.2 yards per catch.
When the No. 7 Cardinal host Oregon on Saturday, defensive coordinators on both teams will be wary of the game turning into a track meet. If it does, though, Love probably will be holding the baton.
At Colorado on Saturday, he bolted 47 yards for a touchdown on what was supposed to be an end-around. Instead, he cut it up the middle and looked like he was running in a different gear than everybody else.
There aren’t many players whose speed almost takes your breath away. “Sweet Feet,” as his teammates call him, is one of them.
In high school in North Carolina, Love twice was timed at 4.3 for the 40-yard dash. His video at Wake Forest High School showed him to be fast and explosive. But the Cardinal needed to give him the eyeball test.
Running backs coach Lance Taylor saw a couple of Love’s games. One was a playoff game. “In the first half, he had four touches and every time he went to the house,” Taylor said. “He had a punt return for a touchdown, then a jet sweep, then a screen pass. … It was pretty exciting.
“You always wonder if a quote-unquote track guy will translate and be a tough, physical player and do all the things that you want him to do, not just be a straight-running fast guy. … He’s tough. One of the games I saw, he played hurt. He’s not just a fast guy who doesn’t like contact.”
Love’s father, Chris, was a defensive back at South Carolina. His older brother, also named Chris, is a sophomore defensive back at East Carolina. In footraces, Love said, he beats his brother all the time. He quipped that he developed his speed “running away from him when he was trying to hit me.”
His high school coach, Reggie Lucas, even changed his offense from a wing-T to a power-I to take better use of Love’s talents. “Every big game, he stepped up to the challenge,” Lucas said. “He was determined to lead our team to the state finals and he did. Unfortunately, we didn’t win.”
Lucas said Love was “the type of leader you’d want at your school. He was able to balance athletics with academics. He had over a 4.5 GPA.”
Coaches in the SEC and ACC were crestfallen when he decided to go to Stanford. Despite being only 5-foot-10 and weighing 184 pounds, Shaw said, Love is powerful enough to run through arm tackles. But not even Taylor thought Love would be contributing as much as he has as a freshman.
Said Love: “I was willing to come in and help in any way they saw fit.”