McCaffrey puts skills on display
Cal coach Sonny Dykes spent a fair portion of the Big Game barking furiously at the referees Saturday night, probably with justification, but everything about the Bears’ cause rang hollow. There was Christian McCaffrey, and then there were a bunch of minuscule subplots.
He’s not the leader in the Heisman Trophy race, but if McCaffrey isn’t among the five finalists invited to New York, people simply aren’t paying attention.
Few are disputing the case for Alabama’s Derrick Henry; the 6-foot-3, 242-pound running back has rushed for 1,526 yards and 21 touchdowns, looking primed for the NFL on every step. There isn’t a player in the country, though, more flat-out exciting than McCaffrey. In what might have been the last Big Game for Jared Goff, McCaffrey’s two touchdowns and 389 yards in total offense left the biggest impression in Stanford’s 35-22 victory.
McCaffrey’s first half was all about theater: a 49-yard touchdown off a screen pass and a 98-yard kickoff return for another score. In the second half, when Goff threatened to make things interesting, McCaffrey ground the Bears into submission, hurling himself into the line for one clock-burning gain after another.
For an average-size back (6-0, 197), he blends surprising power and a rampaging desire into his gifts for speed and quickness. The first tackler always seems to miss him — and then the next two or three. There’s a beautiful clarity to McCaffrey’s game, something to be trusted and relied upon.
If only the future was as clear for both of these teams.
Arguments will rage all week as to whether Stanford has any shot at the four-team national playoff, but it seems highly unlikely. There just wasn’t enough chaos around the country Saturday.
The Big Ten now has four playoff-worthy teams in Iowa (11-0), Ohio State (10-1), Michigan State (10-1 with wins over Michigan, Oregon and Ohio State) and, yes, Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines at 9-2 and certainly as attractive as Stanford to a lot of voters, fans and media. One of those teams will make the Final Four, without question.
The SEC has a couple of 10-1 teams in Alabama and Florida, and although it’s conceivable that conference could be shut out if Florida beats Alabama in the championship game, the SEC’s lofty reputation seems likely to influence the selection committee.
Beyond that, there’s Clemson (11-0), Oklahoma (10-1), Baylor (9-1), Notre Dame (10-1 with Stanford next week), possibly 10-1 North Carolina after its dramatic win over Virginia Tech, and you can’t rule out Oklahoma State (10-1) despite its loss to Baylor. That’s a pretty big crowd. And there’s certainly no guarantee the Cardinal posts a two-loss season with the Irish and Pac-12 championship game coming up.
It’s probably best to imagine a Stanford-USC matchup for the conference title. The South division will be decided by the Trojans’ game against UCLA — the winner advances, thanks to Utah’s disappearing act — but how many times does anyone want to watch the Cardinal beat the Bruins? That would be a powerful anticlimax for a Stanford community that had such lofty hopes two weeks ago.
Set your sights a bit higher, and the notion of Stanford heading into the Rose Bowl against any of those Big Ten teams (David Shaw vs. Harbaugh: classic) sounds excellent.
As for Cal’s coaching situation, the grim reality is that Dykes’ teams have yet to beat USC, UCLA, Oregon or Stanford during his three-year stay. He has two years to go on his contract, and The Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau reported this week that athletic director Mike Williams has begun negotiations for an extension.
That’s great for Dykes. From this viewpoint, he’s been a terrific addition to the Cal program and certainly shouldn’t be under any scrutiny. But what’s the rush, especially considering that Dykes reportedly has a lingering affection for his native Texas and southern part of the country? He’s certainly not a coach in demand right now. The Bears’ disappointing losses are offset by their return to the bowl-game picture and their improved academic performance. Why not let the two years play out?
Cal fans can only wish they had two more years of Goff. It might be just two more games. There were scouts in the stands from seven NFL teams Saturday night, including five from the 49ers alone. Goff is a Cal guy to the core, and you know he’d hate to leave school without beating Stanford, especially after displaying so many moments of brilliance Saturday night (37 completions in 54 attempts for 386 yards). But his early departure seems entirely plausible.
After all, he has to be wondering how much more he can accomplish at Cal. A discouraging off-season will find the Bears losing their top six receivers, their top running back (Daniel Lasco) and three starting offensive linemen. A passable student, Goff isn’t drawn to the academics in the manner of the intellectual Andrew Luck, who played out his Stanford career to graduate with a degree in architectural design.
Everything about Luck’s tenure suggested stability, continuity and golden days to come. The Big Game has left Berkeley in a most uncertain mood.