PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Bryce Love has been away from the limelight most of this season as he slowly works his way back from an ankle injury. He had 11 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown against Oregon State, and now faces a UCLA rushing defense that held USC to 112 yards on 27 carries. Stanford will need Love to set the tone, scrap for extra yards and break a big play or two to help keep the ball away from the dynamic Joshua Kelley of UCLA. Love has more than 3,700 career rushing yards with Stanford, with as many as three games to play.
–TE Colby Parkinson was superb against Oregon State, with six catches for 166 yards and four touchdowns. If senior wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is out injured again, Parkinson has the burden (or perhaps the gift) of being Stanford’s premier target. However, TE Kaden Smith could be the apple of quarterback K.J. Costello’s eye if Arcega-Whiteside is out or limited. Smith’s All-American nomination led the Stanford football Twitter account to tweet about him with the hashtag #TightEndU.
–QB K.J. Costello has been productive all season, and is the first Stanford quarterback since Andrew Luck to throw for four touchdowns in a game three times in one year. He was 23 of 33 for 342 yards, four touchdowns and one interception against Oregon State for a QB rating of 94.2. Costello has 23 touchdowns to 10 interceptions this season, and he’ll need to be wary of Nate Meadors and Darnay Holmes — Bruin defensive backs who each had one pick against USC’s JT Daniels.
SERIES HISTORY: UCLA leads the series 45-41-3, but Stanford has won 10 consecutive meetings.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “It was great to see us put together a full game go out and win for the seniors.” — Stanford tight end Colby Parkinson, on trouncing Oregon State 48-17 on senior day at Stanford Stadium. Parkinson had all four touchdown catches via quarterback K.J. Costello.
