PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Bryce Love had the magic touch with the big play (or mammoth game) when Stanford needed him as a junior. That has not been the case in 2018, whether it be because of injury, inferior run blocking, a better passing game or other unknown reasons. He’ll be facing Cal, which has an increasingly stout run defense and yielded just over 3 yards per carry against Colorado; Bears linebackers Evan Weaver and Jordan Kunaszyk have been nails all season.
–QB K.J. Costello has been excelling of late; he fired five touchdown passes in the 49-42 win over UCLA. But the Golden Bears intercepted Colorado three times in their last game, including two pick-six plays. Stanford certainly has a better set of receiving weapons than an opponent like Colorado — with receivers J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Trenton Irwin and tight ends Kaden Smith and Colby Parkinson.
–S Malik Antoine proved earlier this season that he can be a ball-hawk. But he added a different element against UCLA, adding two tackles for a loss and a sack. If Antoine can be a heavy-hitter as well as a threat for an interception, that could fluster redshirt freshman Cal quarterback Chase Garbers.
–WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside was missed when he was out briefly with an ankle injury. And he thrived in his return, with seven catches for a team-high 106 yards with three touchdowns in the win over UCLA. The 6-foot-3 senior has 55 catches for 860 yards and 14 TDs this season. He entered this season with 14 career TDs.
SERIES HISTORY: Stanford leads the series 64-45-11 and has won eight consecutive matchups (every game since 2010). This is the longest win streak for either team in this series.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Our quarterback is probably a year ahead of where we thought he might be, so that’s excellent for us, which allowed us to put more on his shoulders.” — Coach David Shaw on QB K.J. Costello
