PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Bryce Love hasn’t delivered a statistical surge to begin the season like many thought he might. Love was bottled up against San Diego State, which put an absurd amount of players in the box, and had a triple-digit game against USC before missing UC Davis with an injury. Love is yet to surpass 200 rushing yards in 2018 but is still in the mix to become Stanford’s all-time leading rusher (Love has 3,288 career yards and 25 touchdowns).
–CB Alameen Murphy nabbed an interception against UC Davis and returned it 32 yards. If Murphy can become a consistent complement to Alijah Holder and the rest of the Cardinal secondary (even as a reserve), that would be huge. Safety Malik Antoine had two interceptions against USC the week before.
–WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside continues to be a go-to target when the Cardinal needs a big play. While TE Kaden Smith had a team-high six catches for 68 yards, Arcega-Whiteside had both receiving touchdowns. Arcega-Whiteside has 13 catches for 324 yards and five touchdowns in his senior campaign.
–TE Kaden Smith shined with six catches for a team-high 68 yards against UC Davis. Having a tight end like Smith is crucial in times of offensive stagnation, especially when the defense is looking at Bryce Love for third-down and red zone conversions.
SERIES HISTORY: Stanford has won the past two matchups and leads the series 48-32-1.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We are still growing. We have flashes of being really good and some flashes of not being really good.” — Stanford coach David Shaw, on the 30-10 win over UC Davis.
