McCaffrey shines as Stanford wins Pac-12

“What doesn’t he do?”

“We knew it was going to be a battle”, Stanford coach David Shaw said. They didn’t seem to care that the Cardinal’s bid to play in for the national championship would be determined 3,000 miles away, at the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte. “It’s not even a debate”. But there’s no question that eclipsing Sanders, perhaps the best running back in college football history, pushes McCaffrey into truly rare territory. But since the Big 10 champion, Michigan State Spartans, will likely be selected for the playoffs, the Rose Bowl can select another team from the Big 10.

McCaffrey racked up 461 all-purpose yards in the game, an effort that even Trojan linebacker Su’a Cravens said is worthy of a Heisman Trophy. “I didn’t know until five minutes before I walked up here”.

Stanford controlled the game early but had only a 13-3 halftime lead to show for it because of misfires in the red zone – it scored one touchdown in four opportunities. McCaffrey then threw to a wide-open Hogan for his second TD pass of the season.

The Stanford players didn’t clamor for that information before the game ended, nor after. “We’ll go where they tell us to go”.

“Eventually we’ll get there”, he said.

“We’ve been through so many tough times, and I’ll look back – right now it hurts – but I’ll look back some day and be proud of the person I became and the players I got to play with”, said quarterback Cody Kessler, who came to USC when the school was on probation and played for four coaches in his career.

The Stanford Cardinal will take on the USC Trojans on Saturday night in the Pac-12 Championship game. McCaffrey led team rushing with 27 carries, 94 yards, no touchdowns.

If USC defeats No. 7 Stanford, the Trojans advance to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 2008 season.

While Hogan needs to be good, the real star of the team is Christian McCaffrey who has shot into Heisman contention.

“We were all fired up that he came here”, Davis said.

Stanford receiving meantime was dominated by Cajuste. The Trojans lost two of their first three Pac-12 games but recovered to win the South division.

USC third-down defense vs. Stanford third-down offense.

USC took the lead in the third quarter, but could not hang on. McCaffrey was a bit in awe of the accomplishment after the game. Stanford was the league’s best candidate for a playoff berth, but the 11-2 Cardinal could not rise above undefeated Clemson and three one-loss teams. Kessler did manage to make things happen with his feet at times but it wasn’t enough to keep a Stanford defense off guard.

“Very proud of our kids and the season that they’ve had”, said Trojans head coach Clay Helton. The Trojans have a 5-3 record under Helton, who was given a five-year contract this week to remain the head coach….

Former USC tailback Reggie Bush attended his first Trojans game Saturday night since the university was hit with NCAA sanctions for violations involving him and his family. USC C Khaliel Rodgers (ankle) did not play and fourth-string C Nico Falah started in his place…. The Cardinals sit at No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings and a win plus another team losing could mean they are in for postseason play.