Craig Myers had a turn.
Then Damian Alloway stepped up.
Christian Pabico took a stab at it, so did Brad Sochowski.
Stephen Johnson III and Theo Howard each had a shot, but none of the speedy scout-team players could quite capture the elusiveness and versatility of “slippery” Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey.
“No disrespect to any other player in the country, but I think he’s the best player in football,” coach Jim Mora said. “It’s impossible [to emulate him]. He’s a great one.”
The junior has had 200 all-purpose yards in eight straight games – the longest streak in the past 10 years – including 369 yards against the Bruins last year.
The Heisman runner-up does it all for the Cardinal – “catch the ball, block, run, punt returns, kickoffs” – putting the pressure on the UCLA defense to stifle his explosive plays.
Stopping McCaffrey starts with matching up to the physical offensive line.
“They’re gonna use a lot of linemen and a lot of gaps.” said defensive lineman Rick Wade. “That’s really what it’s gonna be about, gap discipline and not letting anything get out of control.”
Coaches have prepared the team for this match-up, tailoring the game plan to stand up to the aggressive and disciplined Stanford team.
“If we work together as a team, we can accomplish our goals,” said linebacker coach Angus McClure. “I think [the performance against BYU] reassured guys that what we’ve been preaching, what Coach Mora preaches is team defense.”
Wade described McClure’s attention to detail during practice as crucial to the team defense’s development and performance in games. The thousands of repetitions let the Bruins rely on their instincts and focus on technique on game days.
Focus will be key for the Bruins this weekend, even if coaches and players say they’re on edge.
“Every time this week comes up, everybody’s on edge – players on edge, coaches on edge. Everybody wants to get this done,” said tailback Nate Starks. “But you gotta treat it like every other week. One week at a time, preparing for Stanford. We wanna show that we can play with guys like that. We’re always the underdog and we wanna show that we can beat these guys.”
Personnel Updates
Takk McKinley hasn’t been 100 percent after suffering a groin injury in the Bruins’ season opener at Texas A&M.
The defensive end left the BYU game early, but the coaching staff was hopeful to have him ready for Stanford. At Wednesday’s morning practice, McKinley wore a red non-contact jersey and was progressing well, according to Mora.
Having McKinley and Eddie Vanderdoes, who nursed a knee sprain after the first few games, will add depth on the defensive side of the ball.
“When we can rotate like that, we’re always fresh,” Wade said. “We’re able to look out for each other to make good plays and hype each other up.”
Starks, who missed the first two games of the season, is prepared to face the Stanford defense this week. Starks would not disclose why he was unavailable against Texas A&M and UNLV, stating that it was “in-house stuff and getting my body ready.”
The tailback said he was eager to partner up with Soso Jamabo and Bolu Olorunfunmi to form the “Big Three.” Jamabo did not play against the Cougars in Provo, but coaches said the running back was expected to be ready to play against the Cardinal this weekend.