McCaffrey aims to guide Stanford past UCLA
In last October’s Stanford-UCLA clash, Christian McCaffrey simply wouldn’t be denied. Will the star rusher offer up an equally spectacular performance this weekend?
On Saturday, the two Pac-12 rivals meet again at the Rose Bowl. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI currently list the host squad as a 3-point favorite. The over/under is 46.
Coming off a decisive victory over USC, the Cardinal (2-0) may not necessarily need McCaffrey to rack up 369 total yards in Week 4, as was the case in that 56-35 rout of the Bruins a year ago. Yet coach David Shaw won’t hesitate to use his standout junior early and often. McCaffrey amassed 165 yards on 30 carries against the Trojans. Top reserve Bryce Love received 11 totes, too.
Interestingly, run defense represents UCLA’s (2-1) biggest strength at the moment. The school just held a deep, talented BYU group to 25 yards on the ground. Massive interior tackle tandem Eddie Vanderdoes and Eli Ankou absolutely stuffed Independent dynamo Jamaal Williams.
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With all due respect to the Cougars’ No. 1 threat in the backfield, though, he’s no McCaffrey. Stanford’s multidimensional horse also boasts 10 receptions on the season, and he’s nearly impossible to contain in space. Suffice it to say, Jim Mora’s crew shouldn’t bank on improving to 5-1 vs. ranked foes since the beginning of 2014.
FRIDAY NCAA FREE PICK: UCLA +3