LOS ANGELES – Stanford, it seems, always has a running back.
Whether Toby Gerhart, Stepfan Taylor or Tyler Gaffney, if there’s been a hallmark for the Cardinal in recent years, it has been that it features a bruising runner in its backfield, someone barreling behind an overstuffed offensive line.
The latest in the lineage is Christian McCaffrey.
The sophomore, though, represents a slightly different challenge for UCLA’s defense compared to his predecessors.
McCaffrey, who is listed at 6 feet and 201 pounds, is a shifty back, far more likely to slip past a defender than to simply plow over one.