Love ‘unlikely’ to play in football season opener

Bryce Love
Bryce Love breaks a tackle in the 2015 Pac-12 Championship against USC. The sophomore running back, whose vertical acceleration complements Christian McCaffrey's lateral evasiveness, could be the special ingredient in this year's Cardinal offense. (RAHIM ULLAH/The Stanford Daily)
By Laura Stickells
Aug. 30, 2016, 2:19 a.m.

Head coach David Shaw announced during Monday’s press conference that it’s “unlikely” sophomore running back Bryce Love will play on Friday in No. 8 Stanford’s opener against Kansas State, as he has yet to recover fully from a lower-body injury sustained during training camp.

“There has been no setback but he hasn’t made the progress that we’re looking for,” Shaw said.

Love, who had 29 carries last year, averaging 7.8 yards and 15 receptions for 250 yards in 14 games, is expected to be a key playmaker for the Cardinal this season.

With Love on the bench, more pressure will be put on junior running back Christian McCaffrey and new starting quarterback Ryan Burns, a senior, to carry the Stanford offense. Sophomore Cameron Scarlett should also see more playing time with Love’s absence.

Shaw also said that junior tight end Dalton Shultz should be ready to play on Friday despite missing recent practices due to injury.

Stanford begins its season against Kansas State on Sept. 2 at Stanford Stadium.

 

Contact Laura Stickells at lauraczs ‘at’ stanford.edu.

Laura Stickells is one of the Managing Editors of Sports at The Stanford Daily. Growing up in the small, rural town of Bishop, California, Laura captained the powderpuff football team and became particularly adept at driving heavy equipment in her later years, a skill that helped her find a position as an intern at NBC Sports this summer working on Olympic coverage. In her spare time, Laura competes on the Stanford Equestrian Team. She also writes football better than the boys. Laura is a sophomore majoring in communications and can be reached at lauraczs 'at' stanford.edu.

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