Stanford Running Game Vs. Notre Dame Run Defense
Evaluating the numerical data through the 4-7 season, it is hard to believe that this run-game profile belongs to the Stanford Cardinal.
A program that traditionally features one of the best running backs in the country — see Heisman Trophy runners-up Christian McCaffrey, Bryce Love and Toby Gerhart over the past 10-plus years — this year’s Stanford team is barely cracking triple digits. The Cardinal rank 123rd out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams with just 104.4 rushing yards per game.
In its 49-22 blowout loss at Washington State Nov. 16, Stanford managed only six rushing yards on 10 attempts and had to rely on quarterback Davis Mills’ 504 yards passing to move the football.
Fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett leads the Cardinal with 797 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. No other Stanford player has more than 194 rushing yards, and the team has merely one other rushing score. Scarlett also averages a modest 4.2 yards per carry.
