We’ve got our work cut out for us. It’ll be a great matchup, our rush defense versus their rush offense – Kyle Whittingham
SALT LAKE CITY — To say the least, Stanford running back Bryce Love has run through the opposition this season. The junior has netted 1,088 yards through five games. His rampage includes 180 yards against Rice, 160 against USC, and 184 against San Diego State. Then came 263 against UCLA and a school-record 301 last week against Arizona State.
Now comes a game against 18th-ranked Utah Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. It’ll pit the nation’s leading rusher, who averages more than 11 yards per carry, against the Pac-12’s top rushing defense. The Utes are giving up just 87 yards per game on the ground.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “It’ll be a great matchup, our rush defense versus their rush offense.”
Slowing Love, he later explained, requires a variety of things.
“First of all, you’ve got to be gap sound and that’s where rush defense begins,” said Whittingham, who added the importance of run fits, gap control and gang tackling. “He’s not going to go down with an arm tackle. He’s a very physical runner relative to his size.”
Love, who is 5-foot-10 and 196 pounds, represents a big challenge. Even so, the Cardinal offense isn’t necessarily a one-man show. Whittingham noted that Stanford’s offensive line has provided a lot of block yardage before Love is contacted.
Utah linebacker Kavika Luafatasaga noted that Stanford’s O-line is built big and physical. Love, he continued, is a hard-nosed runner.
“We need to be able to wrap up and tackle,” Luafatasaga said.
Love has had lengthy rushes in all five games this season, including 75 against USC, 69 against UCLA, 62 against Rice, 61 against Arizona State and 53 against San Diego State.
“I feel like, yeah, if we can stop Bryce Love, we’ll be good because he’s basically their offense,” Luafatasaga said. “Last week, racking up 300 yards, it’ll be a good matchup for us.”
Luafatasaga added that Love is very shifty and hits the hole in the line hard. He also makes people miss. The Utes, Luafatasaga continued, are going to work really hard this week to focus on wrapping up and tackling.
“We’re going to do our best,” Luafatasaga said. “We like these type of games. We’re ready.”
After holding Pac-12 rushing leader Arizona to 200 yards rushing, defensive tackle Filipo Mokofisi acknowledged that it was too much for what the defense liked to give.
“We’d like to get that number a lot lower,” he said. “But it’s a lot lower than their average (296 ypg). So I think we’ll take that and the ‘W.’”
Here comes the next challenge.
Prior to Utah’s bye week, Mokofisi noted that he watched Love play against UCLA.
“He looks really good,” Mokofisi said. “So we’ve got to really focus (between games) and stop the run against them, too.”
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Stanford (3-2, 2-1) at No.18/21 Utah (4-0, 1-0)
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Saturday, 8:15 p.m.
TV: FS1
Radio: ESPN 700AM
Email: dirk@deseretnews.com
Twitter: @DirkFacer