Stanford may be without Christian McCaffrey.
The Cardinals’ Heisman runner-up, a consensus All-American and the AP College Football Player of the Year in 2015, left last weekend’s lost to Washington State and didn’t return to the field in the lopsided loss. And now his status for Saturday night’s game against Notre Dame is up in the air.
“He’s pretty beaten up,” Shaw said on Tuesday. “But we’ll see where he is.”
Without McCaffrey the Stanford offense is without an identity. Carrying a heavy load for the Cardinal throughout September, McCaffery’s numbers haven’t been as dynamic as they were last season, though he’s still been the engine of the offensive attack.
McCaffrey leads Stanford will 520 rushing yards through five games, down significantly from last season, but still posting a 5.3 yards per carry average. He leads the Cardinal in catches with 18, as well as punt and kick returns.
Last year, Notre Dame held McCaffrey to 94 rushing yards and just 3.5 yards per carry in their last-second 38-36 loss. It was the first game McCaffrey was held under 100 yards since early September, in a season where he broke the 2,000 yard barrier.