HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — How did Stanford — STANFORD of all places? — become the Pac-12’s go-to Heisman Hopeful factory?
Of all the shifts in college football over the past decade, perhaps none is more shocking than this. We’re talking about a school that wasn’t relevant in football since John Elway’s heyday in the early 1980s. And Elway went 20-23 for the Cardinal!
Yet here we are, with Christian McCaffrey as the face of the Pac-12, five years after Andrew Luck held the honor. Of all the media huddles at this week’s conference media days in Los Angeles, none were bigger, national pundits descending upon Tinseltown to coronate the Next Big Thing.
After averaging almost 10 yards a touch as a freshman, McCaffrey exploded onto the national scene in just his third game of his sophomore year last season, tallying 115 rushing yards and 37 receiving yards in a 41-31 win over USC. That was merely the start. He’d go on to set the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards in a season (3,864), eclipse the 2,000-yard mark on the ground, finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting and take home Associated Press Player of the Year honors, along with the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year award. Against Arizona, the sophomore rushed 17 times for 156 yards — that’s 9.2 yards per carry — and scored a touchdown. It was an easy night for McCaffrey, who averaged 24 carries per game.
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This year, the son of Denver Broncos great Ed McCaffrey is not going to take anyone by surprise. Here’s proof:
Arizona defensive tackle Sani Fuimaono on McCaffrey’s heart: “He seems like a guy who is very hungry. You can tell by the way he plays, that he plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s a Heisman candidate, but he fell short — I’m expecting him to come out with that same play, and maybe even a bigger chip on his shoulder.”
Cal coach Sonny Dykes on McCaffrey’s versatility: “He’s different because he’s good at everything. When you look at Christian, he’s got good speed, he’s elusive, he’s strong and finishes runs, he’s an outstanding receiver who can run routes and catch the ball. He’s a natural runner, makes good decisions with the ball in his hands. He’s physical. Good running backs have half of those things. He’s got all of it. You add in the return game, and you have an elite, special football player.”
Oregon linebacker Johnny Ragin III on McCaffrey’s line: “If you asked him, he’d say it’s all credit to his line, so that’s what I’m going to say as well. Their line is definitely big and strong and powerful, and they do a lot to help them out. I think about how often you shut them down as a team, as a collective.”
Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas on McCaffrey’s work ethic: “I definitely expected him to do what he did. Watching Christian practice, how incredible he was, how amazing he was in games — there’s no doubt I expected the season he had. The whole team knew what was going to happen. It was just a matter of time until he exploded.”
Washington State linebacker Parker Henry on McCaffrey’s lack of weaknesses: “He’s a special talent, he really is. The thing that makes him so great is he’s so versatile. There’s no one way you can stop him. If you stop him in the run game, they’re going to find a way to get him the ball in the open field with the pass. He’s just all-around a really good football player, doesn’t have many weaknesses. There’s nothing you can point to, he’s bad at this.”
Dykes on McCaffrey’s Heisman chances: “You have certain games that are going to be spotlighted, and you have to play well in those games. Guys who’ve won the Heisman in the past, a lot of it has been based on one or two ballgames. Desmond Howard, the Heisman pose, having that big game and all of a sudden he’s a Heisman Trophy winner. Almost all the Heisman Trophy winners have some moment, and everybody says, ‘that’s the guy.’ ”
UCLA linebacker Jayon Brown on stopping McCaffrey: “He has a great offensive line in front of him and a great offensive scheme. He’s a baller. He makes it happen on special teams, they play through him on offense. Personally, I treat every game as the same, try to shut down whoever they give the ball to. I know, when we play them, he’s the guy. Shutting him down would be huge.”
Thomas on McCaffrey’s ethic: “He’s working even harder. He has a more serious approach, even though he already had the most serious approach. He understands the magnitude of the season. He’s going to come out as hard as he can, leading by example. He’s not going to back down.”
